Chapter 2. Χαρίεσσα and στυγερὴ ἀοιδή: The Self Referential Encomium of the Odyssey and the Tradition of the Nostoi One of the main arguments in favor of those who think that the Odyssey ends in xxiii 296 [1] (since both Odysseus’ brief recounting to Penelope of his adventures and the whole of book xxiv are considered later additions) relies on Agamemnon’s speech… Read more
Chapter 3. Nausicaa and the Daughters of Anius: Terms and Limits of Epic Rivalry Intertextual associations are based on the repetition of material treated in text A and whose reuse in text B will immediately allow the reader to make the connection to text A. In this way, a new ‘reading’ will emerge, one which does not depend solely on text A or text B, but on… Read more
Chapter 4. Intertextual Fissures: The Returns of Odysseus and the New Penelope The aim of this chapter is (a) to consider the function of intertextual fissures with respect to Odysseus’ return and reunification with his wife, and (b) to explore how a crucial element of this scene, the story of the Sailor and the Oar, can assist us in examining the relationship between the Odyssey and other… Read more
Chapter 5. Ἀχιλλεὺς Ἑλένην ἐπιθυμεῖ θεάσασθαι: From the Cypria to the Iliad The aim of this chapter is to examine Proclus’ [1] brief mention in his Chrestomathy of a meeting between Achilles and Helen, which featured as an episode in the Cypria. The relevant passage (157–158 Severyns = 41 Kullmann) runs as follows: καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα Ἀχιλλεὺς Ἑλένην ἐπιθυμεῖ… Read more
Chapter 6. Viewing from the Walls, Viewing Helen: Language and Indeterminacy in the ‘Teichoscopia’ Introduction When we discuss the role of Helen in the Iliad, we should always keep in mind that she is situated in the midst of the Iliadic war and myth, which differs in its plot from Trojan lore, albeit their obvious connection. [1] The Iliadic myth is… Read more
Chapter 7. Time Games: The ‘Twenty-Year’ Absent Hero Introduction Genetic approaches to Homeric poetry, whether they are Analytical, Unitarian, Neoanalytical, or adopting the viewpoint of historical positivism, have used repetition in different but often misleading ways. Analysts viewed repetition as a symptom of inferior poetic quality, a clear sign indicating multiple authorship. Unitarians tried to explain such repetitions by drawing analogous examples from other writers in… Read more
Chapter 8. The Formula νυκτὸς ἀμολγῷ: Homeric Reflections of an Indo-European Metaphor Introduction The aim of this chapter is to explore a covert form of intertextuality through the study of the function, origin, and meaning of the formulaic expression νυκτὸς ἀμολγῷ. By intertextuality, I am hereby referring to the use of the same expression in multiple Greek and other Indo-European (and even Mesopotamian) traditions, which allow… Read more
Chapter 9. Genealogy and Poetic Imagery of a Homeric Formula The process of crystallization of the dictional material in oral epic poetry is realized in three different levels: reenactment, [1] theme, [2] and traditional referentiality. [3] In this chapter, I will focus my attention on the term traditional referentiality, which refers to… Read more
Bibliography AHS = Allen, T. W., W. R. Halliday and E. E. Sykes, eds. 1936. The Homeric Hymns. Oxford. Alberti, L. B. 1988. On the Art of Building. Translated by J. Rykwert, N. Leach, and R. Tavernor. Cambridge, Mass. Alexiou, M. 1974. The Ritual Lament in Greek Tradition. Cambridge. Allen, D. C. 1970. Mysteriously… Read more
Preface Western literature begins with the Iliad and Odyssey, the monumental epics that already in antiquity had given rise to an extensive body of analysis and interpretation, from word studies and line-by-line commentaries to textual and literary criticism. Byzantine scholars preserved the texts and a portion of the ancient critical tradition through the Middle Ages, and reintroduced them to Renaissance Europe; Enlightenment- and Romantic-era scholars transformed the… Read more
