Tetralogy
A tetralogy (from Greek τετρα- tetra-, "four" and -λογία -logia, "discourse") is a compound work that is made up of four distinct works. The name comes from the Attic theater, in which a tetralogy was a group of three tragedies followed by a satyr play, all by one author, to be played in one sitting at the Dionysia as part of a competition.[1]
Known Tetralogies
- "Tintitives" by Antiphon of Rhamnus - The author was an orator who taught his students with ', each one consisting of four speeches: the prosecutor's opening speech, the first speech for the defense, the prosecutor's reply, and the defendant's conclusion. Three of his tetralogies are known to have survived.[2]
- "Der Ring des Nibelungen" by Richard Wagner [3]
- "Inheritance Cycle" by Christopher Paolini
- The Buru Quartet by Pramoedya Ananta Toer
- "Magic Zero"[4] (previously titled "Outcast") by Christopher Golden and Thomas Sniegoski
- "Menagerie" by Christopher Golden and Thomas Sniegoski
- "The Sea of Fertility" (豊饒の海 Hōjō no Umi?) by Yukio Mishima
- "The Once and Future King By T.H. White
Other information
In the early modern period of literature, Shakespeare drafted a pair of tetralogies, the first consisting of the three Henry VI plays and Richard III, and the second, what we now call a prequel because it is set earlier, consisting of Richard II, the two Henry IV plays, and Henry V.[5]
As an alternative to "tetralogy", "quartet" is sometimes used, particularly for series of four books. The term "quadrilogy", using the Latin prefix quadri- instead of the Greek, and first recorded in 1865,[6] has also been used for marketing cinematic series, such as the Alien movies.
See also
 |
Look up tetralogy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
- Sequel
- Category:Literary tetralogies
- List of film series with four entries
References
- ↑ Rush Rehm. Greek Tragic Theater. Routledge, 1994, p. 16.
- ↑ C. M. Bowra. Landmarks in Greek Literature. Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1966, pp. 236–7.
- ↑ Hans von Wolzogen. Guide to the music of Richard Wagner's tetralogy: The ring of the Nibelung. A thematic key. Translated by Nathan Haskell Dole. G. Schirmer, New York, 1895.
- ↑ http://www.christophergolden.com/outcast.html
- ↑ Victor L. Cahn. Shakespeare the playwright: a companion to the complete tragedies, histories, comedies, and romances. Greenwood, 1991.
- ↑ Simpson, J.A., and Weiner, E.S.C. (eds.) The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989. Oxford. Clarendon Press. "quadri-"