The Singer of Tales (Paperback)

Albert B. Lord

ISBN 10: 0674975731 / ISBN 13: 9780674975736

Published by Harvard University, Center for Hellenic Studies, 2019

About this Item

Paperback. First published in 1960, Albert B. Lord's The Singer of Tales remains the fundamental study of the distinctive techniques and aesthetics of oral epic poetry. Based upon pathbreaking fieldwork conducted in the 1930s and 1950s among oral epic singers of Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia, Lord analyzes in impressive detail the techniques of oral composition in performance. He explores the consequences of this analysis for the interpretation of numerous works of traditional verbal art, including-in addition to South Slavic epic songs-the Homeric Iliad and Odyssey, Beowulf, the Chanson de Roland, and the Byzantine epic Digenis Akritas. A cardinal text for the study of oral traditions, The Singer of Tales also represents an exemplary use of the comparative method in literary criticism.This third edition offers a corrected text of the second edition and is supplemented by an open-access website (in lieu of the second edition's CD-ROM), providing all the recordings discussed by Lord, as well as a variety of other multimedia materials. First published in 1960, The Singer of Tales remains the fundamental study of the distinctive techniques and aesthetics of oral epic poetryfrom South Slavic epic songs to the Iliad, Odyssey, Beowulf, and beyond. This edition offers a corrected text and is supplemented by an open-access website with audio recordings. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780674975736

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Singer of Tales (Paperback)
• Publisher: Harvard University, Center for Hellenic Studies
• Publication Date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0674975731
• ISBN 13: 9780674975736
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition: 3rd Edition
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

First published in 1960, Albert B. Lord’s The Singer of Tales remains the fundamental study of the distinctive techniques and aesthetics of oral epic poetry. Based upon pathbreaking fieldwork conducted in the 1930s and 1950s among oral epic singers of Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia, Lord analyzes in impressive detail the techniques of oral composition in performance. He explores the consequences of this analysis for the interpretation of numerous works of traditional verbal art, including―in addition to South Slavic epic songs―the Homeric Iliad and Odyssey, Beowulf, the Chanson de Roland, and the Byzantine epic Digenis Akritas. A cardinal text for the study of oral traditions, The Singer of Tales also represents an exemplary use of the comparative method in literary criticism.

This third edition offers a corrected text of the second edition and is supplemented by an open-access website (in lieu of the second edition’s CD-ROM), providing all the recordings discussed by Lord, as well as a variety of other multimedia materials.

About the Author

David F. Elmer is Eliot Professor of Greek Literature and Curator of the Milman Parry Collection of Oral Literature at Harvard University.