“This is a fascinating book. Truly kick-ass. It is high time that something astounding be done with Greek comedy. Democratic Swarms bursts with original readings, approaching familiar plays with incantations that tease out a possible world that has remained just beyond reach. DuBois nails the key concerns of today’s society and demonstrates how the afterlife of Greek comedy has seeded a wide range of modern discourses, providing a framework that can liberate comedy from the fetters that have been holding it down.”

David Roselli, Scripps College

“DuBois’s brilliant Democratic Swarms resists the long-standing dominance of tragedy in the analysis of ancient drama, reorienting us toward the comic chorus in order to rethink ancient literary production and politics both past and present. DuBois revisits assumptions about the centrality of character and dramatic plot—which privilege the individual—instead bringing much-needed attention to the ‘swarms’ of different creatures, the force of the animal and hybrid figures, and the collective in producing spectacle, laughter, ‘free’ speech, and action. She shows how ancient choruses and comic utopias can stir conversations on identity, democracy, voting, violence, power.”

Andromache Karanika, University of California, Irvine

“This book made me stand up and cheer. Beautifully written and full of insightful readings, Democratic Swarms finds duBois still raising the flag of freedom, like Marianne, and trampling on the shackles of Aristotelian poetics. She shows what comedy and its swarming choruses did that Greek tragedy did not do: mock the powerful, spread visions of the equal distribution of wealth, and present Athens whole, as a polyvocal buzz of conflicting voices. Democratic Swarms upholds the pertinence of comedy for today, enabling a politics that goes beyond the tragic individual. DuBois’s critique eviscerates current antidemocratic rhetoric and sees the swarm rise again in Occupy and Black Lives Matter.”

Amy Richlin, University of California, Los Angeles