On Homer's literary technique

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The objective of this article is to address the compositional aspects of the Iliad and the Odyssey. To achieve this, it initially proposes a discussion regarding the main characteristics of epic poetry, the narrative genre to which the two epic poems belong; both the context of the poems' production and their formal atributes are highlighted – qualities that are not only present due to their aesthetic enjoyment, but also because, through them, it’s possible to trace the worldview of Classical Antiquity societies. Drawing on the formulations of G. Lukács (2000), E. Auerbach (2015), E. Staiger (1997), S. D’Onófrio (2004), among others, the article also addresses the literary technique used in the composition of the Iliad and the Odyssey, aiming to problematize the notions of "authorship" and "originality" (categories insufficient for explaining the reasons behind the stylistic procedures of the Homeric poems) without losing sight of the particularities that distinguished both epics from numerous other productions of the period (particularities evident in the way the poems were structured).

KEYWORDS: Homer; Technique; Epic; Iliad; Odyssey.