Homer and the resources of memory
Subtitle: some applications of cognitive theory to the Iliad and the Odyssey
By: Elizabeth Minchin.
Publisher: Oxford University Press; Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 2001
Place of publication: Oxford; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 247
Subjects: Homer -- Technique.; Epic poetry, Greek -- History and criticism.; Storytelling -- Psychological aspects.; Oral tradition -- Greece.; Oral-formulaic analysis.; Cognitive psychology.; Memory.
Description: "In this study the author shows that the demands made on the poet, who relies neither on rote memory nor on written notes, have led him to adopt certain memory-based strategies which have left their traces in the text. What we discover is that the poet in an oral tradition makes intense and creative use of those resources of memory which are available to us all - episodic memory, auditory memory, visual memory, and spatial memory - to assist him both in the preparation of his song and at the moment of performance."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [225]-239) and indexes.