Literature Network » Homer

Homer in the French Renaissance*.(THE 2005 JOSEPHINE WATERS BENNETT LECTURE)

Content courtesy of

From: Renaissance Quarterly
Date: 20060322
Author:Ford, Philip

1. INTRODUCTION

It is difficult for us to imagine a world without Homer. The story of the Trojan War and the wanderings of Odysseus have fared rather better in the popular imagination than Aeneas's parallel adventures, and many aspects of the Homeric style--epithets such as "rosy-fingered dawn" and "wine-dark sea," (1) extended similes (of which the comparison of the generations of man to falling leaves is just one of the most beautiful (2)), and its formulaic nature--have appealed to the sensibilities of many readers over the years. Yet it was not always so. For centuries, ...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

Other Articles on Homer

About Our Articles: We've partnered with Highbeam Research to provide these article excerpts for your research needs. However, due to copyright laws, we cannot publish the whole article. To view these articles in full length you'll need to use the link above to access the free trial at Highbeam.