Oral-Formulaic Theory: Annotated Bibliography

Philip Damon. Modes of Analogy in Ancient and Medieval Verse. University of California Publications in Classical Philology, 15:261-334.

In Chapter 1 ("Homer's Similes and the Uses of Irrelevance," pp. 261-72), he explores the "i rrelevant" structure and content of the Homeric epiphoneme and, viewing it as a traditional usage, relates it to the frequently contradictory deployment of formulaic elements. In Chapter 2 ("Sappho's Similes and the Uses of Homer," pp. 272-80), he descri bes how Sappho fuses a traditional simile to a metaphorical pattern of her own design and thus embodies a Homeric conceit in a conscious figure.
Area: AG