The homeric simile in comparative perspectives : oral traditions from Saudi Arabia to Indonesia / Jonathan L. Ready.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ready, Jonathan L., 1976- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Homer--Literary style.

Homer.

Greek language--Figures of speech.

Greek language.

Oral-formulaic analysis.

Oral tradition.

Literary style.

Physical Description:

xiii, 315 pages ; 23 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2018.

Summary:

The Homeric Simile in Comparative Perspectives: Oral Traditions from Saudi Arabia to Indonesia investigates both the construction of the Homeric simile and the performance of Homeric poetry from neglected comparative perspectives, offering a revealing exploration of what made the epics such powerful examples of verbal artistry. Divided into two parts, the volume first considers similes in five modern oral poetries-Rajasthani epic, South Sumatran epic, Kyrgyz epic, Bosniac epic, and Najdi lyric poems from Saudi Arabia-and studies successful performances by still other verbal artists, such as Egyptian singers of epic, Turkish minstrels, and Chinese storytellers. In applying these findings to the Homeric epics, the second part presents a new take on how the Homeric poets put together their similes and alters our understanding of how the poets displayed their competence as performers of verbal art and interacted with their poetic peers and predecessors. Engaging intensively with a diverse array of scholarship from outside the field of classical studies, from folkloristics to cognitive linguistics, this truly interdisciplinary volume transforms how we view not only a central feature of Homeric poetry but also the very nature of Homeric performance. Book jacket.

Contents:

0.1 Precedents and Goals 1

0.2 Homer 6

0.3 Methods of Comparison 8

0.4 Sources of Modern Material 14

0.4.1 Central Asia (Modern Kyrgyzstan) 14

0.4.2 Rajasthan, India 16

0.4.3 South Sumatra, Indonesia 16

0.4.4 Former Yugoslavia 16

0.4.5 Najd Desert, Saudi Arabia 19

0.5 A Definition of a Simile 24

0.6 Summary of Chapters 28

Part I The Modern Material

1 Formal Points of Contact with Homeric Similes 35

1.1 Length 36

1.2 Duration 36

1.3 Arrangement 37

1.3.1 Bosniac Epic 38

1.3.2 Kyrgyz Epic 39

1.3.3 South Sumatran Epic: Cik Ait's The Guritan of Radin Suane 42

1.3.4 Najdi Poetry 44

1.3.5 The Homeric Epics 45

1.4 Position 49

Conclusion 53

2 The Spectrum of Distribution 55

2.1 Competence in Performance 56

2.2 Problems with the Terms "Tradition" and "Innovation" 58

2.3 The Spectrum of Distribution Defined 70

2.4 Ranging across the Spectrum of Distribution 84

2.5 The Importance of Shared Elements 114

2.6 Similes and Competence 120

Conclusion 127

3 Similes in Five Modern Oral Poetries 129

3.1 The Epic of Pabuji and The Guritan of Radin Suane 129

3.2 The Figurative Spectrum of Distribution 135

3.2.1 Kyrgyz Epic 136

3.2.2 Bosniac Epic 144

3.2.3 Najdi Poetry 152

3.3 Shared Vehicles and Their Tenors 158

3.3.1 Shared Vehicle, Customary Tenor (Shared Similes) 158

3.3.1.1 Bosniac Epic 159

3.3.1.2 Najdi Poetry 160

3.3.2 Shared Vehicle, Uncustomary Tenor 160

3.4 Idiolectal Similes and Their Tenors 163

Conclusion 165

Part II Application to the Homeric Epics

4 Two Preliminary Points 169

4.1 The Vision of Poetic Competence in Archaic Greek Hexameter Poems 170

4.2 The Spectrum of Distribution and Previous Scholarship in Homeric Studies 184

Conclusion 189

5 Shared Similes in the Homeric Epics 191

5.1 Verbatim Repetitions and Similar Long Vehicle Portions 193

5.2 The Scenario 201

5.2.1 Birds 208

5.2.2 Wild Fire 210

5.2.3 Celestial Phenomena (Stars, Lightning, and Rainbows) 212

5.2.4 Insects 215

5.2.5 Rivers 216

5.2.6 Trees 218

5.2.7 Wind 219

5.2.8 Waves 221

5.2.9 Lions 222

5.3 The Scenario and Frame Semantics 231

5.4 Shared Vehicle Portions and Their Tenors 238

5.4.1 Shared Vehicle Portion, Customary Tenor (Shared Similes) 240

5.4.2 Shared Vehicle Portion, Uncustomary Tenor 242

Conclusion 244

6 Idiolectal Similes in the Homeric Epics 247

6.1 Unparalleled Vehicle, Unparalleled Tenor 250

6.2 Unparalleled Vehicle, Paralleled Tenor 252

6.2.1 The Iliad and the Odyssey Offer Parallels 252

6.2.2 The Iliad Only or the Odyssey Only Offers Parallels 255

Conclusion 259.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 267-305) and index.

ISBN:

0198802552

9780198802556

OCLC:

987356663