This lecture reassesses a prominent theory in Homeric studies regarding how written texts of the Iliad and the Odyssey emerged. The chief problem with the way Homerists imagine a literate Homer is that they insist on an outmoded valorization of literacy. Those who contend that Homer’s productions did not require literacy have not succeeded in convincing their opponents, who simply deny the capabilities of oral poets to produce something like the Homeric epics. This lecture moves the debate forward by offering a more productive way to think about the question of Homer’s literacy and the relationship between oral and literate practices.
Sponsored by the Department of Classics, the Franco Family Institute for Liberal Arts and the Public Good, and the College of Arts and Letters.