13. Rhapsodic hypokrisis and Aristotelian lexis 13.1 Why Aristotle on Ὑπόκρισις Matters As I noted in the Introduction to this book, [1] the term ὑπόκρισις is not connected solely with oratorical delivery but, more broadly, with the general notion of ‘performance’. Aristotle’s Rhetoric Ⅲ.1–12 stands as a central witness to its conceptual development. [2] But before considering… Read more
12. The Performance of Homer after Ⅳ BC Although the homēristēs whom I have already considered [1] takes us decisively into Roman imperial times, I now return more broadly to the performance of Homer during and after the Hellenistic period by professionals who did not concern themselves more narrowly with the acting of Homeric scenes. 12.1 The Τεχνῖται of Dionysos The… Read more
11. The Performance of Drama and Epic in Late-Classical Athens 11.1 The Reforms of Lykourgos The convergence between rhapsodes and actors was in evidence toward the end of the fourth century BC. Just as rhapsodes were relying increasingly on scripted rehearsal and memorized performance—with a drastically reduced extemporaneous creativity and textual variation between successive performances and competing performers—so also at the revival of the old plays actors… Read more
10. The Rhapsode in Performance In the previous chapters I examined the evolution of epic performance from the point of view of inspiration, authority and authorship, and the increasing adoption of scripted delivery. In this chapter I reconsider the diachrony of rhapsodic performance more narrowly through the meaning of ῥαψῳδός and the distinctive recompositional poetics of traditional rhapsodic delivery. 10.1 Understanding the Rhapsode The greatest hindrance… Read more
9. The Rhapsode in Classical Athens 9.1 Of Transcripts and Scripts “[T]he Druids had their own course of training, in which some pupils remained for up to twenty years, ‘so that they could learn by heart a vast number of verses which had not been committed to writing’.” [1] So wrote Friedrich August Wolf in his 1795 epoch-making Prolegomena to Homer, to… Read more
8. Hesiod the Rhapsode 8.1 Mantic Poetry 8.1.1 Hesiod’s Dichterweihe Hesiod’s Dichterweihe (Theogony 22–34) offers an alternative to the Homeric invocation of the Muses: αἵ νύ ποθ’ Ἡσίοδον καλὴν ἐδίδαξαν ἀοιδήν, ἄρνας ποιμαίνονθ’ Ἑλικῶνος ὕπο ζαθέοιο. τόνδε δέ με πρώτιστα θεαὶ πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπον,25 Μοῦσαι Ὀλυμπιάδες, κοῦραι Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο· … Read more
7. Homer the Rhapsode 7.1 Notional Fixity in Oral Poetry In his classic work The Singer of Tales, A. B. Lord opened a fascinating window into the mindset of the Southslavic oral poet. [1] During an interview between the singer Đemail Zogić and Nikola Vujnović, Parry’s assistant, the following exchange took place: [2] N[ikola]: [S]ome singers have… Read more
6. Early Homeric Scholarship and Editions In this section I wish to examine two arguments for an early, sixth-century written fixation of the Homeric poems. One has an Athenian emphasis, as we might expect from the evolutionary model. This model posits a definitive textual stage for the Iliad and the Odyssey, centralized in Athens, from the middle of the sixth century to the middle of the fourth,… Read more
5. Archaic Inscriptions before 650 BC A collection of the earliest inscriptions down to 650 BC is conveniently found in Powell 1991:119–186. [1] In this chapter I review the linguistic evidence they contribute and confirm that it agrees with the chronology established above. I will only comment on features that are relevant to my inquiry and will largely pass in silence over the ones that are unproblematic. Read more
4. The Euboian Connection 4.1 The Cultural Argument This book argues for the central role of Athens in the performance-driven fixation of the Homeric text. Because my argument turns on the dominance of Athens, what Nagy 2001 has called the Panathenaic “bottleneck,” I must take some time to review a competing alternative to Athens that has grown increasingly popular during the last thirty years. This alternative goes… Read more
