Year: 1994
Type: article
Abstract: O RAL DELIVERY is usually assumed to have something to do with the composition of Herodotus' Histories.We are not surprised to find that several ancient sources report that Herodotus, the great raconteur, gave public lectures.1 These reports in turn have led to theories proposing either that the Histories provided the material for the lectures, or that the lectures formed the basis for the text of the H istories. 2 Oral performance has therefore been championed as the solution to various peculiarities of Herodotean style.3 Lattimore, in particular, has argued that the Histories as we have it represents a first draft, written as if a text for recitation.4 This 1 For the best summary and discussion see J. Enoch POWELL.The History of Herodotus (Cambridge 1939: hereafter 'Powell') 32ff; see further below.views in J. L. MYRES, Herodotus, Father of History (Oxford 1953: hereafter 'Myres') 20-31.J Cf T. E. V. Pearce, "'Epic Regression' in Herodotus," Eranos 79 (1981) 89f; M. POHLENZ, Herodot, erste Geschichtesschreiber des Abendlandes (Leipzig 1937: hereafter 'Pohlenz') 208H; R. V. Munson, "Herodotus' Use of Prospective Sentences and the Story of Rhampsinitus and the Thief in the Histories," AJP 114 (1993) 27-44.• R. Lattimore, "The Composition of the History of Herodotus," C P 53 1958) 9. Lattimore's theory has received some acceptance of late: cf J. A. S.Evans, Herodotus (Boston 1982) 17; S. Flory, The Archaic Smile of Herodotus Detroit 1987) 15.Lattimore is, however, not likely to be right.His assertions on the difficulties of writing are overstated: one would think he had never heard of composing drafts on wax or wooden tablets, pieces of reused papyrus, or leather rolls (convenient as carbon ink was easily erased), or of slaves to help in transcribing and copying.The places where, according to Lattimore, Herodotus corrects himself" in stride" usually find an easy explanation 229
Author: William A. Johnson
Language: English
Topic: Classical Antiquity Studies
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W1588477771