Oral-Formulaic Theory: Annotated Bibliography

William Whallon. "Formulaic Poetry in the Old Testament." Comparative Literature, 15:1-14.

Examines the Scandinavian claim of an oral tradition behind the poetry of the Old Testament. Sees Hebraic parallelism as a prosodic requisite analogous to the AG hexameter or OE alliterative line and then identifies the participating synonyms as part of a formulaic network. Makes numerous references to AG and OE formulas, remarking that "the Old Testament combines nouns; the Iliad modifies them; Beowulf supplants them" (2). Interprets his sampling of diction as evidence of a "stylistic heritage" (13) and of oral transmission, but adds that writing may have played a role in the evolution of surviving texts.
Area: BI, HB, AG, OE, CP