Homeric formulas carry more contextual resonance than Parry claimed
Evidence
Not only is Homer often less formulaic than might appear, but the formulas themselves are often more resonant, more apt and telling in their contexts, than the “hard Parryites” argued for at first. — Homer; Robert Fagles; Bernard Knox, The Odyssey, 4792
Categorization
- XREF: Directly engages Milman Parry’s oral-formulaic theory, which dominates Homeric studies. — connects to: Homeric epithets form a metrical system built for oral improvisation — Homer; Robert Fagles; Bernard Knox, The Odyssey, 33; Homeric epithets carry shifting contextual meanings rather than fixed senses — Homer; Robert Fagles; Bernard Knox, The Odyssey, 4795; Homer’s poetry derives its speed and energy from oral performance — Homer; Robert Fagles; Bernard Knox, The Odyssey, 4791 (+2 more)
Related
- Homeric epithets form a metrical system built for oral improvisation (similarity 0.90)
- Homer’s poetry derives its speed and energy from oral performance (similarity 0.88)
- Homer’s epics record a song rather than being pure spontaneity (similarity 0.84)
- Homeric epithets carry shifting contextual meanings rather than fixed senses (similarity 0.84)
- Long oral tradition explains Homer’s anachronistic mixture of customs and dialects. (similarity 0.80)
- Heteroglossia makes every utterance’s meaning depend on its specific time, place, and conditions (similarity 0.78)
Broader Connections
- Homer’s poetry derives its speed and energy from oral performance
#expands(0.60) — Homer; Robert Fagles; Bernard Knox, The Odyssey, 4791 - Homer’s epics record a song rather than being pure spontaneity
#corroborates(0.55) — Homer; Robert Fagles; Bernard Knox, The Odyssey, 4792 - Language enables meanings rather than passively carrying them
#qualifies(0.50)