> I think this was actually earlier (between the wars). It was Millman
> Perry as I recall who first drew the attention of classical scholars
to
> this phenomenon in eastern Europe, and in his mind they represented
> cultural analogues for Homer and possible parallels for the
composition
> and pre-written transmission of the Homeric poems. There was a semi-
> popular book on the topic (again I am dredging from my lost
youth in Classics (-;) called _Tellers of Tales_ or _Teller of Tales_,
> something like that; the author's name was Lord, I think, but not
Walter!
Actually, it's Milman Parry, whose work is collected in *The Making of
Homeric Verse* (Oxford, 1971). Parry died tragically young. We
classicists are still trying to come to grips with his theories (that
is, they are still a bit controversial in some aspects and in some
circles).
The other work to which Abigail refers is Albert Lord's *The Singer of
Tales*, which has recently (i.e., in the last five years or so) come out
in a revised edition.
Best,
MW
Mark F. Williams
Dept. of Classics
Calvin College
Grand Rapids, MI
USA 49546
"Keep your stick on the ice."
-Red Green
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