Oral-Formulaic Theory: Annotated Bibliography

Agathe Thornton. People and Themes in Homer's Odyssey. London and Dunedin: Methuen and the University of Otago Press.

After an introduction that aligns her method with Parry-Lord theory, she proceeds in Part I to study themes of the Achaeans' homecoming, Odysseus' wandering, guest-friendship, testing, and omens. The examination of individual characters in Part II owes less to oral-formulaic method and more to literary criticism. Sees the structure of the Odyssey as six groups of four books apiece, each group constituting a "lap" of the Homeric bard's "path" (oíme). Reviews the narrative with Holscher's terms "concealment" and "disclosure" as the basic process on which the whole is patterned.
Area: AG