About this title: This case study of the bardic tradition is part linguistics, part anthropology. Based on their assumptions that classical Greek poetic composition was a matter of arranging set combinations of phrases, scholars Parry and Lord set out for the Balkans in the 1930s to discover if contemporary oral traditions likewise used ready-made fragments as they compose. This edition is accompanied by a CD-ROM mastered from original recordings.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Date Published: 1981
ISBN-13:9780674808812ISBN:0674808819
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Highlighting/underlining. book is in good condition, pages are highlighted and underlined in a couple areas not throughout, cover shows signs of wear. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Very Good. 0674808819 Condition: VERY GOOD. (Book may have one or a combination of the following characteristics: former library book, cover wear, name written inside cover, light underlining/highlighting, remainder mark, etc. Overall, the book is in solid shape. This is a blanket description. Please email us if you require a specific, detailed description of the book condition. We will typically respond within one week of your request). read more
Edition: 1981 printing
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Date Published: 1960
Description: Paperback. Octavo.307 pages. Good. Minor ink markings. Cover lightly edgeworn. Some creases in cover. Several small stains on rear cover. Harvard Studies in Comparative Literature, 24. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Macmillan Pub Co
Date Published: 1972
ISBN-13:9780689701290ISBN:0689701292
Description: Very Good Plus. Size: 8vo-7¾"-9¾"; Later printing, by Atheneum-College edition, featuring a drawing consistent with the time period on the front cover. Unmarked except for a couple pages with light pencil notations, basically imperceptible. Otherwise VG+++. read more
Edition: First Edition-First Printing
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harvard University Press, Cambridge
Date Published: 1960
Description: Very Good in Very Good jacket. Harvard Studies in Comparative Literature 24. The dust jacket has edge wear and the spine has a lean. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harvard Univ Press
Date Published: 1960
Description: Very good reading copy. Tan cloth hardcover protected by worn jacket. Binding in very good condition. 309 pages tight with some pencil markings. Great reading copy! Hardcover with dust jacket. read more
Description: Good. Only lightly used. Book has minimal wear to cover and binding. A few pages may have small creases and minimal underlining. Book selection as BIG as Texas. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Date Published: 1981
ISBN-13:9780674808812ISBN:0674808819
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. pb, 1981, 4th printing, cover has shelf/edgewear, former owner's name/info inside front, used as a textbook so underlining and writing, nice condition though, binding tight, book has been used but taken care of, SKU-A086... Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Paper Cover
Publisher: Harvard Univ Press, Cumbreland, Rhode Island, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1981
ISBN-13:9780674808812ISBN:0674808819
Description: Good + 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Wrappers exhibit light wear/creasing to corners, sides and along spine edges. "As field work in oral technique, this book rates above all others. " A very clean, tight copy. Not a remainder. read more
"Albert Lord's work is a good follow-up to Milman Parry's work on oral traditions (The Making of Homeric Verse: The Collected Papers of Milman Parry), but unfortunately Lord falls short of his mentor's insights and skills. The book is divided into two portions: Part 1, the theory, and Part 2, the application. I really enjoyed Part 1, and Lord's writing is very accessible and easy to read (which wasn't necessarily a good thing. Parry's work on the same subject required a lot more close, careful reading, but Parry gave much greater insights -- a trade-off I was willing to make). In Part 2, I was disappointed. Lord's applications of the oral-formulaic theory were far too generalized for my taste. I felt his conclusions could be easily challenged, and he didn't provide the kind of highly detailed analysis that Parry gives to support his views. I was anticipating a lot of compelling, specific evidence that would demonstrate the differences between a text that originated from an oral tradition (usually via dictation) and a text that originated from a literary tradition, but Lord's analysis fell well short of my expectations. Overall, it's still a good introduction (which is why I think most literary programs exploring folklore and oral traditions use this as an entry-level text), but it has failings. I loved Part 1, but I was banging my head against the wall in Part 2."
"Building on the pioneering work of Milman Parry, Lord puts together a rich and illuminating study on epic poetry in the Balkans. While the stuff he uncovers about oral formulas is very interesting, I found the data on the careers of aspiring epic poets to be especially rich. I have learned a lot from this book and would recommend it to anyone who's interested in performers."
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