John Bryan Hainsworth

The Flexibility of the Homeric Formula

Arthur Thomas Hatto

Traditions of Heroic and Epic Poetry: Characteristics and techniques

Richard Janko

Nicholas James Richardson

Mark W. Edwards

This, the fourth volume in the six-volume Commentary on The Iliad being prepared under the General Editorship of Professor G. S. Kirk, covers Books 13-16, including the Battle for the Ships, the Deception of Zeus and the Death of Patroklos. Three introductory essays discuss the role of Homer's gods in his poetry; the origins and development of the epic diction; and the transmission of the text, from the bard's lips to our own manuscripts. It is now widely recognised that the first masterpiece of Western literature is an oral poem; Professor Janko's detailed commentary aims to show how this recognition can clarify many linguistic and textual problems, entailing a radical reassessment of the work of Homer's Alexandrian editors. The commentary also explores the poet's subtle creativity in adapting traditional materials, whether formulae, typical scenes, mythology or imagery, so as best to move, inspire and entertain his audience, ancient and modern alike. Discussion of the poem's literary qualities and structure is, where possible, kept separate from that of more technical matters.

The Iliad: A Commentary: Volume 4, Books 13-16

Homer

G. S. Kirk

This Commentary will be an essential reference work for all students of Greek literature.

The Iliad: A Commentary: Volume 1, Books 1-4

Alfred Heubeck

A. Hoekstra

Stephanie West

This is the first instalment of a three-volume commentary in English, compiled by an international team of scholars and first published in Italian under the auspices of the Fondazione Lorenzo Valla. In this volume the commentary by West (Books I-IV) and Hainsworth (Books V-VIII) is preceded byan introduction which discusses previous research on the Odyssey, the nature of the poem and its relation to the Iliad, the epic dialect, and the transmission of the text. Book VI is a regular GCSE set text.

A Commentary on Homer's Odyssey: Introduction and Books I-VIII

John Bryan Hainsworth

Books

Your next favorite book is out there