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William C. Scott. The Artistry of the Homeric Simile. Hanover, N.H.: University Press of New England, 2009. Pp. viii, 267. $45.00 (pb.). ISBN 978- 1-58465-797-2.
William C. Scott's book, a companion to his earlier work (The Oral Nature of the Homeric Simile, Leiden 1974), is a welcome examination of Homeric similes. His general argument for a sophisticated relationship between similes and the narrative will be accepted intuitively by many readers. His supporting theories and the structure of his book, however, may attenuate its effectiveness. The book consists of six chapters, an appendix of simile types, and endnotes.
Chapter 1 explores how similes, like other "expository digressions" (4; ekphraseis, paradeigmata, etc), are intentionally created to enhance the overall narrative and thus offer "clues for the interpretation of longer passages" (8). This process is contingent upon poet and audience knowing the conventions of simile use. Chapter 2 considers these conventions to determine what choices were available to fit similes to the narrative. After reviewing Homeric orality, Scott, invoking Nagler's use of Gestalt psychology (Spontaneity and Tradition, Berkeley 1974), identifies the underlying framework of similes as a "simileme" ("the nonverbal background material shared by poet and audience" [19]). This potentially fascinating formulation seems more like a placeholder for...