Overview

"In this masterly interpretation of narrative sequence in the Iliad, Keith Stanley not only sharpens the current debate over the date and creation of the poem, but also challenges the view of this work as primarily a celebration of heroic force. He begins by studying the intricate ring-composition in the verses describing Achilles' shield, then extends this analysis to reveal the Iliad as an elaborate and self-conscious formal whole. In so doing he defends the hypothesis that the poem as we know it is a massive reorganization and expansion of earlier ""Homeric"" material, written in response to the need for a stable text for repeated performance at the sixth-century Athenian festival for the city's patron goddess. Stanley explores the arrangement of the poem's books, all unified by theme and structure, showing how this allowed for artistically satisfying and practically feasible recitation over a period of three or four days.Taking structural emphasis as a guide to poetic discourse, the author argues that the Iliad is not a poem of ""might""--as opposed to the Odyssean celebration of ""guile""--but that in advocating social and personal reconciliation the poem offers a profound indictment of a warring heroic society. Originally published in 1993. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905."

Full Product Details

Author:   Keith Stanley
Publisher:   Princeton University Press
Imprint:   Princeton University Press
Volume:   253
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.70cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.851kg
ISBN:  

9780691636139

ISBN 10:   0691636133
Pages:   484
Publication Date:   19 April 2016
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Language:   English

Table of Contents

List of IllustrationsIForm and Interpretation in Homer3(1)The Shield of Achilleus as a Problem in Interpretation3(2)Ring-Composition in Homeric Digressions6(3)The Function of Ring-Composition in the Description of the Shield9(4)Structure and Interpretation in the Catalogue of Ships; Implications for the Shield13(5)Oral Theory and the Question of Structure26(6)Previous Views of Homeric Form29(7)The Organization of Narrative outside Digressions32(8)Structure within Books36IIThe Structure of Iliad 1-739IIIThe Structure of Iliad 8-17103IVThe Structure of Iliad 18-24186VStructure and the Homeric Question248(1)Some Implications for the Nature of Our Iliad248(2)The Question of Book Division and Closure249(3)The Practical Function of the Book-Groups261(4)Orality versus Literacy in the Iliad268(5)The Date and Context of Our Iliad279(6)Our Iliad and Homer's293Acknowledgments297A Note on Documentation and Usage299List of Abbreviations301Notes303Bibliography427Index453

Reviews

Author Information

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions