Homer’s poetry derives its speed and energy from oral performance

Evidence

Homer’s work is a performance, even in part a musical event. Perhaps that is the source of his speed, directness and simplicity, that Matthew Arnold praised —and his nobility too, elusive yet undeniable, that Arnold pursued but never really caught. Surely it is a major source of Homer’s energy, the loft and carry of his imagination that sweeps along the listener together with the performer. — Homer; Robert Fagles; Bernard Knox, The Odyssey, 4791

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Homeric epithets form a metrical system built for oral improvisation — Homer; Robert Fagles; Bernard Knox, The Odyssey, 33; Long oral tradition explains Homer’s anachronistic mixture of customs and dialects. — Homer; Robert Fagles; Bernard Knox, The Odyssey, 37; Homeric formulas carry more contextual resonance than Parry claimed — Homer; Robert Fagles; Bernard Knox, The Odyssey, 4792 (+2 more)

Related

• Homer’s epics record a song rather than being pure spontaneity (similarity 0.89)
• Homeric formulas carry more contextual resonance than Parry claimed (similarity 0.88)
• Homeric epithets form a metrical system built for oral improvisation (similarity 0.88)
• Long oral tradition explains Homer’s anachronistic mixture of customs and dialects. (similarity 0.84)
• Oral bards improvised anew at each performance rather than reciting fixed texts (similarity 0.80)
• Homeric epithets carry shifting contextual meanings rather than fixed senses (similarity 0.79)
• The Homeric epics were written down at some point by someone. (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Papyrus availability enabled Greek culture’s shift from oral to written form #qualifies (0.60) — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 53