Orality, Textuality, and the Homeric Epics
An Interdisciplinary Study of Oral Texts, Dictated Texts, and Wild Texts
Jonathan L. Ready
Reviews and Awards
Runner-up, Katharine Briggs Award 2020, Folklore Society (UK)
"Through readings of Homeric passages, examination of variant readings of "wild" papyri, and, above all, wide-ranging comparative evidence, Ready expands our understanding of "text" and retrieves versions of textuality that take place within oral performance." -- Yukai Li, Phoenix
"This landmark study will interest not only Homeric scholars, but scholars of oral performance, epic poetry, transmission of traditional texts, the relation of the oral and written, and related themes, and serves as a touchstone for further research on these epic questions." -- Mark Bender, Journal of Folklore Research Reviews
"This dense and technical book far transcends its highly specialised subject area of Homeric oral epic poetry. Its wide comparative reading works both ways: Homerists are introduced to folklore studies, while folklorists have much here to consider about the interaction of collector/transcriber/editor/performer in all oral forms and the mediated relationship between the written and the oral." -- The Katharine Briggs Award Judges, The Katharine Briggs Award, The Folklore Society
"Ready neatly maneuvers past older discussions of the Homeric Question by advancing fresh arguments from a performance perspective. The combination of comparativist chops and heterodox dismantling of previous hypotheses will turn heads. This book breaks new ground and will change the course of Homeric studies." -- Professor Jonathan Burgess, University of Toronto
"Already an established authority on Homer, orality, and the epic literary world, Jonathan Ready adds yet further lustre to his international reputation in this fine new book. Not only is it notable for its unusually imaginative and knowledgeable transdisciplinary reach, it leads us, magnificently, into new ways of looking at old texts, their emotion, as well as their imagery and origins." -- Professor Ruth Finnegan, The Open University