Oral-Formulaic Theory: Annotated Bibliography

F.W. Jones. "The Formulation of the Revenge Motif in the Odyssey." Transactions of the American Philological Association, 72:195-202.

In the course of proposing a triadic structure to the revenge sequence, he connects word-choice with formulaic diction. Feels that the artistic function of formulas can be appreciated only by discerning their contextual meaning, for "the choice and variation of formulaic phrases was guided by a superb sense of structure, not by mathematical formalism, or a simplisme of superfluous repetition, or merely the exigencies of meter" (202).
Area: AG