University of California Publications in Classical Philology, Vol. 7 (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from University of California Publications in Classical Philology, Vol. 7 The following pages were written under great pressure during the troubled months of the summer of 1918. For many years the problem of the reconstruction of the fifth-century theater at Athens had had for me a strange fascination. No matter how far afield I might wander or how hopeless the quest might appear, invariably I found myself yielding again to its spell and returning with new devotion to the tasks which it imposed. But the way led through a baffling intricacy of conjectures from which escape seemed forever barred. At length, however, in the spring of last year I suddenly realized that a clue to guide one out of a portion at least of this labyrinth of uncertainty had long been at hand, albeit unrecognized. The nature of this clue is set forth in chapter 3, and its discovery constitutes, as I still believe, a substantial advance in our knowledge of the theater of the fifth century. But it is doubtless too much to expect that all of the conclusions drawn therefrom will find general acceptance, particularly the attempted reconstruction of the Sophoclean scene-building (Fig.31), regarding which I myself entertain many a misgiving. Quite apart, however, from the particular thesis which I have sought to defend and the arguments adduced in its support, the discussion of the various theories regarding the early theater which have been advanced during the past thirty years will perhaps be not without value both to the general reader and to the student who may be seeking a guide to the literature of this highly technical subject. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.