Oral-Formulaic Theory: Annotated Bibliography

Janet Thormann. "Variations on the Theme of `The Hero on the Beach' in The Phoenix." Neophilologus Mitteilungen, 71:187-90.

Argues that Crowne's (1960) schema occurs in The Phoenix as (1) the hero, or the phoenix (2) together with his retainers, or feathered companions (3) at the beach/boundary either beginning or ending a journey, or the flights before and after rejuvenation (4) in the presence of a flashing light, or the rising sun. Understands the pattern as joined to the poem's allegory to produce a unifying structure.
Area: OE