Inventing Homer
The Early Reception of Epic

Explores the ancient reception of the Homeric poems and its relation to modern approaches.

Barbara Graziosi (Author)

9780521809665, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 25 April 2002

300 pages, 1 b/w illus.
21.6 x 14 x 2.1 cm, 0.53 kg

'This well documented book lucidly demonstrates that it is well worth being interested in what motivated and shaped Homeric biography.' Stephen Halliwell, Greece and Rome

How was the poet Homer imagined by ancient Greeks? This book examines stories circulating between the sixth and fourth centuries BC about his birth, place of origin and name; the circumstances of his life - such as the story of his blindness - his relation to other poets, and his heirs. The aim is to explore the ancient reception of the Homeric poems, and to look at it in relation to modern representations of Homer, ancient and modern conceptions of authorship, and the 'Homeric Question'. The book's engaging and accessible style should make it attractive to a wide range of readers, including non-classicists, and all quotations from Greek are provided with an English translation.

Frontispiece
Preface
List of abbreviations of editions and works of reference
Introduction
1. The birth of Homer
2. Homer's name and his place of origin
3. The date of Homer
4. Blindness, poverty and closeness to the gods
5. Homer's relationship to other poets
6. The heirs of Homer
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index of passages
General index.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: poetry & poets [DSC], Literary studies: classical, early & medieval [DSBB], Literary theory [DSA]