Articles Tagged with Homer
Neoanalysis, Orality, and Intertextuality: An Examination of Homeric Motif Transference
In Homeric studies scholars have speculated on the influence of (non-surviving) preHomeric material on the Iliad. This article expands this line of argument from an oralist perspective, with reference to modern intertextual theory. It concludes that preHomeric and nonHomeric motifs from oral traditions were transferred into the epic poem, creating an intertextually allusive poetics that would have been recognizable to an early Greek audience informed of mythological traditions.
Read more »Dylan and the Nobel
This article argues for Bob Dylan’s nomination for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Traditional criteria for the award include outstanding idealism and work that benefits mankind, criteria that are easily met in Dylan’s case, given his activism in early 1960s civil rights, antiwar compositions, and beyond. Yet questions have been raised concerning Dylan’s eligibility for such an award. Can a literary prize go to a writer of song? Past Nobels in Literature display a breadth that admits such a lineage, however, and the connections between music and poetry have been noted by Laureates Rabindranath Tagore and W. B. Yeats. The Literature Prize has gone to historians and philosophers as well. Moreover, a close examination of selections from Dylan’s lyrics shows that as texts on the page, they compare favorably with literary masters such as Chekhov, Faulkner, and Rimbaud; that they resist many scholarly attempts at schematization testifies to their power as poetry. In terms of global appreciation, Dylan’s work has not merely survived but triumphed. From whatever standpoint Dylan’s work is viewed, this article argues that it deserves consideration for literature’s highest prize.
Read more »The Streets of Rome: The Classical Dylan
One of the preoccupations of Dylan scholarship has had to do with his intertexts, where his songs come from, and what meanings they derive from their places of origin, be they textual or musical, secular or religious, ancient or modern. In this article, Thomas explores Dylan’s contact with the ancient worlds of Greece and Rome, evident in particular in the Dylan of the last decade—that is, on the last three albums and in his “autobiography,” Chronicles: Volume One. This article counters the attacks of those who cannot distinguish plagiarism—a charge also leveled against the poet Virgil in antiquity—from creative reuse. Thomas discusses Dylan’s reperformance and lyrical renovation and variation from the perspective of the Homeric rhapsode, who like Dylan himself varies his initial text in performance, so creating constant shifts in meaning and emphasis.
Read more »