The Songs of Homer

The literature of the western world begins with one of its greatest achievements. The stories of the wrath of Achilles and its consequences, and of the wanderings of Odysseus, have been admired from ancient times to the present day. The two great epics can be read and enjoyed, unreflectingly, as tales of adventure; or they can be studied as literature, yielding, as insight and ...

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The literature of the western world begins with one of its greatest achievements. The stories of the wrath of Achilles and its consequences, and of the wanderings of Odysseus, have been admired from ancient times to the present day. The two great epics can be read and enjoyed, unreflectingly, as tales of adventure; or they can be studied as literature, yielding, as insight and understanding grow, a deeper and more permanent pleasure. Professor Kirk's book is the means to this pleasure. It is a vivid and comprehensive account of the background and development of the Homeric poems and of their quality as literature. The epics are seen primarily as oral poetry, sung for centuries by illiterate singers; and from this view rises discussion of the problems of authorship and transmission. The historical, archaeological and linguistic evidence is also examined; and the possible contributions of the Mycenaean period and of the subsequent Dark Age are shown in a fresh light.

This is a vivid and comprehensive account of the background and development of the Homeric poems and of their quality as literature. The epics are seen primarily as oral poetry, sung for centuries by illiterate singers; and from this view rises discussion of the problems of authorship and transmission.

Title......Page 1
Contents......Page 3
Maps......Page 6
Preface......Page 8
1. THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE HOMERIC POEMS......Page 10
THE RISE OF MYCENAE......Page 11
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Title......Page 1
Contents......Page 3
Maps......Page 6
Preface......Page 8
1. THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE HOMERIC POEMS......Page 10
THE RISE OF MYCENAE......Page 11
THE LINEAR B TABLETS AND LIFE IN A LATE MYCENAEAN PALACE-STATE......Page 31
FROM THE MYCENAEAN DECLINE TO THE TIME OF HOMER......Page 48
2. THE ORAL POET AND HIS METHODS......Page 60
3. THE GROWTH OF THE ORAL EPIC IN GREECE......Page 107
THE EVIDENCE FOR MYCENAEAN EPIC......Page 108
THE POETICAL POSSIBILITIES OF THE DARK AGE......Page 129
DARK AGE ELEMENTS AND AEOLIC ELEMENTS......Page 142
4. PLURALITY AND UNITY IN HOMER......Page 160
SUBJECTS AND STYLES......Page 161
THE CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC AMALGAM......Page 181
STRUCTURAL ANOMALIES IN THE ILIAD......Page 213
STRUCTURAL ANOMALIES IN THE ODYSSEY......Page 230
THE OVERRIDING UNITY......Page 255
5. THE DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSMISSION OF THE GREAT POEMS......Page 270
THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HOMERIC COMPOSITION......Page 271
THE CRUCIAL PHASES OF TRANSMISSION......Page 301
STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT......Page 316
6. THE SONGS AND THEIR QUALITIES......Page 335
THE ILIAD......Page 336
THE ODYSSEY......Page 354
MAN, FATE AND ACTION: SOME SPECIAL QUALITIES OF THE HOMERIC POEMS......Page 371
NOTES......Page 385
INDEX OF PASSAGES......Page 404
GENERAL INDEX......Page 407
Plates......Page 420
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