Writing and the Origins of Greek Literature [Paperback]

Examines the contribution of the alphabetic revolution to the genesis of archaic Greek literature.The purpose of this book is to dispel misunderstanding about the genesis of the Homeric poems and other knotty problems in oral studies, such as the meaning of 'orality,' 'literacy,' 'tradition,' 'memorization,' and 'text.' This book is about the nature and history of writing, how it was used in the Ancient Near East, and especially in Greece, and its relationship to Homer. It suggests that a Semite invented the Greek alphabet, heir to an ancient bilingual Eastern tradition of taking down poetry by dictation.The purpose of this book is to dispel misunderstanding about the genesis of the Homeric poems and other knotty problems in oral studies, such as the meaning of 'orality,' 'literacy,' 'tradition,' 'memorization,' and 'text.' This book is about the nature and history of writing, how it was used in the Ancient Near East, and especially in Greece, and its relationship to Homer. It suggests that a Semite invented the Greek alphabet, heir to an ancient bilingual Eastern tradition of taking down poetry by dictation.The purpose of this book is to dispel misunderstanding about the genesis of the Homeric poems and other knotty problems in oral studies, such as the meaning of orality, literacy, tradition, memorization, and text. The study is about the nature and history of writing--how it was used in the Ancient Near East, and especially in Greece, and its relationship to Homer. It suggests that a Semite invented the Greek alphabet, heir to an ancient bilingual Eastern tradition of recording poetry by dictation.List of figures; Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction: building models like a wigwam; 2. Text; 3. Orality and genre; 4. Myth; 5. Literacy; 6. Tradition; 7. Memorization; 8. M. L. West and the Eastern origins of Greek tradition; 9. Cultural transmission by literate means in the Near East; 10. Writing: general; 11. Writing: semasiography and logosyllabograls-