French Literature Reviews - 2026

A. Kelly, A Referential Commentary and Lexicon to Homer, Iliad VIII
Other Literary Studies

You can read a review of this book in the Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Adrian Kelly

A Referential Commentary and Lexicon to Homer, Iliad VIII

Oxford University Press

Series: Oxford Classical Monographs

ISBN-13: 978-0-19-920355-0

528 pages, 234x156 mm

Publisher's Description

This book aims to provide the reader of Homer with the traditional knowledge and fluency in Homeric poetry which an original ancient audience would have brought to a performance of this type of narrative. To that end, Adrian Kelly presents the text of Iliad VIII next to an apparatus referring to the traditional units being employed, and gives a brief description of their semantic impact. He describes the referential curve of the narrative in a continuous commentary, tabulates all the traditional units in a separate lexicon of Homeric structure, and examines critical decisions concerning the text in a discussion which employs the referential method as a critical criterion. Two small appendices deal with speech introduction formulae, and with the traditional function of Hera and Athene in early Greek epic poetry.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. Text and Referential Apparatus

2. Commentary

3. Lexicon

4. Textual Discussion

The Author

Adrian Kelly, Fulford Junior Research Fellow, St Anne's College, Oxford University

Adrian Kelly approaches the epic text through the lens of oral-formulaic theory, a methodology that investigates how early Greek bards composed and performed hexameter verse using traditional building blocks. By aligning the poetic text with a referential apparatus and a dedicated structural lexicon, the volume illuminates how recurring thematic elements and formulaic units carried specific semantic weight for an ancient listening audience. This analytical framework bridges the gap between modern reading practices and the dynamic, performance-oriented nature of early epic poetry, offering fresh insights into the composition of the Trojan War narrative.

This scholarly monograph serves as an invaluable resource for advanced students and researchers of classical philology, ancient Greek literature, and comparative epic traditions. It addresses fundamental questions regarding Homeric artistry, narrative pacing, and the mechanics of oral composition. Scholars examining the nuances of archaic Greek poetry, formulaic diction, and textual criticism will find the detailed continuous commentary and specialized appendices on speech formulae and divine agency particularly useful for their own investigations into the epic tradition.