with Associate Professor David M. Pritchard
The funeral oration, a tradition observed almost annually for classical Athenians fallen in war, underwent a significant reinterpretation nearly four decades ago by Nicole Loraux. In her seminal work, The Invention of Athens, Loraux shed light on the crucial role of this genre in shaping Athenian identity. She demonstrated how each iteration of the speech contributed to maintaining a consistent self-identity for over a century. However, Loraux’s exploration had its limitations. By minimizing the focus on authorship, she neglected crucial questions surrounding individual speeches.
Pritchard, explaining his involvement in a comprehensive project aimed at expanding on The Invention of Athens, stated, “Project members convened initially in Strasbourg in 2018, followed by a subsequent meeting in Lyon in 2020. Our efforts culminated in an edited volume comprising 19 chapters, soon to be published by Cambridge University Press.”
In his lecture, “The Athenian Funeral Oration: After Nicole Loraux,” Professor Pritchard aims to address the significant questions overlooked by Loraux and to provide the intertextual analysis lacking in The Invention of Athens. This examination reveals a deeper political impact of the funeral oration than previously acknowledged.
