French Literature Reviews - 2026
W. Marx, The Tomb of Oedipus: For a Tragedy Without the Tragic
Theatre and Performance
Excerpt in Fabula's Workshop: What Does Greek Tragedy Do to Us? (introduction)
Also read on the Vox-Poetica website: The Tomb of Oedipus, an interview with William Marx. Conducted by Alexandre Prstojevic.
William Marx, The Tomb of Oedipus: For a Tragedy Without the Tragic
Paris : Les Éditions de Minuit, "Paradoxe" series, 2012.
208 p.
Price 16 EUR
EAN 9782707322012
Publisher's presentation :
Greek tragedy must be saved from all the philosophical and tragic gnosticism that has burdened it for nearly three centuries. It must be saved from our modern conception of literature and theater. It must be saved from ourselves, so that we may rediscover it elsewhere, far away, in the most unexpected places: Japanese Noh, Catholic Mass, Freudian psychoanalysis… Unless it is already nowhere to be found.
For tragedy is as elusive as the tomb of Oedipus—that tomb Sophocles chose as the theme of his final play, which also happens to be the last known Greek tragedy.
With Oedipus at Colonus as a guiding thread, this book tells the edifying story of a misunderstanding to which we are doomed. It exposes the incredible betrayals and mutilations suffered by these masterpieces, offering in return a set of theses—or heresies—capable of overturning not only our vision of tragedy, but our very understanding of literature and its powers—over places, bodies, and gods.
No detour today is so troubling, nor so salutary.
This publication engages with long-standing debates surrounding the interpretation of classical drama, positioning itself within the broader field of theatrical history and reception studies. The volume addresses how later aesthetic and philosophical frameworks have shaped modern perceptions of ancient works, drawing connections to diverse performance traditions and cultural rituals. By revisiting the transmission of classical texts, the study addresses the ways in which masterpieces of antiquity have been read and staged across different historical epochs, questioning established critical assumptions about dramatic form and meaning.
Readers interested in the history of classical reception, theatrical theory, and the philosophical interpretation of drama may find this study relevant to their inquiries. The text contributes to ongoing discussions concerning the nature of dramatic literature and its evolving place within Western intellectual history, presenting a critical perspective on the ways audiences and scholars have historically engaged with the theatrical legacy of ancient Greece.
You can read the first pages and consult the 
Table of Contents