FOCUSED ON SYSTEM THINKING @CHS Online Publications We are pleased to feature the following publications and resources that use controlled and innovative perspectives to explore the ancient Greek mytho-poetic tradition as a rich, interconnected system. Taken together, these complimentary works offer a rich and proven critical framework for studying the various layers of meaning in Greek poetry. Leonard Muellner, Classics@ Vol. 3, "Discovery Procedures and Principles for Homeric Research" Working from Benveniste's idea that the study of Homeric vocabulary is still in its infancy, Muellner describes a way to do research on Homer and then shows how to work inductively, rebuilding the categories of thought and expression from within the epic world. In this concise article, Muellner describes an effective way to do research on Homer. Starting from Benveniste's idea that the study of Homeric vocabulary is still in its infancy, Muellner shows how to work inductively, rebuilding the categories of thought and expression from within the epic world. His description includes more than just procedures. It also includes an account of the principles and assumptions behind them and examples of their use. Learn more. Milman Parry, L'epithète traditionelle dans Homère: Essai sur un problème de style homérique We are especially pleased to publish a digital edition of Milman Parry's doctoral dissertation published in 1928 by Société d'éditions "Les belles lettres" on the use of traditional epithets in Homeric epic. In this foundational and still critically important work, Parry offers a detailed and thorough analysis of proper name and epithet formulae. This analysis brought Parry to a stunning conclusion: the poems could not be the work of an individual poet but must be the product of a tradition. Parry's lucid argumentation and persuasive methodology deserve and repay careful attention by all interested in Homer, ancient Greek poetics, and oral traditions. Learn more. Richard Martin, The Language of Heroes: Speech and Performance in the Iliad. Martin's central conclusion is that the Iliad takes shape as a poetic composition in precisely the same "speaking culture" that we see foregrounded in the stylized words of the poem's heroic speakers, especially those speeches designated as muthos, a word the author redefines as "authoritative speech-act." Martin's central conclusion is that the Iliad takes shape as a poetic composition in precisely the same "speaking culture" that we see foregrounded in the stylized words of the poem's heroic speakers, especially those speeches designated as muthos, a word the author redefines as "authoritative speech-act." The poet and the hero are both "performers" in a traditional medium. The genre of muthos composing requires that its practitioners improve on previous performances and surpass them, by artfully manipulating traditional material in new combinations. In other words, within the speeches of the poem, we see that it is traditional to be spontaneous. The speeches of the Iliad are, on the one hand, perfectly consistent with the assumption of oral composition-in-performance; on the other hand, the technique of individualizing variation within these speeches enables us to uncover the very motivation for the composition of a unique and monumental oral epic about the hero Achilles. Learn more. Douglas Frame, The Myth of Return in Early Greek Epic Through careful analysis, Frame explores the background and use of the Greek root *nes- as found in noos, Nestor and nostos. His insightful analysis shows that *nes- originally had to do with “returning to life and light” and that this meaning can best be understood in the context of solar symbolism. Through careful analysis, Frame explores the background and use of the Greek root *nes- as found in noos, Nestor and nostos. His insightful analysis shows that *nes- originally had to do with “returning to life and light” and that this meaning can best be understood in the context of solar symbolism. Frame's work profoundly alters our reading of Odysseus, his homecoming, and the connection of this poem to the larger Indo-European system of myth. Learn more. Gregory Nagy, Greek Mythology and Poetics This ground-breaking work explores the Hellenization of the Indo-European system of myth, ritual and poetics. This ground-breaking work explores the Hellenization of the Indo-European system of myth, ritual, poetics and social ideology. The author's primary aim is to examine the Greek language, by way of comparison with cognate languages, as a reflection of Greek society, with special attention to the function of language as a vehicle of mythology and poetics. Through a collection of individual essays on topics such as the death of Sarpedon and the language of Hesiod, Nagy reveals the powerful Panhellenic forces shaping Greek poetry and the development of the polis. Learn more. Homer Multitext Project The Homer Multitext project, the first of its kind in Homeric studies, presents the textual transmission of the Iliad and Odyssey in a historical framework. It offers free access to a library of texts and images, a machine-interface to that library and its indices, and tools to allow readers to discover and engage with the Homeric tradition. To view the texts use the Manuscript Browser. (We suggest using Firefox or Safari, both freely available. In addition to creating a multitext edition of the Homeric poems, CHS researchers are working to transcribe, publish, and analyze the scholia assocaited with the text--a varied and rich system streching back to Alexandrian times. One such researcher is HMT editor Casey Dué. Read her latest post on the Homer Multitext blog: "A discovery in the E4 scholia." Heroes Course As part of its educational mission, CHS offers free access to all the resources associated with a distance learning course taught by Center Director Gregory Nagy--including multimedia lectures and discussions, audio recordings, lecture notes, and the complete collection of readings. Concepts of the Hero in Greek Civilization provides an engaging introduction to the major themes of ancient Greek myth, cult and poetics. All readings are in translation and include the epics of Homer, seven tragedies, two Platonic dialogues, and the dialogue On Heroes by Philostratus. We invite you to learn more about the relationship between past and present in ancient Greek poetics by watching the proseminar discussions on Pindar's Pythian 8 and Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes. The ideas introduced in these videos are examined in greater depth by Nagy in his article ""The Dream of a Shade": Refractions of Epic Vison in Pindar's Pythian 8 and Aeschylus' Seven against Thebes." Image: Earthrise. Taken by Apollo 8 crewmember Bill Anders on December 24, 1968. Available via Wikimedia Commons.

ANNOUNCEMENTS Our Hero! Congratulations to Zoie Lafis-Horsley, one of Harvard University’s Heroes for 2012! 2012-2013 Fellows We are pleased to announce our Fellows for this fall and next spring! Fellows List Available in the Hellenic Studies Series by Anna Bonifazi Homer's Versicolored Fabric: The Evocative Power of Ancient Greek Epic Wordmaking by Casey Dué & Mary Ebbott Iliad 10 and The Poetics of Ambush: A Multitext Edition with Essays and Commentary Sunoikisis The CHS will host the annual Sunoikisis faculty and course development seminars for the fall courses on Homeric Poetry and Medieval Latin. Learn more. kleos@chs Be sure to visit our new blog kleos@CHS for the latest news and upates! Don't miss our recent Q&A sessions: Anna Bonifazi Scott Fitzgerald Johnson Stay Connected Follow CHS on Facebook and Twitter!