Homer's Cosmic Fabrication

HOMER’S COSMIC FABRICATION AMERICAN PHILOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION American Classical Studies Volume 52 Series Editor Kathryn J. Gutzwiller Studies in Classical History and Society Meyer Reinhold Sextus Empiricus The Transmission and Recovery of Pyrrhonism Luciano Floridi The Augustan Succession An Historical Commentary on Cassius Dio’s Roman History Books 55–56 (9 B.C.–A.D. 14) Peter Michael Swan Greek Mythography in the Roman World Alan Cameron Virgil Recomposed The Mythological and Secular Centos in Antiquity Scott McGill Representing Agrippina Constructions of Female Power in the Early Roman Empire Judith Ginsburg Figuring Genre in Roman Satire Catherine Keane Homer’s Cosmic Fabrication Choice and Design in the Iliad Bruce Heiden HOMER’S COSMIC FABRICATION Choice and Design in the Iliad Bruce Heiden 1 2008 3 Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Copyright # 2008 by the American Philological Association. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Heiden, Bruce A. Homer’s cosmic fabrication: choice and design in the Iliad/ Bruce Heiden. p. cm. ISBN 978–0–19–534107–2 1. Homer. Iliad. 2. Epic poetry, Greek—History and criticism. 3. Achilles (Greek mythology) in literature. 4. Trojan War—Literature and the war. I. Title. PA4037.H425 2008 883’.0109—dc22 2008023584 135798642 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper In the elder days of Art, Builders wrought with greatest care Each minute and unseen part; For the Gods see everywhere. Longfellow, ‘‘The Builders’’ This page intentionally left blank Preface In the autumn of 1994 I was well into writing a book on the Iliad that would have been rather different from this one had I completed it. Instead I set it aside because of a discovery that promised (or threatened) to overshadow the work-in-progress and demanded immediate and thorough exploration. The important details and implica- tions of this discovery are explained in the introduction to this book. A great many colleagues and learned friends have assisted my work on this project through stimulating exchanges in person or via email, reactions to the journal publications and conference talks in which early results were disseminated, and careful reading of the manuscript in any of its various draft versions prior to this publication. During the early stages Mark Edwards was a steadfast source of both encouragement and astute criticism. At a late stage Pura Nieto-Hernandez read a draft of the entire manuscript with remarkable care, and her abundant expert comments suggested or stimulated many improve- ments. Kathryn Gutzwiller, the editor of the American Philological Association American Classical Studies series in which this volume appears, acted as a valued collaborator in the final stages of revision. The comments of the anony- mous readers were also very helpful. My colleague Anthony Kaldellis read an earlier draft of the manuscript and offered many useful observations; but he also merits special thanks for the stimulus of his conversation about both the book and Greek literature generally. Margalit Finkelberg read a substantial portion of an earlier draft and improved the work with expert suggestions and criticism. Among the others who have helped in various ways I would be remiss not to mention Jenny Strauss Clay, David Konstan, Donald Lateiner, Franc¸oise Le´tou- blon, Bruce Louden, James Morrison, Rene´ Nu¨ nlist, Pietro Pucci, Robert Rabel, Jay Reed, Joseph Russo, Elizabeth Scharffenberger, Seth Schein, and John Van Sickle. Any scholar lucky enough to be read by such critics will always feel challenged to exceed himself. David Hahm, the chair of the Department of Greek and Latin at the Ohio State University during most of the time the work was under way, assisted in many small but valuable ways that are warmly appreciated. David Lincove, the classics librarian at Ohio State during part of the time, and Donna Distel, assistant librarian, helped me identify, locate, or obtain elusive printed resources on many occasions. viii Preface Odysseus had Penelope; I have Karen Dennis, an equally good friend of Athena and at least as discriminating a lover of poetry. Unfortunately I’m not a good enough poet to give KD the lasting renown she deserves, but for what it’s worth I dedicate this book about the Iliad to her. Acknowledgments Chapter 1 of this book first appeared in slightly different form in the journal Arethusa (Heiden 2002b). Part of chapter 2 first appeared in Classica et Medi- aevalia (Heiden 2000b). Chapter 3 first appeared in slightly different form in the journal Symbolae Osloenses (Heiden 2000a). Part of chapter 4 first appeared in slightly different form in Gaia (Heiden 2003a). I am grateful to the editors and publishers of these journals for granting permission to reprint this material. This page intentionally left blank Contents Abbreviations Frequently Used in the Figures xiii List of Figures xv Introduction: Reading, Choice, and Design 3 PART I: DRAMATIC LEGIBILITY AND POETIC DESIGN 1. Persons, Problems, and Choices: The Progression of Events in the Iliad 23 2. Event Trajectories in the ‘‘Books’’ of the Iliad 37 3. Orientation by Design 67 4. Paths of Thought—Iliad Cycle I 85 PART II: READING THEMATIC TRAJECTORIES 5. Replacements and Representatives: The Quarrel (Cycle I, Column A) and the Embassy (Cycle II, Column A) 123 6. Zeus’s Changing Plans: Cycles I and II, Column Z (Books 8 and 15) 161 7. Homeric Sublimity: Iliad Book 24 187 Conclusion: The Fabricated Cosmos and the Poetry of the Future 211 Works Cited 235 Index of Passages 243 General Index 249 This page intentionally left blank Abbreviations Frequently Used in the Figures Ach Achilles Act Action Aft Aftermath Aga Agamemnon Aux Auxiliary D/A Decision/Action Dec Decision Gks Greeks H-A-P Hera-Athena-Poseidon Hek Hektor Pat Patroklos Prob Problem Res Resolution This page intentionally left blank List of Figures Figure 1.1 Move of Chryses, 24 Figure 1.2 Embedded Move, 25 Figure 1.3 Relationship between the Achaians’ Move and Achilles’, 25 Figure 1.4 Move with Auxiliary, 26 Figure 1.5 Major Moves in the Action of the Iliad,27 Figure 2.1 Trajectory of events in Iliad 24, 39 Figure 2.2 Iliad 1.8-348. Problem/Decision element (detail), 40 Figure 2.3 Event trajectory of book 3, 41 Figure 2.4 Athena’s third Move in Iliad book 5, 43 Figure 2.5 Trajectory of book 7, 44 Figure 2.6 Polemical configuration in Iliad book 8, 45 Figure 2.7 Analysis of Move2 in book 12, 47 Figure 2.8 Second subtrajectory in Iliad book 13, 48 Figure 2.9 Event trajectory of book 16, 49 Figure 2.10 Event trajectory of book 18, 51 Figure 2.11 Event trajectory of book 19, 51 Figure 2.12 Iliad books 20 and 21: MoveZeus,52 Figure 2.13 Trajectory of Action1 in Iliad book 20, 54 Figure 2.14 Priam’s decision in Iliad book 24, 55 Figure 3.1 Three-series orientational design in parallel alignment, 70 Figure 3.2 Relationships of thematically analogous segments, 71 Figure 3.3 The three series as cyclic configurations, 72 Figure 3.4 The three cycles as a continuous spiral, 73 Figure 4.1 Analogous sequences in Iliad 6 and 3, 88 Figure 4.2 Aftermath stages in books 1 and 8, 108 Figure 4.3 Analogous sequences in battle of book 8 and assembly of book 1, 110 Figure 4.4 Sequence following assembly in book 1 alongside Zeus’s rout of the Greeks in book 8, 111 Figure 4.5 Divine interventions in books 1 and 8, 113 Figure 4.6 Assemblies in books 1 and 8, 114 Figure 5.1 Artemis’s Move in book 9 and the quarrel in book 1, 134 Figure 5.2 Appeals for payback in book 9 and book 1, 159 xvi List of Figures Figure 6.1 Zeus’s threats in books 15 and 8, points 4-7 164 Figure 6.2 Zeus’s threats in books 15 and 8 points 8-11, 165 Figure 6.3 Zeus’s support for the Trojans in books 15 and 8, 167 Figure 6.4 Teukros’s aristeiai, 168 Figure 6.5 Conflict and attempted resolution in books 9 and 15, 176 Figure 6.6 Zeus’s embassy to Poseidon in book 15, Agamemnon’s embassy to Achilles in book 9, 178 Figure 7.1 Torment/Appeal Configurations in Iliad Cycle III, 189 Figure 7.2 Torment/Appeal Configurations in Iliad Cycles I and II (Column A), 189 Figure 7.3 Torment/Appeal Configurations in Iliad Cycles I and II (Column Z), 190 Figure 7.4 Greek assembly in book 1 and Olympian assembly in book 24, 191 Figure 8.1 The design of the shield-description, 217 HOMER’S COSMIC FABRICATION This page intentionally left blank Introduction Reading, Choice, and Design This study of the Iliad presents a series of experiments aimed at improving our grasp of the design of the Iliad and its signiWcance for interpretation.

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