Overview
What kind of allusion is possible in a poetry derived from a centuries-long oral tradition, and what kind of oral-derived poetry are the Homeric epics? Comparison of Homeric epic with South Slavic heroic song has suggested certain types of answers to these questions, yet the South Slavic paradigm is neither straightforward in itself nor necessarily the only pertinent paradigm: Augustan Latin poetry uses many sophisticated and highly self-conscious techniques of allusion which can, this book contends, be suggestively paralleled in Homeric epic, and some of the same techniques of allusion can be found in Near Eastern poetry of the third and second millennia BC. By attending to these various paradigms, this challenging study argues for a new understanding of Homeric allusion and its place in literary history, broaching the question of whether there can have been historical continuity in a poetics of allusion stretching from the Mesopotamian epic of Gilgamesh, via the Iliad and Odyssey, to the Aeneid and Metamorphoses, despite the enormous disparities of time and place and of language and culture, including those represented by the cuneiform tablet, the papyrus roll, and by an oral performance culture. The fundamental methodological problems are explored through a series of interlocking case studies, treating of how the Odyssey conceivably alludes to the Iliad and also to earlier poetry on Odysseus' homecoming, the Iliad to earlier poetry on the Ethiopian hero Memnon, the Homeric Hymn to Demeter to earlier poetry on Hades' abduction of Persephone, and early Greek epic to Mesopotamian mythological poetry, pre-eminently the Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh.
Full Product Details
Author: Bruno Currie (Associate Professor in Classical Languages and Literature, Associate Professor in Classical Languages and Literature, University of Oxford)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 16.40cm
, Height: 2.50cm
, Length: 24.00cm
Weight: 0.656kg
ISBN: 9780198768821
ISBN 10: 0198768826
Pages: 358
Publication Date: 13 October 2016
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Undergraduate
,
Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: To order
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Reviews
Currie argues his case insistently and consistently, while at the same time being explicit throughout about the hypothetical nature of much of what he proposes One does notneed to share Currie's conception of allusion in order to benefit from a book which isso full of interesting material - both Greek and Near Eastern - and bristles withso many sharp observations, striking comparisons, and thought-provoking reflections. * Øivind Andersen, Gnomon * This is a book to be enjoyed slowly and thoughtfully -- it is unusually user-friendly in its system of cross-referencing and in its overall readability, packed full of information and full supporting secondary and primary sources but always keeping the wood visible above the trees. The death of Martin West had left a gaping hole in this area of study -- I think that MLW now has a worthy successor to his crown. * John Godwin, Classics for All * Bruno Currie's book delves into this most significant debate in a systematic and thoughtful manner. It represents a major contribution and indispensable reading for all those interested in Homer and archaic Greek poetry at large ... a rewarding and thought-provoking book. Currie is commended for his sound methodology, his step-by-step unravelling of his thought as he directs his reader with admirable precision and help through labyrinthine turns of arguments difficult to grasp: a true sine qua non for all scholars interested in early Greek hexameter poetry. * Christos Tsagalis, Classical Journal Online *
This is a book to be enjoyed slowly and thoughtfully - it is unusually user-friendly in its system of cross-referencing and in its overall readability, packed full of information and full supporting secondary and primary sources but always keeping the wood visible above the trees. The death of Martin West had left a gaping hole in this area of study - I think that MLW now has a worthy successor to his crown. * John Godwin, Classics for All *
Bruno Currie's book delves into this most significant debate in a systematic and thoughtful manner. It represents a major contribution and indispensable reading for all those interested in Homer and archaic Greek poetry at large ... a rewarding and thought-provoking book. Currie is commended for his sound methodology, his step-by-step unravelling of his thought as he directs his reader with admirable precision and help through labyrinthine turns of arguments difficult to grasp: a true sine qua non for all scholars interested in early Greek hexameter poetry. * Christos Tsagalis, Classical Journal Online * This is a book to be enjoyed slowly and thoughtfully - it is unusually user-friendly in its system of cross-referencing and in its overall readability, packed full of information and full supporting secondary and primary sources but always keeping the wood visible above the trees. The death of Martin West had left a gaping hole in this area of study - I think that MLW now has a worthy successor to his crown. * John Godwin, Classics for All *
Author Information
Bruno Currie is Associate Professor in Classical Languages and Literature at the University of Oxford and Monro Fellow and Tutor in Classics at Oriel College. His chief research interests are ancient Greek poetry (especially epic and lyric), ancient Greek religion, and the interaction between the two, and he is the author of several articles on these subjects. His other publications include Epic Interactions: Perspectives on Homer, Virgil, and the Epic Tradition Presented to Jasper Griffin by Former Pupils (Oxford, 2006), as co-editor, and the authored monograph Pindar and the Cult of Heroes (Oxford, 2005).
