Nine Essays on Homer

by Miriam Carlisle (Editor), Olga Levaniouk (Editor), Gregory Nagy (Foreword by)

The essays in this collection addresses questions of intense interest in Homeric studies the questions of performance and poet-audience interaction, especially as depicted in idealized performances within the Iliad and the Odyssey; the ways in which epic incorporates material of diverse genres, such as women's laments, blame poetry, or folk tales; how the ideological balance of epic can change and be influenced by 'alternative ideologies' introduced through the incorporation of new material; the implications of the continuity of tradition for etymological studies; and how the traditional nature of epic affects textual criticism. The essays differ in focus and method, but all share one fundamental approach to an understanding of the Homeric tradition as a poetic system that expresses and preserves what is culturally important and a view of the Homeric epics as instances of a cultural tradition which they attempt to explore through the epics themselves and through the comparative, anthropological, and linguistic evidence they bring to bear on these texts. A unique collection that explores Homeric poetry through a variety of tools and approaches―linguistics, philology, cultural anthropology, sociology, textual criticism, and archeology―this volume will be of interest to all scholars and students of oral poetry and Classical literature.

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Liam Malone · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone wishing to stay afloat of Homeric criticism this is essential reading.