Introduction

This introductory chapter outlines the thesis of the volume: that shifts in the academic study of Homeric epic were part of a much broader re-positioning of Homer in the cultural landscape of the 20th century, and that there is a fruitful dialogue to be had between Homeric scholarship and creative adaptations of Homeric epic. It points out that, for over two millennia, Homer had been the defining author of the Western literary canon and that, consequently, the suggestion that Homeric epic was similar to many, often oral, epic traditions from around the world proved to be explosive. They relate analogies between Homeric epic and, for example, epic traditions in the ancient Near East or modern Africa, to a larger shift away from narrow notions of the Western literary canon and towards a broader conception of world literature. The introduction also contains summaries of the individual chapters in the volume.