A Comparison of Homeric Formalism in The Iliad and The Odyssey Essay

Homeric Formalism in The Iliad and The Odyssey "Much that is terrible takes place in the Homeric poems, but it seldom takes place wordlessly... no speech is so filled with anger or scorn that the particles which express logical and grammatical connections are lacking or out of place." (from "Odysseus' Scar" by Erich Auerbach)    In his immaculately detailed study comparing the narrative styles of Homer to those of the Bible, Erich Auerbach hits upon one of the most notable intrigues of reading Homer, namely his unrelenting sense of epic form and rhythm. The stories that unfold in the works of Homer are filled with passion and fury, but this never effects the meticulous regulation of his narrative. One of the chief questions regarding the works of Homer is to what effectual end he follows this formula so explicitly. In both The Iliad and The Odyssey, the reader recognizes patterns and formulae that combine to make up the Homeric template.    The reader can first recognize Homer's formulaic style on a specific scale in the repetition of phrases and epithets. Odysseus, throughout both The Iliad and The Odyssey is almost never mentioned without a reference to his cunning or "many designs". Likewise, throughout The Iliad the city of Troy is almost never mentioned without reference to it being "strong-walled" or "wide-wayed". As Richard Lattimore writes in the introduction to his translation, much of this particular kind of repetition was dictated by the metric needs of the poem. Above and beyond this strictly mechanical function however, recurring descriptions serve to ground the story in a cast of recognizable characters, thus creating a sense of familiarity for the reader.    Studying ... ...tions of the Odyssey,   Frankfurt, Athenaeum 1988 Hamilton, Edith. The Greek Way. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 1930. Heubeck, Alfred, J.B. Hainsworth, et al. A commentary on Homer's Odyssey. 3 Vols. Oxford PA4167 .H4813 1988 Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Vintage Books, 1989. Nussbaum, Martha C. "Victims and Agents: What Greek Tragedy can teach us about sympathy and responsibility." Boston Review. (1999)31 May 1999 Stanford, William Bedell. Homer's Odyssey. 2 Vols. Macmillan  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Iliad. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin Books, 1990. The Iliad of Homer. Trans. Richmond Lattimore. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1951. Tracy, Stephen V. ,The Story of the Odyssey Princeton UP 1990 "Gospel of Matthew". The Holy Bible. New Revised Standard Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1989.