Homer, The Iliad, the Odyssey, Hesiod, etc.

Week 2/3

Why was Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey important?

They are considered to be the first epics, and because of the reflection they offer on culture in Ancient Greece during the Trojan War

What exactly are Epics?

Epic is described as the nature of the genre. They are all poetry in dactylic hexameter, which is a form of meter or rhythmic scheme used in Ancient Greek and Latin poetry.

What were Epics composed of?

Elevated tones and older vocabulary

Concerned the exploits of gods and heroes, subject matter derived from traditional mythology

Had conventional features (extended similes, stress on syllables)

Trado (its importance)

To hand down - incredibly important to know that these stories have been passed down from generation to generation and they have survived the passage of time (because they were popular)

What is meant by “The Homeric Questions?”

Means the doubts or confusion surrounding Homer and his works. Who exactly is Homer, why are there inconsistencies in his works, who exactly wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey?

What are the “odd features” of the Homeric poems?

Very long, multiple inconsistencies of characters being dead or historical events that never happened/happened at a different time, written in a form of Greek that wasn’t really spoken in one place specfically.

What were the main critiques of Homer?

That he couldn’t write because he didn’t physically write the Iliad or the Odyssey, rather it was composed from memory or inspiration.

That it wasn’t composed by Homer himself, but rather a culture or multiple poets and it was not fully Homeric

How god’s were mentioned in religious contexts

What are the possible implications of oral theory? (Mutiple people composing)

That no single poet is fully responsible for the Homeric poems, there isn’t just one Homer or one singular poet, we need to let go that it was only 1 person who created the Homeric poems.

What was the overall conclusion for Milman Parry about the Homeric poems

That the Iliad and the Odyssey were the products of an oral tradition of a heroic song rather than actually written down. Homer literally didn’t write them, he composed stories in his head while he had others write it down.

What was the process for performances and writing them down?

If you were a singer who could read, people looked at you like you had three heads. Singers would recite their poems word for word in complete detail, while mainly slaves would write down what was being said word for word. Only the most popular texts survived, either from being written down or from being told through generations.

What are the main limitations of oral theory?

Overrate the strength of tradition and underrate the contributions of individual singers; importance of tradition over the contributions of individual poets over time

Fails to explain the emergence of a fixed text

fails to explain the emergence of a fixed text.

What is the Iliad about?

The poems tell of only 14 days during the Trojan War, which lasted a total of 10 years. Composed of 24 ‘books’

What were the main themes of the Iliad?

Wraith, anger, and conflict; how these things will drive strong divisions between people. Showcases how we are bad at achieving unity and peace, and that war is something that will follow humans everywhere we go.

What influence did the Iliad have on Greek society?

Public judgement and ridicule, rather than private shame. How you are perceived is important, and to have public judgement was bascially suicide.

Human condition and our response to war, loss, and grief. People turn back to the Iliad to find relatability about their experience with the poem’s main themes on war and how the aftermaths impact our health.

What was the Odyssey about?

Similar to the Iliad,but very different in themes and structures. Focuses on the suffering of Odysseus, as he wanders for 10 years trying to get home after the Trojan War, while suitors ruin his home and try to marry his wife.

What were the main themes of the Odyssey?

The nature of human society from the inside and out, and the idea that you must accept your mortal fate. We only get one shot at this life, and we must accept what comes to us as mortal human beings rather than immortal God’s.

Extensive folktales.

Who was Hesiod?

A didactic poet who wanted to teach something, and because of that, he was considered a dull.

What were the main ideas of Hesiod’s Theogony

It is about Zeus, his importance, and how he dominates over all God’s

What were the main ideas of Hesiod’s Works and Days

Domestic life, farming, how to build things. The average, everyday life of a Greek citizen.

What were the main ideas of Hesiod’s Catalogue of Women?

A list/series of women who had unions with God’s and produced mythically significant children - women who fucked God’s and had their offspring.

Who was Herodotus?

A Greek historian and geographer who wrote Histories, which was the first real work of historiography that concerned the Persian War. It remained a central masterpiece of Greek literature.

What was the significance of Histories?

He gave historians a sense of what they should do, and how they should record the events happening around them. What you say cannot be forgotten if it is written down.

What were the characteristics of Histories

Begins with the fall of Lydia, and looks forward to the 420s BCE.

Rich variety of style and he was a ‘joy at storytelling’. Very different from Thucydides.