Homer's People: Epic Poetry and Social Formation
(Part of the Cambridge Classical Studies Series)
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Book Overview
This book examines the role and character of Homer's people, laoi, in Homeric story-telling, arguing that Homeric poetry is crucially concerned with the people as a basis for communal life. Both The Iliad and The Odyssey are read as sustained meditations on the processes involved in protecting and destroying the people. The investigation draws on a wide range of approaches from formulaic analysis to the study of early performance contexts. From a close reading of the Homeric epics, Homer's people emerge as a community without effective social structures. When this is viewed from the perspective of Homeric performances in the polis, a contrast between Homer's laoi and the founding people of ritual emerges. While the former typically perish, the survival of the latter is secured by the establishment of successful institutions.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0521066417
ISBN13:9780521066419
Release Date:August 2008
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
Length:260 Pages
Weight:0.73 lbs.
Dimensions:0.6" x 5.5" x 8.5"
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