James Barrett

Title

Associate Professor of Classics; Chair of Classics

Department

Classics

Information

Address

5293 Mayflower Hill Waterville, Maine 04901-8853

Current Courses

CRS	Title	Sec
CL148	Myth in the City: Greek Tragedy	A
CL245	Festival, Competition, and Performance in Ancient Greece	A
GK131	Introduction to Greek Literature	A
GK263	Euripides	A
LT131	Introduction to Latin Literature	A

Education

Ph.D., Cornell University
B.A., U.C. Santa Cruz

Areas of Expertise

Ancient Greek Cultural History
Greek Theater
Early Greek Philosophy
Narrative

Current Research

Antisthenes and Tragedy
The Body in Greek Philosophical Discourse
Brecht and Euripides

Publications

● James Barrett is the author of Staged Narrative: Poetics and the Messenger in Greek Tragedy (California, 2002).
This study traces the literary ancestry of the tragic messenger, showing that the messenger's narrative constitutes an unexplored site of engagement with Homeric epic, and that the role illuminates fifth-century BCE experimentation with modes of speech. Breaking new ground in the study of Athenian tragedy, this book deepens our understanding of many central texts and of a form of theater that highlights the fragility and limits of human knowledge, a theme explored by its use of the messenger.

● He is also the author numerous articles and book chapters on Greek tragedy, Greek philosophy, and narrative.

People