Orality, Literacy and Performance in the Ancient World (Orality and Literacy in the Ancient World, vol. 9)

The ninth meeting in the international Orality and Literacy in the Ancient World series - in the fiftieth year since the publication in 1960 of Albert Lord's The Singer of Tales - took as its theme 'Composition and Performance'. This volume contains a selection of those papers, several of which illustrate methodologically innovative approaches to the act of composition, the nature of performance, and vocalization in text. Under consideration are Homer, Hesiod, Plato, Isocrates, the orators of the Second Sophistic, and Proclus. Cross-cultural studies include, amongst others, South Slavic epic and a text from the Sanskrit archive. Orality, Literacy and Performance in the Ancient World 4 Contents 6 Preface 8 Notes on Contributors 10 Elizabeth Minchin: Introduction 12 Poetry in Performance 13 Literacy and Orality 16 Bibliography 18 Part I: Poetry in Performance 20 Adrian Kelly: The Audience Expects: Penelope and Odysseus 22 1. Eurykleia and Penelope (23.1–85) 26 2. Penelope and Odysseus 30 Conclusion 39 Bibliography 41 Deborah Beck: The Presentation of Song in Homer’s Odyssey 44 Song in Homeric Poetry 50 The Songs of Demodocus 56 Bibliography 70 Jonathan Ready: Comparative Perspectives on the Composition of the Homeric Simile 74 Introduction 74 Part I. The Comparative Material 75 I.1. The Figurative Spectrum of Distribution 75 I.2. The Figurative Spectrum of Distribution and Competence in Performance 79 I.3. The Construction of Idiolectal Similes 88 Part II. Application to Homer 90 II.1. The Figurative Spectrum of Distribution and Competence in Performance 91 II.2. The Construction of Idiolectal Similes 99 Conclusion 100 Bibliography 101 Anna Bonifazi and David F. Elmer: Composing Lines, Performing Acts: Clauses, Discourse Acts, and Melodic Units in a South Slavic Epic Song 108 I. Theoretical Framework 109 II. Methodology 112 III. Application 114 IV. Relevance to Homeric Poetry 121 V. Conclusions 125 Bibliography 127 Ruth Scodel: Works and Days As Performance 130 Bibliography 144 Part II: Literacy and Orality 146 McComas Taylor: Empowering the Sacred: The Function of the Sanskrit Text in a Contemporary Exposition of the Bhāgavatapurāṇa 148 Introduction: What is the Bhāgavatapurāṇa? 148 Saptāh: A Week-Long Purāṇic Performance 150 The Saptāh at Naluna 152 The Text and Ritual Action 154 Text as Source of Structure and Content 157 Silent Reading or Pārāyaṇa 158 Role of the Text in the Vernacular Oral Performance 159 Conclusion 165 Acknowledgements 166 Appendix 1 166 Bibliography 167 James Henderson Collins II: Prompts for Participation in Early Philosophical Texts 170 I. Turning Bystanders into Participants 176 II. Participatory Presence: Metalepsis in Phaedo and Euthydemus 182 III. Isokrates on Revision and Supplementation 192 Bibliography 200 Patrizia Marzillo: Performing an Academic Talk: Proclus on Hesiod’s Works and Days 202 I. Poetic and Philosophical Orality 203 I.1. Socrates and Plato 204 I.2. Proclus 205 II. The Commentary on Hesiod 207 II.1. Philological Excursus 207 II.2. Allegoresis 208 II.3. Aims of Neo-Platonic Allegoresis 209 II.4. Traces of Orality 210 III. Conclusions 216 Bibliography 217 Mathilde Cambron-Goulet: The Criticism—and the Practice—of Literacy in the Ancient Philosophical Tradition 220 I. The Criticism of Literacy 222 I.1. Reading 222 I.2. Writing 226 I.3. The Defence of Orality 227 I.4. The Criticism of Literacy: Conclusion 230 II. The Practice of Literacy 230 II.1. Reading 231 II.2. Writing 233 II.3. The Practice of Orality 237 II.4. Conclusion of the Practice of Literacy 239 III. Conclusion 240 Bibliography 242 Jeroen Lauwers: Reading Books, Talking Culture: The Performance of Paideia in Imperial Greek Literature 246 I. Reading, Forgetting, Solutions 249 II. Culture and Performance 250 III. Canon and Repetition 251 IV. Inner Books and Factual Knowledge 252 V. The Power of the Speaker 255 VI. True and Untrue pepaideumenoi 256 VII. Other Contexts: Symposium and Philosophy 257 Conclusion 260 Bibliography 260 Niall W. Slater: Eumolpus Poeta atWork: Rehearsed Spontaneity in the Satyricon 264 Bibliography 282 Index 284 The Audience Expects : Penelope And Odysseus / Adrian Kelly -- The Presentation Of Song In Homer's Odyssey / Deborah Beck -- Comparative Perspectives On The Composition Of The Homeric Simile / Jonathan Ready -- Composing Lines, Performing Acts : Clauses, Discourse Acts, And Melodic Units In A South Slavic Epic Song / Anna Bonifazi And David F. Elmer -- Works And Days As Performance / Ruth Scodel -- Empowering The Sacred : The Function Of The Sanskrit Text In A Contemporary Exposition Of The Bhāgavatapurāna/ Mccomas Taylor -- Prompts For Participation In Early Philosophical Texts/ James Henderson Collins Ii -- Performing An Academic Talk : Proclus On Hesiod's Works And Days / Patrizia Marzillo -- The Criticism-and The Practice-of Literacy In The Ancient Philosophical Tradition / Mathilde Cambron-goulet -- Reading Books, Talking Culture : The Performance Of Paideia In Imperial Greek Literature / Jeroen Lauwers -- Eumolpus Poeta At Work : Rehearsed Spontaneity In The Satyricon / Niall W. Slater. Edited By Elizabeth Minchin. Papers From The Proceedings Of The Ninth Conference In The International Orality And Literacy Series ('orality And Literacy In The Ancient Greek And Roman World: Composition And Performance') Held At The Australian National University In Canberra In June-july 2010. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Pt. 1. Poetry in performance The audience expects: Penelope and Odysseus / Adrian Kelly The presentation of song in Homer's odyssey / Deborah Beck Comparative perspectives on the composition of the Homeric simile / Jonathon Ready Composing lines, performing acts: clauses, discourse acts, and melodic units in a south slavic epic song / Anna Bonifazi and David F. Elmer Works and days as performance / Ruth Scodel Pt. 2. Literacy and orality Empowering the sacred: the function of the Sanskrit text in a contemporary exposition of the Bhagavatapurana/ McComas Taylor Prompts for participation in early philosophical texts/ James Henderson Collins II Performing an academic talk: Proclus on Hesiod's works and days / Patrizia Marzillo The criticism-and the practice-of literacy in the ancient philosophical tradition / Mathilde Cambron-Goulet Reading books, talking culture: the performance of Paideia in imperial greek literature / Jeroen Lauwers Eumolpus poeta at work: rehearsed spontaneity in the Satyricon / Niall Slater. "The ninth meeting in the international Orality and Literacy in the Ancient World series--in the fiftieth year since the publication in 1960 of Albert Lord's The Singer of Tales--took as its theme 'Composition and Performance'. This volume contains a selection of those papers, several of which illustrate methodologically innovative approaches to the act of composition, the nature of performance, and vocalization in text. Under consideration are Homer, Hesiod, Plato, Isocrates, the orators of the Second Sophistic, and Proclus. Cross-cultural studies include, amongst others, South Slavic epic and a text from the Sanskrit archive"--Publisher This ninth Orality and Literacy volume considers oral composition, performance, reception, and the mutual interplay between oral performance and written text. Authors under consideration are Homer, Hesiod, Plato, Isocrates, orators of the Second Sophistic, and Proclus. Cross-cultural studies are included.