The Greeks and the Utopia: an overview through ancient Greek Literature
Abstract It is a common experience to dream of a world where everyone would live happy and in harmony with both the environment and the other people, without sufferings and injustice, under a perfect socio-political system, without wars or hunger. This dream has inspired different people form diff...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Portuguese |
| Published: |
Universidade Estadual de Maringá
2009-06-01
|
| Series: | Revista Espaço Acadêmico |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://periodicos.uem.br/ojs/index.php/EspacoAcademico/article/view/7223 |
| _version_ | 1818193316548706304 |
|---|---|
| author | Rosanna Lauriola |
| author_facet | Rosanna Lauriola |
| author_sort | Rosanna Lauriola |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract
It is a common experience to dream of a world where everyone would live happy and in harmony with both the environment and the other people, without sufferings and injustice, under a perfect socio-political system, without wars or hunger. This dream has inspired different people form different eras and cultures to build imaginary worlds for compensating the dissatisfaction with the current one. Utopia is the name of the imaginary world they proposed either as alternative one or as temporary oasis able to release people from the reality. Literally meaning ‘no-place’, the term has an ancient Greek root but it does not exist in the vocabulary of ancient Greek language. Although ancient Greeks did not have a conscious concept of utopia, they, however, dreamt, wrote, proposed – with different aims - what we would call now ( paradoxically using a ‘modern’ term ) ‘utopic’ worlds. From the archaic to the post-classic period, we find literary expressions of utopic thought in ancient Greek culture. Such expressions constitute the basis of the modern Utopia and Utopianism with their positive and negative implications. This essay takes a more detailed look at the work of Aristophanes, considered one of the greatest Greek playwrights, and inquires whether his comedies can be considered utopias.
|
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T00:44:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-232d2487ba30432aa5931752d090a158 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1519-6186 |
| language | Portuguese |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T00:44:28Z |
| publishDate | 2009-06-01 |
| publisher | Universidade Estadual de Maringá |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revista Espaço Acadêmico |
| spelling | doaj.art-232d2487ba30432aa5931752d090a1582022-12-22T00:44:09ZporUniversidade Estadual de MaringáRevista Espaço Acadêmico1519-61862009-06-01997The Greeks and the Utopia: an overview through ancient Greek LiteratureRosanna Lauriola0University of Idaho Abstract It is a common experience to dream of a world where everyone would live happy and in harmony with both the environment and the other people, without sufferings and injustice, under a perfect socio-political system, without wars or hunger. This dream has inspired different people form different eras and cultures to build imaginary worlds for compensating the dissatisfaction with the current one. Utopia is the name of the imaginary world they proposed either as alternative one or as temporary oasis able to release people from the reality. Literally meaning ‘no-place’, the term has an ancient Greek root but it does not exist in the vocabulary of ancient Greek language. Although ancient Greeks did not have a conscious concept of utopia, they, however, dreamt, wrote, proposed – with different aims - what we would call now ( paradoxically using a ‘modern’ term ) ‘utopic’ worlds. From the archaic to the post-classic period, we find literary expressions of utopic thought in ancient Greek culture. Such expressions constitute the basis of the modern Utopia and Utopianism with their positive and negative implications. This essay takes a more detailed look at the work of Aristophanes, considered one of the greatest Greek playwrights, and inquires whether his comedies can be considered utopias. https://periodicos.uem.br/ojs/index.php/EspacoAcademico/article/view/7223utopiaAncient GreececomedyphilosophyAristophanesPlato |
| spellingShingle | Rosanna Lauriola The Greeks and the Utopia: an overview through ancient Greek Literature Revista Espaço Acadêmico utopia Ancient Greece comedy philosophy Aristophanes Plato |
| title | The Greeks and the Utopia: an overview through ancient Greek Literature |
| title_full | The Greeks and the Utopia: an overview through ancient Greek Literature |
| title_fullStr | The Greeks and the Utopia: an overview through ancient Greek Literature |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Greeks and the Utopia: an overview through ancient Greek Literature |
| title_short | The Greeks and the Utopia: an overview through ancient Greek Literature |
| title_sort | greeks and the utopia an overview through ancient greek literature |
| topic | utopia Ancient Greece comedy philosophy Aristophanes Plato |
| url | https://periodicos.uem.br/ojs/index.php/EspacoAcademico/article/view/7223 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rosannalauriola thegreeksandtheutopiaanoverviewthroughancientgreekliterature AT rosannalauriola greeksandtheutopiaanoverviewthroughancientgreekliterature |