CLA204H1 Lecture : January 19 Lecture
Document Summary
Lived somewhere in asia minor, wrote iliad and odyssey. Iliad: 16,000 lines, story of greeks in trony, 10th year of the war, wrath of achilles is the theme of the story, the war is the context. Odyssey: 12,000 lines, story of odysseus" nostos 10 year journey home from troy. Homer first expresses (in writing) systematic explanation of how the gods, universe, and humanity came into being (bc14, oceanus and tethys) Begins after troy has fallen, takes place over a few weeks. Preserves brief hints of theogony; earth"s existence originated from two primordial gods, oceanus and. Poems reflect elements from both mycenaean world and 8th century bce, oral tradition, older elements of culture. Homeric question: it hasn"t been proved that there was a single man named homer, but that the works were perhaps written by more than one man, maybe passed down by schools of poets.