Communicating identity: the significance of epithets in Homer's Odyssey

Grey, Imogen Safari Fleur (2020). Communicating identity: the significance of epithets in Homer's Odyssey. University of Birmingham. M.A.

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Abstract

Epithets are one of most characteristic elements of the Homeric epic style. Yet, despite their inherent beauty, Homer’s winged words have not always received the attention they deserve. Since the rise of Milman Parry’s structuralist theories at the beginning of the twentieth-century, Homer’s epithets have been considered merely ‘decorative insofar as they are neither essential to the immediate context nor modeled especially for it’ (Burkert, 1992: 116). The epithets only use, therefore, is to help fill the metrical requirements of a hexameter line. Despite subsequent revisions of Parry’s oral theories, there still remains a “Parryist Hangover” when it comes to our understanding and appreciation of Homer’s epithets. This legacy is best felt in the most recent translations of Homer which still consider Homer’s repetitive epithets “moments to skip” for a modern, highly literate, audience (Wilson, 2018: 84). Equally, one may find the same assumptions in Homeric Commentaries, where analysis and discussion of epithets is almost entirely overlooked. To date there has been no comprehensive analysis of their purpose. The aim of this thesis, therefore, is to correct this oversight, combining statistical analysis with literary methodologies in an attempt to determine what role pronoun epithets play in the communication of identity in Homer’s Odyssey.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Masters by Research > M.A.)

Award Type:

Masters by Research > M.A.

Supervisor(s):