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homeric formulas

Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2003 2:57 am
by chad
hi guys,<br /><br />does anyone know where i could get a simple list of homeric formulas (grouped by length and case, eg masculine caesura to end: nominative; masculine caesura to end: genitive; &c &c).<br /><br />I saw a few random tables throughout Milman Parry's papers a few months ago in the Uni of Sydney library, but that book is never in anymore, and I don't have a library card there... Books in my uni's library on Homeric composition only give a few examples of formulas... no comprehensive tables...<br /><br />I'm thinking I could put one together myself using Perseus, searching each name in homer and then grouping by context cluster, but that would take ages... I'm sure something like this has been put together since Parry, has anyone seen one?<br /><br />Thanks heaps, cheers, chad. :)

Re:homeric formulas

Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2003 8:54 pm
by annis
I know of no such list online.<br /><br />For books, the best lead I could find is in the "Formulas" introductory essay to volume 3 of "The Iliad: A Commentary," Kirk, et al. In a footnote he says "For a comprehensive bibliography of the Homeric formula see M.W. Edwards Oral Tradition 1 (1986) 171-230, and 3 (1988) 11-60."

Re:homeric formulas

Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2003 11:46 pm
by chad
Thanks for that William! Unfortunately my search of uni libraries in Sydney showed that no copies of Oral tradition journal are held before volume 4 (1989)... but that's alright, I'll try to put together a complete list myself, and post a link to the doc on textkit, in case anyone else would find it interesting :)<br /><br />cheers, chad. :)

Re:homeric formulas

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2003 1:20 am
by annis
[quote author=chad link=board=2;threadid=322;start=0#2372 date=1059608770]<br />but that's alright, I'll try to put together a complete list myself, <br />[/quote]<br /><br />I bet that Chicago Homer project web site mentioned in another thread would be very useful. I found the interface a bit clunky, but it looks like it marks phrases that recur in Epic texts.<br /><br />http://www.library.northwestern.edu/homer/