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1A- Retelling: Women of the Assembly - Part 1
In the first episode of the podcast, I'm retelling The Women of the Assembly, a comedy from Aristophanes in Ancient Greece.
This is a play that flips the traditional general norms and roles of Ancient Greece. Sometimes, this is (inaccurately) seen as a feminist work, because of the female lead taking over control of the government. Unfortunately, this is exactly the opposite of what this play is, and the lead, Praxagora, is a problematic character.
Isolating women because of a fear of what happens when they gather is a theme you see across history and cultures. And if they are together, in a patriarchal society, then pitting them against each other is the easiest way to distract from the fact they're IN a patriarchy. And Aristophanes definitely employs this idea in "The Women of the Assembly."
But, in this first series of episodes, I hope to retell this play, focusing on what is said -- and unsaid -- about Praxagora and women in general and later on, in the "Rewriting" episode, I'll share with you my rewritten fictional version of this play. A.K.A. what I wish it could have been.
SOURCES: Aaron Poochigan's 2021 translation and the 1975 Penguin Classic translated by David Barrett
MORE LINKS: My Patreon and My Instagram
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By Monica FrederickIn the first episode of the podcast, I'm retelling The Women of the Assembly, a comedy from Aristophanes in Ancient Greece.
This is a play that flips the traditional general norms and roles of Ancient Greece. Sometimes, this is (inaccurately) seen as a feminist work, because of the female lead taking over control of the government. Unfortunately, this is exactly the opposite of what this play is, and the lead, Praxagora, is a problematic character.
Isolating women because of a fear of what happens when they gather is a theme you see across history and cultures. And if they are together, in a patriarchal society, then pitting them against each other is the easiest way to distract from the fact they're IN a patriarchy. And Aristophanes definitely employs this idea in "The Women of the Assembly."
But, in this first series of episodes, I hope to retell this play, focusing on what is said -- and unsaid -- about Praxagora and women in general and later on, in the "Rewriting" episode, I'll share with you my rewritten fictional version of this play. A.K.A. what I wish it could have been.
SOURCES: Aaron Poochigan's 2021 translation and the 1975 Penguin Classic translated by David Barrett
MORE LINKS: My Patreon and My Instagram