Classical Studies 1000 Study Guide - Hector, Trojan War, Improvisation

• School: Western University
• Department: Classical Studies
• Course: Classical Studies 1000
• Professor: Prof

Document Summary

And so no "homer" in the usual sense of an author. Why the poem shows such geographical range - picked up stuff as it moved. Generations of singers, elaborating on and developing the story over time. Every time a poet performed the poem it would be different because of. No single poet is fully responsible for the composition of the homeric poems around the world. No single authoritative version improvisation, use of different formulae, lengthening or shortening of stories based on audience reaction etc. May overrate the strength of the tradition, and underrate the contributions of individual singers. Said that the iliad would take roughly 24 hours to recite the poem"s structure. Fails to explain the emergence of a fixed text into a logical and complex poem. Fails to explain convincingly the transition from oral poem to written text written on? writing material mechanism to write these down. Someone wrote it down while someone performed - oral dictator theory.