| Homer's Winged Words: The Evolution of Early Greek Epic Diction in the Light of Oral Theory Contributor(s): Reece, Steve (Author) |
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ISBN: 9004174419 ISBN-13: 9789004174412 Publisher: Brill OUR PRICE: $275.50 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: May 2009 Annotation: This book is an attempt to shed new light, via the tenets of oral-formulaic theory, on the evolution and meaning of several dozen words and phrases found in early Greek epic whose etymologies have puzzled philologists for over 2500 years. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | Ancient And Classical - Literary Criticism | Medieval - History | Ancient - General |
| Dewey: 883.01 |
| LCCN: 2009010950 |
| Series: Mnemosyne Supplements Monographs on Greek and Roman Language and Literature |
| Physical Information: 1.1" H x 6.5" W x 9.6" (1.80 lbs) 413 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - Ancient (To 499 A.D.) |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: For over 2500 years many of the most learned scholars of the Greek language have concerned themselves with the topic of etymology. The most productive source of difficult, even inexplicable, words was Homer's 28,000 verses of epic poetry. Steve Reece proposes an approach to elucidating the meanings of some of these difficult words that finds its inspiration primarily in Milman Parry's oral-formulaic theory. He proposes that during the long period of oral transmission acoustic uncertainties, especially regarding word boundaries, were continually occurring: a bard uttered one collocation of words, but his audience thought it heard another. The consequent resegmentation of words and phrases is the probable cause of some of the etymologically inexplicable words in our Homeric texts. |