Skip to main content
Kent Academic Repository

Laughter and distributed attention in the spectating of Aristophanic comedy

Varakis-Martin, Angeliki (2014) Laughter and distributed attention in the spectating of Aristophanic comedy. In: Cognitive Futures in the Humanities conference, 24-26 April 2014, Durham University. (Unpublished) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:45049)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.

Abstract

What can positive psychology tell us about the ancient audience’s experience of Aristophanic comedy?

Drawing on research in the field of cognitive science which has shown that ‘thinking’ is not detached from emotion I shall argue that comic laughter, as an embodied experience, does not disrupt concentration but instead facilitates a different and more broadened mode of attention which affects the way in which theatre audiences perceive their surrounding environment. In the context of Aristophanic theatre, a broadening of attention would have facilitated audiences to experience the comedy of Aristophanes as an expansive and unpredictable world. This was in tune with the ‘openess’ of Aristophanic comedy as expressed through its discontinuous narrative, multiplicity of action and ‘re-creative’ characters.

Item Type: Conference or workshop item (Paper)
Subjects: P Language and Literature
P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General)
P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN2000 Dramatic representation. The theatre
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > School of Arts
Depositing User: Angie Varakis-Martin
Date Deposited: 20 Nov 2014 13:31 UTC
Last Modified: 17 Aug 2022 10:57 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/45049 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Varakis-Martin, Angeliki.

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7720-4840
CReDIT Contributor Roles:
  • Depositors only (login required):

Total unique views for this document in KAR since July 2020. For more details click on the image.