Beyond its importance as a literary work of unvarnished genius, Geoffrey Chaucer's unfinished epic poem is also one of the most beloved works in the English language-and for good reason: It is lively, absorbing, perceptive, and outrageously funny. But despite the brilliance of Chaucer's work, the continual evolution of our language has rendered his words unfamiliar to many of us. Esteemed poet, translator, and scholar Burton Raffel's magnificent new unabridged translation brings Chaucer's poetry back to life, ensuring that none of the original's wit, wisdom, or humanity is lost to the modern reader. This Modern Library edition also features an Introduction by the widely influential medievalist and author John Miles Foley that discusses Chaucer's work as well as his life and times.

This ground-breaking volume gathers the best new work in Gospels criticism centered on how the Gospels actually came to be: through oral tradition, story performance, and cultural memory. Contributors include: -John Miles Foley -Martin Jaffee -Jonathan A.Draper -Ellen Aitken -Holly Hearon -Vernon K. Robbins -Whitney Shiner -Jan Assmann -Jens Schroeter -Richard A. Horsley.

..". excellent book... " The Classical Outlook

..". brief and readable... There is good tonic in these pages for the serious student of oral tradition... a remarkable book." Asian Folklore Studies

"The bibliography is a boon for students and faculty at any level who are curious about the nature, composition, and performance of oral poetry." Choice

..". concise, evolutionary account... " Religious Studies Review

"As ever, Professor Foley s conscientious scholarship and sound judgements combine to make a further substantial contribution to the field." E. C. Hawkesworth, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University of London, The Slavonic Review

"Foley is probably the only scholar who is in a position even to suggest the extent of what we should know to work in this area." Speculum

"Foley s survey stands as a fitting tribute to the achievements of Parry and Lord and as a sure guide to future productive work in the field." Journal of American Folklore

..". detailed and informative study... We are fortunate that John Foley chose to write this book." Motif

..". Theory of Oral Composition... detailed account written in an elegant style which could serve equally as a textbook for college and graduate students and as a reference tool for scholars already in the field." Olifant

"As an introductory history, The Theory of Oral Composition accomplishes its purpose admirably. It has the capacity to arouse interest on the part of the uninitiated." Anthropologica

Presents the first history of the new field of oral-formulaic theory, which arose from the pioneering research of Milman Parry and Albert Lord on the Homeric poems."

In recent decades, the evidence for an oral epic tradition in ancient Greece has grown enormously along with our ever-increasing awareness of worldwide oral traditions. John Foley here examines the artistic implications that oral tradition holds for the understanding of the Iliad and Odyssey in order to establish a context for their original performance and modern-day reception.

In Homer's Traditional Art, Foley addresses three crucially interlocking areas that lead us to a fuller appreciation of the Homeric poems. He first explores the reality of Homer as their actual author, examining historical and comparative evidence to propose that "Homer" is a legendary and anthropomorphic figure rather than a real-life author. He next presents the poetic tradition as a specialized and highly resonant language bristling with idiomatic implication. Finally, he looks at Homer's overall artistic achievement, showing that it is best evaluated via a poetics aimed specifically at works that emerge from oral tradition.

Along the way, Foley offers new perspectives on such topics as characterization and personal interaction in the epics, the nature of Penelope's heroism, the implications of feasting and lament, and the problematic ending of the Odyssey. His comparative references to the South Slavic oral epic open up new vistas on Homer's language, narrative patterning, and identity.

Homer's Traditional Art represents a disentangling of the interwoven strands of orality, textuality, and verbal art. It shows how we can learn to appreciate how Homer's art succeeds not in spite of the oral tradition in which it was composed but rather through its unique agency.

John Miles Foley offers an innovative and straightforward approach to the structural analysis of oral and oral-derived traditional texts. Professor Foley argues that to give the vast and complex body of oral "literature" its due, we must first come to terms with the endemic heterogeneity of traditional oral epics, with their individual histories, genres, and documents, as well as both the synchronic and diachronic aspects of their poetics.
Until now, the emphasis in studies of oral traditional works has been placed on addressing the correspondences among traditions--shared structures of "formula," "theme," and "story-pattern." "Traditional Oral Epic" explores the incongruencies among traditions and focuses on the qualities specific to certain oral and oral-derived works. It is certain to inspire further research in this field.