Friedrich August Wolf:
Friedrich August Wolf 1795- revived question
Claimed:
There is no evidence of knowledge of writing when Homer supposedly lived
People could not have composed poems
Unitarians:
Unitarians Opposed Analysts
The Iliad and the Odyssey:
Work of one genius poet
Unified overall plan
Consistent characters
Question Today:
Question Today Homer: illiterate and exceptional bard
Sang peoms a lot
Sang 10 about Trojan War
Only 2 survived
Illiterate bards sang poems
Songs changed slightly each time
Used repitition
Reused phrases, lines, scenes
Both Iliad and Odyssey have this
Cont.:
Cont. Scholars believe:
Stories reflect an oral tradition
Disagree on how poems were composed and preserved
Influence on Ancient Greece:
Influence on Ancient Greece
Slide10:
Greek culture was centered in its literature
Greeks saw Homer as a divine and inspiring source of all literature
Iliad and Odyssey:
Iliad and Odyssey Influenced Greece’s legends and myths
Characters acted as both humans and heroes
Accurate source of information on mythological creatures
Gods took active role
Showed importance of relationship between the gods and men