| Description |
1 online resource (xii, 225 pages) |
| Contents |
The genre : traditional definitions of epic -- The poem : Homer's muses and the unity of epic -- The poet : tradition, transmission, and time -- The text : signs of writing in Homer -- Poetry : the voice of song |
| Summary |
Andrew Ford here addresses, in a manner both engaging and richly informed, the perennial questions of what poetry is, how it came to be, and what it is for. Focusing on the critical moment in Western literature when the heroic tales of the Greek oral tradition began to be preserved in writing, he examines these questions in the light of Homeric poetry. Through fresh readings of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and referring to other early epics as well, Ford deepens our understanding of what poetry was at a time before written texts, before a developed sense of authorship, and before the existence of institutionalized criticism. Placing what is known about Homer's art in the wider context of Homer's world, Ford traces the effects of the oral tradition on the development of the epic and addresses such issues as the sources of the poet's inspiration and the generic constraints on epic composition. After exploring Homer's poetic vocabulary and his fictional and mythical representations of the art of singing, Ford reconstructs an idea of poetry much different from that put forth by previous interpreters. Arguing that Homer grounds his project in religious rather than in literary or historical terms, he concludes that archaic poetry claims to give a uniquely transparent and immediate rendering of the past. Homer: The Poetry of the Past will be stimulating and enjoyable reading for anyone interested in the traditions of poetry, including students and scholars in the fields of classics, literary theory and literary history, and intellectual history |
| Analysis |
Greek poetry |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 203-216) and indexes |
| Notes |
Master and use copy. Digital master created according to Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials, Version 1. Digital Library Federation, December 2002. http://purl.oclc.org/DLF/benchrepro0212 MiAaHDL |
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In English |
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Print version record |
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digitized 2010 HathiTrust Digital Library committed to preserve pda MiAaHDL |
| Subject |
Homer -- Criticism and interpretation
|
| SUBJECT |
Homer -- Criticism and interpretation
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Homer fast |
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Forchenbrunn, Herwerd von gnd |
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Homerus ca. v8. Jh. gnd |
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Homer -- Criticism and interpretation. nli |
| Subject |
Epic poetry, Greek -- History and criticism
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Epic poetry, Greek
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Epos
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Griechisch
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LITERATURA GREGA.
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POESIA ÉPICA.
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Griechisch.
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| Genre/Form |
Criticism, interpretation, etc.
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Hochschulschrift.
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| Form |
Electronic book
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| LC no. |
91055543 |
| ISBN |
9781501734625 |
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1501734628 |
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