The Psychoanalytic Theory of Greek Tragedy

The Psychoanalytic Theory of Greek Tragedy

C. Fred Alford • Yale University Press

ISBN-10: 0300105266 · ISBN-13: 978‑0300105261 · 2005

Live offer for this book: 5 live copies of this book from $56.75 (as of 2026-09-08).

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The Psychoanalytic Theory of Greek Tragedy by C. Fred Alford Estimated delivery 3-12 business days Format Paperback Condition Brand New Description In this provocative book, C. Fred Alford examines the possibility that the insights into human needs and aspirations offered by the great Greek tragedies are more profound than psychoanalytic theory. Drawing on the work of Melanie Klein, R. J. Lifton, Jacques Lacan, and others, Alford presents his own psychoanalytic interpretation of plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. "A book that will be of intellectual profit, professional interest, and delight to mental health professionals of all disciplines as well as to non-clinical readers."-Ellen Handler Spitz, author of Art and Psyche. "A powerful interpretation of Greek tragedy at the level of the most fundamental human existential and ethical dilemmas. Alford uses psychoanalysis with a deft hand, and enlarges our understanding of both the premises of Greek tragedy and the premises of psychoanalysis. Building skillfully on the work of his predecessors, Alford has produced an impressive work that truly advances our understanding."-Bennett Simon, M.D., author of Tragic Drama and the Family: Psychoanalytic Studies from Aeschylus to Beckett "Few books are as humane and moral as this one, not to speak of its interpretive value...Students of humanity at all levels who think tragedy is meaningful today should read this book. "-David N. Wigtil, Religious Studies Review Publisher Description Psychoanalytic readings of literature are often reductionist, seeking to find in great works of the past support for current psychoanalytic tenets. In this book C. Fred Alford begins with the possibility that the insights into human needs and aspirations contained in Greek tragedy might be more profound than psychoanalytic theory. He offers his own psychoanalytic interpretation of the tragedies, one that reconstructs the dramatists' views of the world and, when necessary, enlarges psychoanalysis to take these views into account. Alford draws on an eclectic mixture of psychoanalytic theories-in particular the work of Melanie Klein, Robert Jay Lifton, and Jacques Lacan-to help him illuminate the concerns of the Greek poets. He discusses not only well-known tragedies, such as Aeschylus' Oresteia trilogy, Sophocles' Theban plays, and Euripides' Medea and Bacchae, but also lesser-known works, such as Sophocles' Philoctetes and Euripides' so-called romantic comedies. Alford examines the fundamental concerns of the tragedies: how to live in a world in which justice and power often seem to have nothing to do with each other; how to confront death; how to deal with the fear that our aggression will overflow and violate all that we care about; how to make this inhumane world a more human place. Two assumptions of the tragic poets could, he argues, enrich psychoanalysis-that people are responsible without being free, and that pity is the most civilizing connection. The poets understood these things, Alford believes, because they never flinched in the face of the suffering and constraint that are at the center of human existence. Details ISBN 0300105266 ISBN-13 9780300105261 Title The Psychoanalytic Theory of Greek Tragedy Author C. Fred Alford Format Paperback Year 2005 Pages 240 Publisher Yale University Press GE_Item_ID:7006485; About Us Grand Eagle Retail is the ideal place for all your shopping needs! Shipping & Delivery Times Shipping is FREE to any address in USA. Please view eBay estimated delivery times at the top of the listing. Deliveries are made by either USPS or Courier. We are unable to deliver faster than stated. International deliveries will take 1-6 weeks. NOTE: We are unable to offer combined shipping for multiple items purchased. This is because our items are shipped from different locations.

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