Download or read book Aspects of the Speech in the Later Greek Epic (Classic Reprint) written by George Wicker Elderkin and published by . This book was released on 2016-06-16 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Aspects of the Speech in the Later Greek Epic The life and vigor of the poems of Homer has among its constituents the important element of speech. The extent of its employment has been measured and the statistics show that just one-half of Homer is composed of the directly recorded utterances of his characters. The speech, therefore, with its varied aspects, promises to be of significance as a chapter of comparative study in Greek epic poetry. Its subsequent fate may fairly be expected to throw no little light upon the relations of the later epic poets to the source of their inspiration, upon the extent of their adherence to and departure from Homeric standards. Particularly is this so in the case of Quintus of Smyrna, for the reader readily recognizes that the immediate purpose of the Posthomerica is to fill in the gap between the poems of Homer, although the poem of Quintus looks backward to the Iliad rather than forward to the Odyssey. The feeling that Quintus regarded himself as more than a mere imitator of Homer and aspired to some independence as an epic poet is perfectly compatible in view of his obvious purpose, with an exacting comparison of the Iliad and the Posthomerica. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.