Author

Dirk Warner

Date of Award

2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Rohrbacher, David

Area of Concentration

Classics

Abstract

Since Milman Parry and Albert Lord first developed their theory of oral composition to explain the creation of the Iliad and Odyssey, much scholarship has expanded upon their initial discovery. Often, this scholarship has involved comparing Homer to other oral traditions, just as Parry and Lord developed their theory by comparing Homer to the Serbo-Croatian tradition. In my thesis, I build upon this model, analyzing the Serbo-Croatian and hip-hop traditions in relation to the Homeric works with regard to three aspects common to the three traditions: the influence of mythicized foundational figures, traditional qualities due to performance and re-performance, and a dedicated register. Each chapter focuses on one of these three aspects, analyzing its manifestation within the Serbo-Croatian and hip-hop traditions first and then within Homer. The first chapter investigates their mythicized foundational figures, the second studies its qualities related to performance, and the third analyzes their registers and the audience reception they engender.

Share

COinS