Review: The Theban Plays by Sophocles

Classic Greek drama which tells of the tragedy of Oedipus and his family.


As foretold by Teiresius, a blind prophet, Oedipus unwittingly kills his own father, then marries his own mother, with whom he has four children.



The three plays in this book, King Oedipus, Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone, show us what happens when Oedipus realises what he has done.


This harrowing tale, when read in the order above, forms a continuous narrative from Oedipus' birth, through to his tragic and horrifying act, his death, and then the consequences for his children.


I was surprised to learn though that this was not the order in which they were written. Sophocles (496-406 BC) wrote the last play, Antigone, first, in 442-441BC. This was followed by King Oedipus, the first of the trilogy in 429-420BC, and then Oedipus at Colonus in 401 BC which was released/performed in 401 BC, after the author's death.


There are some minor inconsistencies as a result of this non-sequential writing, but these do not detract from the impact of the drama.


Newcomers to Greek drama will find the introduction helpful, as this gives us a background on the origins and development of the dramatic form in Ancient Greece, a detailed analysis of each play, and the relevance of these texts to today's audience.


On this last note, I found one particular scene in Antigone very reminscent of recent events in Australian politics. Creon, brother-in-law to Oedipus and now the new king, stubbornly refuses to change his ruling on the burial of Oedipus' son, and the punishment for Antigone, who has defied this ruling. Despite indications that he may lose his family, his supporters, and his throne, Creon remains resolute.


I think the final words belong to Haemon, Creon's son:

"...good as it is to have infallible wisdom,
Since this is rarely found, the next best thing
Is to be willing to listen to wise advice."

If only John Howard had read this. Some things never change.

Dymocks Top 101 books

Dymocks bookstores have just released their Top 101 books, as voted by Dymocks customers. There are some good books here, but I'm embarrassed to say that I've only read five of them:

• no. 3 To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
• no. 14 Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte
• no. 18 The Alchemist, by Paulo Cohelo
• no. 75 Chocolat, by Joanne Harris
• no. 83 The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck

Just about all the books on the Dymocks list are novels. I'm sure my own personal list would include a fair amount of non-fiction, which probably explains the small number that I can tick off.

What I'm reading now ...

The Theban Plays by Sophocles

A trilogy of classic Greek drama. Includes King Oedipus, Oedipus at Colonnus, and Antigone


Started 18 Feb 2008
Finished 26 Feb 2008



The Memoir book by Patti Miller

From the best-selling author of Writing your life, comes this new book on writing memoir.


Started 11 Feb 2008
This was a borrowed book, that had to be returned before I could finish it.

Review: A Place on Earth: An anthology of nature writing from Australia and North America by Mark Tredinnick (ed.)

Writing about nature is in no way a new phenomena, although as the editor of this book, Mark Tredinnick, suggests, it is probably more common in America than here in Australia.

In this collection of essays and personal stories, Tredinnick explores the reason for this, and offers a comparison of American and Australian traditions of nature writing, with a discussion of authors from both countries that have helped shaped the genre.

The writers in this book are more contemporary, and many pieces have been written specifically for this collection.

But what exactly is nature writing? According to Tredinnick,

"The literature of nature has three main dimensions: natural history information, personal repsonses to nature, and philosophical interpretations of nature" (p.35)

We are given examples of all three forms in this book through the work of 26 different authors (12 Australian, 14 American). Some write about a particular place - Tasmania, Northern Australia, Oregon, Alaska; some write about natural features - wind, rain, mountains, oceans; and some about various plants and animals - pine forests, bears, fish, birds.

What we learn from each of these writers is that we are all a part of our environment, and we cannot separate ourselves from it without causing it and ourselves some damage.

As Tredinnick writes in his introduction:

'You cannot know me until you know the weather and the country that surround me, the trees and rocks and animals, as well as the people, that keep me company" (p.27)

In this age of greater environmental awareness, nature writing is bound to become a much more prevalent form in our society, and this book is a wonderful introduction to the tradition.