Books by John Miles Foley

Though they appear diverse, Homer's "Odyssey" and slam poetry from contemporary urban America both draw from the well of oral tradition. This guide explores the cultural contexts of verbal art to provide more-than-textual methods for understanding the structure, principles, and social applications of oral poetry.

An examination of the artistic implications that oral tradition holds for the understanding of the "Iliad" and "Odyssey", in order to establish a context for their original performance and modern-day reception. It disentangles the interwoven strands of orality, textuality and art.