Resumo

FOLEY, John M.. South Slavic Oral Epic and the Homeric Question. Acta poét [online]. 2005, vol.26, n.1-2, pp.51-68. ISSN 2448-735X.

This paper reviews some of the most controversial aspects of the Oral-Formulaic Theory developed by Parry and Lord, considering the traditional nature of Homeric verse and comparing it with the living oral epic from the former Yugoslavia. The author proposes three maxims encapsulating fundamental issues concerning oral tradition: "Comparison must always be tempered by contrast"; "Oral traditions work like language, only more so"; and "Oral-poetry is a very plural noun".