Speak, Memory

[jporter]

From: Paul Mackin <paul.mackin at verizon.net>


"In a long Encyclopaedia Britannicaa article on Homer the following relates
to Jody's question:

Stabilizing the text
An important and difficult question, which affects the accuracy of
modern Homeric texts, is that of the date when the epics became
"fixed"--which means given authoritative written form, since oral
transmission is always to some extent fluid....

                            (Snip, very interesting piece)

Even apart from the possibilities of medium-scale elaboration, the
Iliad and the Odyssey exemplify certain of the minor inconsistencies
of all oral poetry, and occasionally the composer's amalgamation of
traditional material into a large-scale structure shows through. Yet
the overriding impression is one of powerful unity."

Thanks, Paul- fascinating. The EB seems to be leaning toward the single
author interpretation, but on closer reading, I'm not sure. One might also
conclude that the "powerful unity" of the structure was engendered as much
by the unique emergence of Greek culture, including the origins of a
phonetic alphabet, in those fertile times. It all came together, as it were.

Great audiences, as they say, make great poets.

jody