Tragedy in Transition is an innovative and exciting volume that explores the theory and practice of tragedy from the Greek tragedians to the present day, tracing important developments, continuities and discontinuities in the tragic tradition and exploring the afterlives of some of the most resonant tragic narratives.

Notes on Contributors. Introduction: Tragedy in Transition: Sarah Annes Brown (Anglia Ruskin University). 1. Trojan Suffering, Tragic Gods and Transhistorical Metaphysics: Edith Hall (Royal Holloway, University of London). 2. Hardcore Tragedy: Ewan Fernie (Royal Holloway, University of London). 3. Tragedy and Disgust: Robert Douglas-Fairhurst (Magdalen College, University of Oxford). 4. Tragedy and the Sign of the Eclipse: Anne C. Henry (University of Cambridge). 5. Jonson's too Roman Plays: From Julius Caesar to Sejanus and Catiline: John Henderson (King’s College, University of Cambridge). 6. Neoclassicisms: Raphael Lyne (New Hall, University of Cambridge). 7. Tragedy and Exile: Jennifer Wallace (Peterhouse, University of Cambridge). 8. Narratives of Tragic Empathy: Prometheus Bound and Frankenstein: Vanda Zajko (Bristol University). 9. Tragedy and Childhood: Peter Hollindale (formerly of University of York). 10. Parricide versus Filicide: Oedipus and Medea on the Modern Stage: Fiona Macintosh (St Cross College, University of Oxford). 11. 'Suffering into Wisdom': The Tragedy of Wilde: Alison Hennegan (Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge). 12. Tarzan of Athens: Wilson Knight and Wole Soyinka: Neil Rhodes (University of St Andrews). 13. Postmodern Tragedy?: Returning to John Ford: Mark Houlahan (University of Waikato, New Zealand). 14. Tragedy and the Future: Rowland Wymer (Anglia Ruskin University). Afterword: Ending Tragedy: Catherine Silverstone (Anglia Ruskin University). Index

Tragedy in Transition is an innovative and exciting volume that explores the theory and practice of tragedy from the Greek tragedians to the present day, tracing important developments, continuities and discontinuities in the tragic tradition and exploring the afterlives of some of the most resonant tragic narratives. Central questions – the role of the gods, for example – are examined in unexpected ways, and less traditional topics – including childhood and science fiction – allow new questions to be opened up. The volume as a whole employs a range of theoretical and critical approaches to press the boundaries of tragedy, encouraging the reader to interrogate the genre's parameters and its significance. An ideal resource for students, this accessible anthology offers an up-to-date and lively critique of a wide range of topics in the field.

"Sarah Annes Brown and Catherine Silverstone have assembled fourteen essays that adopt a 'transhistorical' approach in their edited collection, Tragedy in Transition. Although not centred in early modern drama, Jonson, John Ford, and especially Shakespeare are prominently featured in this superb, wide-ranging volume that extends chronologically from Sophocles to filmmaker Quentin Tarentino." (Studies in English Literature, July 2009) "[It] was first voiced in 1961, that the twentieth century saw 'the death of tragedy' … .We can swallow this whole or attend to other, more meliorist perspectives—offered by Sarah Annes Brown and Catherine Silverstone in another timely collection of essays, Tragedy in Transition." (Times Literary Supplement, January 2009) "Setting the agenda for further research of this type." (The Classical Review, 2009)

“These timely and compelling essays address a remarkable range of texts and topics from Sophocles and Shakespeare to Tarantino and Kane, most notably the trauma of indeterminate identity, of crossing boundaries and being caught in between times, so central to thinking about tragedy now.” –Adrian Poole, University of Cambridge 'The subject of tragedy is at once intimidating and well-worn. All credit then to the editors for having commissioned a varied collection of essays that breaks fresh ground and makes unexpected connections. Contributors are not afraid to ask large questions, for example about the transcultural appeal of tragedy or its compatibility with the postmodern condition. There is an emphasis on enriching intertextualities and reception histories; on the light that different tragic traditions with their continuities and dissonances can cast on one another. The volume as a whole suggests some future directions our conversations about tragedy might profitably take." –Charles Martindale, University of Bristol