Homer: Poetic Grammar and the Language of Homer

3 units

This course is an intensive, student-driven exploration of the language of Homer and Hesiod and the poetic grammar of ancient Greek epic. There is much "under the hood" of the vehicle of epic language that is often left to the specialists to fuss over: an odd form here or a hidden digamma there. This course seeks to dispel some of the perceived dread of "old-school philology" that often haunts discussions of epic grammar, while serving as a practical guide to the utility of such apparently quibbling pursuits as hunting for hidden digammas. We will consider the origins of the epic "dialect," including questions of historical grammar, and its relation to other dialects of ancient Greek. We will investigate poetic grammar from the micro to the macro level: From minutia of metrics, poetic formulas, and particle use to larger structural units like ring composition and poetic repair. We will be most concerned with the interfaces of structure and meaning: Are particularly spondee-heavy lines associated with a particular tone or gravity of sense? Does the lack of augment convey some special signification? These and other questions will be addressed in depth, spearheaded by the students' own interrogation into topics of most interest to themselves. Students will produce a final paper that allows them to engage with these topics in conversation with current research in the field of Homeric studies. In doing so, we will see how heavily linguistic analysis bears on textual interpretation and how careful attention to Homer's use of language can bring us to a deeper appreciation of his work and its motives.