In this book Professor Silk presents a radically new critical study of Aristophanes. Through an exploration of Aristophanes' comic poetry, informed by a wide range of theory from Kierkegaard to Adorno, a particular consideration of Aristophanes' own understanding of his medium, and challenging comparisons with modern literature, this book adds a new chapter to the long-standing debate about the nature and potentialities of comedy.

This influential book was the first comprehensive study of Nietzsche's earliest work, The Birth of Tragedy (1872).