Homeric Questions

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Ancient & Classical
Cover of the book Homeric Questions by Gregory Nagy, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Gregory Nagy ISBN: 9780292778740
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: March 6, 2009
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: Gregory Nagy
ISBN: 9780292778740
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: March 6, 2009
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English

The "Homeric Question" has vexed Classicists for generations. Was the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey a single individual who created the poems at a particular moment in history? Or does the name "Homer" hide the shaping influence of the epic tradition during a long period of oral composition and transmission?In this innovative investigation, Gregory Nagy applies the insights of comparative linguistics and anthropology to offer a new historical model for understanding how, when, where, and why the Iliad and the Odyssey were ultimately preserved as written texts that could be handed down over two millennia. His model draws on the comparative evidence provided by living oral epic traditions, in which each performance of a song often involves a recomposition of the narrative.This evidence suggests that the written texts emerged from an evolutionary process in which composition, performance, and diffusion interacted to create the epics we know as the Iliad and the Odyssey. Sure to challenge orthodox views and provoke lively debate, Nagy's book will be essential reading for all students of oral traditions.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The "Homeric Question" has vexed Classicists for generations. Was the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey a single individual who created the poems at a particular moment in history? Or does the name "Homer" hide the shaping influence of the epic tradition during a long period of oral composition and transmission?In this innovative investigation, Gregory Nagy applies the insights of comparative linguistics and anthropology to offer a new historical model for understanding how, when, where, and why the Iliad and the Odyssey were ultimately preserved as written texts that could be handed down over two millennia. His model draws on the comparative evidence provided by living oral epic traditions, in which each performance of a song often involves a recomposition of the narrative.This evidence suggests that the written texts emerged from an evolutionary process in which composition, performance, and diffusion interacted to create the epics we know as the Iliad and the Odyssey. Sure to challenge orthodox views and provoke lively debate, Nagy's book will be essential reading for all students of oral traditions.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book La Pinta by Gregory Nagy
Cover of the book Zen of the Plains by Gregory Nagy
Cover of the book Bodily Arts by Gregory Nagy
Cover of the book The Architecture and Cities of Northern Mexico from Independence to the Present by Gregory Nagy
Cover of the book Whose School Is It? by Gregory Nagy
Cover of the book Twilight on the Range by Gregory Nagy
Cover of the book William Knox by Gregory Nagy
Cover of the book The Trials of Eroy Brown by Gregory Nagy
Cover of the book A Young Palestinian's Diary, 1941–1945 by Gregory Nagy
Cover of the book After Revolution by Gregory Nagy
Cover of the book Profile of Man and Culture in Mexico by Gregory Nagy
Cover of the book Isocrates II by Gregory Nagy
Cover of the book The Devil's Church and Other Stories by Gregory Nagy
Cover of the book The Texas-Mexican Conjunto by Gregory Nagy
Cover of the book After San Jacinto by Gregory Nagy
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy