Description
Book SynopsisThe book discusses short, non-epic, and under-appreciated hexametrical genres, such as oracles, incantations, and laments, and gains new insight into their ritual performance, their early history, and how poets from Homer to Theocritus embedded or imitated these genres to enrich their own poems.
Trade ReviewAlthough primarily directed toward specialists, the tight organization and meticulous argumentation make the book accessible to nonspecialists in related fields. * P. E. Ojennus, CHOICE *
This is a valuable contribution to the early history of hexametric poetry, in particular, forms with local, occasional, specific, and ritual background. * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *
In his ground-breaking book, Chris Faraone conjures up a world of pre-Homeric hexametrical poetry whose existence we did not know of. He shows that the early poets did not only avail themselves of oral epics but also of a number of traditional genres, such as curses, laments and oracles, to embed in their work. With one magisterial stroke, Faraone thus has completely revolutionised our idea of the literary culture of early Greece. * Jan N. Bremmer, University of Groningen *
Faraone brings an extraordinary command of everything written in (and about) hexameters from the archaic to the Hellenistic periods: major and minor poetry, inscriptions and incisings, incantations, laments, oracles, and ritual prayers, as well as of their accompanying ritual practices. He very carefully reconstructs individual hexameter genres that pre-existed the epics, were put to use within them, and continued to influence the poetic tradition. The result is a significant revision of how we understand Homeric and Hellenistic composition. * Joel Lidov, City University of New York *
Table of ContentsChapter One: Introduction Chapter Two: Some Preliminary Soundings Chapter Three: The Chryses Episode as an Epichoric Hymn Chapter Four: Circe's Instructions as a Sibylline Oracle Chapter Five: Helen's Pharmakon as a Disguised Incantation Chapter Six: Like Golden Aphrodite: Female Lament in the Iliad Chapter Seven: Conclusions Appendices: Appendix A: Curse-Prayers in Hexameters Appendix B: Necromantic Prayers in Hexameters Appendix C: Empedocles Goês Appendix D: Early Anthologies of Hexametrical Incantations Appendix E: Instructional Oracles as a Frame for the Hesiodic Calendars Bibliography
