Produktdetaljer
'This fascinating re-reading of political thought and practice questions our political values through the observation of democratic behaviour. Historical debates become performance events. Refreshingly, Wiles interprets the democratic process through a combined exploration of intellectual argument and the theatrical mode of political delivery.' Vicki Ann Cremona, Professor in Theatre Studies, University of Malta
'This impressive study, arguing that democracy and theatre are grounded in the same cultural practices of rhetoric and performativity in ancient Greece, offers the reader important new insights into both of these two phenomena as parallel working experimental laboratories in social interaction.' Marvin Carlson, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, The Graduate Center, City University of New York
'Democracy is a spectacle as well as a practice, as much the province of rhetoric as it is of political science. In this fascinating book, David Wiles uses the techniques of theatrical performance and sheds unusual light on democratic politics.' Philip Collins, columnist, The Times and former Chief Speech Writer to Prime Minister Tony Blair
'In this wide-ranging, densely argued book, David Wiles interrogates the intricate and conflictual relationship between theatre and democracy. Since their coeval emergence in fifth-century Athens, these two interrelated institutions have tussled with a set of apparent contradictions that Wiles analyses in superb detail: sincerity and rhetorical technique, rational argument versus affect, individuality versus collective appeal. He marshals not just a set of recurring arguments but a compelling cast of characters from Demosthenes to Gandhi who 'act out' these principles across the centuries and cultures.' Christopher Balme, Professor of Theatre Studies, LMU Munich
'An elegantly written, wide-ranging study of the commonalities and frictions found between democracy and the stage … This valuable study will appeal to scholars in many fields, perhaps including political science, history, and theatre … Highly recommended.' J. Fisher, CHOICE
'Wiles offers an insightful perspective on one of the most enduring, and consternating, themes of democratic political theory, presenting democratic leadership as a type of performance art.' Kimberly Hurd Hale, The Review of Politics
'A brilliant and engaging book …' Eric Csapo, The Classical Review
'By demonstrating the proximity of democracy and performance throughout the book, Wiles reveals his project's contemporary political stakes. Rhetorical awareness is as important now as it was in classical antiquity, given the pervasiveness of demagoguery, which plays upon its audience's response to performance. Wiles's awareness of such pervasiveness and his clear and direct articulation of the historical rhythms of sincerity's tension with performance allow his theoretical framework to adapt to a variety of historical and literary contexts. Even in the breadth of his study, Wiles's careful prose and patient rendering of disparate histories situate the reader comfortably in many periods, adding to the book's potential relevance to theater even beyond the examples considered here.' Benjamin H. Hoover, Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association
'Wiles offers an insightful perspective on one of the most enduring, and consternating, themes of democratic political theory, presenting democratic leadership as a type of performance art.' Kimberly Hurd Hale, The Review of Politics
'The book offers a new multi-dimensional perspective of both democracy, as a political system involving direct communication between rulers and ruled, and drama, considering it as an important component of that communication. In this sense, the book can be a valuable reading for classicists, but also for students of classical reception, drama and even political sciences, as it enriches the study of Classical antiquity by analysing its reception through different moments in history, at the same time that it can be considered as a study of democracy in its theatrical dimension. Wiles' work contributes to shedding light on contemporary matters, and of doing so through reinterpreting and rethinking Antiquity and the ways in which it keeps shaping the present.' Marta C. Cuevas Caballero, Bryn Mawr Classical Review