The essays in this collection addresses questions of intense interest in Homeric studies today: the questions of performance and poet-audience interaction, especially as depicted in idealized performances within the Iliad and the Odyssey ; the ways in which epic incorporates material of diverse genres, such as women's laments, blame poetry, or folk tales; how the ideological balance of epic can change and be influenced by "alternative ideologies" introduced through the incorporation of new material; the implications of the continuity of tradition for etymological studies; and how the traditional nature of epic affects textual criticism. The essays differ in focus and method, but all share one fundamental approach to Homer: an understanding of the Homeric tradition as a poetic system that expresses and preserves what is culturally important and a view of the Homeric epics as instances of a cultural tradition which they attempt to explore through the epics themselves and through the comparative, anthropological, and linguistic evidence they bring to bear on these texts. A unique collection that explores Homeric poetry through a variety of tools and approaches-linguistics, philology, cultural anthropology, sociology, textual criticism, and archeology-this volume will be of interest to all scholars and students of oral poetry and Classical literature. “The book is illuminating.” ― The Journal of Hellenic Studies “The high level of creativity displayed here is bracing. For graduate students, the volume as a whole should serve as an inspiring example of how innovative student work in Homeric studies can be.” ― Religious Studies Review “A rish work offered by everyone of the nine contributors...Anyone interested in seeing more deeply into how Homer worked (what-or whoever one takes Homer to be) will likely read it with uniform interest from cover to cover.” ―Michael N. Nagler, University of California, Berkeley, Bryn Mawr Classical Review Andrea Kouklanakis is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Classical and Oriental Studies at Hunter College, USA. Her research interests include classical reception, especially in Afro-Brazilian writers and themes, Homeric poetry and translation studies. Used Book in Good Condition