Writing and the Origins of Greek Literature

Informationen zum Autor Barry B. Powell is Halls-Bascom Professor of Classics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His books include Homer and the Origin of the Greek Alphabet (1991 HB 0521371570; 1996 PB 052158907X). Klappentext Professor Powell ties the origin and nature of archaic Greek literature to the special technology of Greek alphabetic writing. In building his model he presents chapters on specialized topics - text! orality! myth! literacy! tradition and memorization - and then shows how such special topics relate to larger issues of cultural transmission from East to West. Several chapters are devoted to the theory and history of writing! its definition and general nature as well as such individual developments as semasiography and logosyllabography! Chinese writing and the West Semitic family of syllabaries. He shows how the Greek alphabet put an end to the multiliteralism of Eastern traditions of writing! and how the recording of Homer and other early epic poetry cannot be separated from the alphabetic revolution. Finally! he explains how the creation of Greek alphabetic texts demoticized Greek myth and encouraged many free creations of new myths based on Eastern images. Zusammenfassung Through a full examination of the nature and history of writing! its use in the ancient Near East! and especially in Greece! and its relationship to Homer! this book illuminates the genesis of the Homeric poems and other knotty problems in oral studies. Inhaltsverzeichnis List of figures; Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction: building models like a wigwam; 2. Text; 3. Orality and genre; 4. Myth; 5. Literacy; 6. Tradition; 7. Memorization; 8. M. L. West and the Eastern origins of Greek tradition; 9. Cultural transmission by literate means in the Near East; 10. Writing: general; 11. Writing: semasiography and logosyllabography; 12. Writing: the Chinese enigma; 13. Oral and written in the land between the rivers; 14. Oral and written in the Valley of the Nile; 15. The West Semitic revolution; 16. The invention of the Greek alphabet and the end of multiliteralism; 17. Where does Homer fit in the alphabetic revolution?; 18. The aoidos in context; 19. Aoidic innovation in myth: stories from pots; 20. Summary and conclusions: early Greek literature in context; Bibliography; Index....

Product details

• Authors: Barry B. Powell, Barry B. (University of Wisconsin Powell, Powell Barry B.
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 16.04.2007
• EAN: 9780521036313
• ISBN: 978-0-521-03631-3
• No. of pages: 228
• Subjects: Fiction > Poetry, drama; Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > Classical linguistics / literary studies; LITERARY CRITICISM / Ancient & Classical, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Alphabets & Writing Systems, Literary studies: classical, early & medieval, Historical & comparative linguistics, Ancient (Classical) Greek, Literary studies: ancient, classical and medieval, Palaeography (History Of Writing), Historical and comparative linguistics, Palaeography