El estructural-funcionalismo

7 0 . i b i d . . 680, 681. See The I l i a d , p p .4 2 , 349- H.C. Baldry argues th a t alp h ab et­ ic s c r ip t began to emerge in Greece in the e ig h th century B. C. , i . e . the

p erio d to which Vico a s s ig n s Homer ^the r e d a c to r ) . See a n c ie n t Greek Li t e r a t ­ ure in i t s L iv in g C o n tex t. London, 1968» P*50*

71 some fou r to f i v e c e n t u r ie s a f t e r th e Trojan w ar.

The E f f e c t o f V ic o ’ s P r o p o sa ls

By p o s it in g a t l e a s t a d u al a u th o r sh ip f o r th e poems, V ico was a b le to p re­ s e n t a c r e d ib le s o lu t io n to th e problem s r a i s e d by th e m a n ife s t d i f f e r e n c e s

between th e two e p i c s . S in c e b oth poems had n o t been w r it t e n or r a t h e r , composed by the one p erso n , th e dichotom y th e y ev id e n c ed was o n ly to be e x p e c te d , d e s p it e th e e f f o r t s o f th e r e d a c t o r . The s ta r k cu stom s d e p ic t e d in th e I l i a d r e f l e c t e d a very e a r ly p erio d o f c u lt u r a l e v o l u t i o n . The Odyssey w ith i t s t a l e s o f th e cunning U ly s s e s d e p ic te d a s ta g e when man had l o s t much o f h i s s p o n ta n e ity and g a in ed in r e f l e c t i v e pow ers. T h is in d ic a t e d t o V ico t h a t th e I l i a d had appeared

72 many c e n t u r ie s b e fo r e th e O d yssey.

The th eo ry o f a com p osite a u th o r sh ip was a l s o a p p e a lin g in t h a t i t a ccou n ted 73

f o r th e v a r io u s d iv e r g e n c ie s w it h in each e p i c . I f th e I l i a d and th e Odyssey were p ro d u cts o f an e v o lu tio n a r y p r o c e s s , th e r e s u l t o f many in d ig e n o u s s t o r i e s which o v er a lo n g p erio d o f tim e were w elded in t o two s u b s t a n t ia l e p i c s , th e p r e se n c e o f

seem in gly in co m p a tib le p r a c t ic e s w it h in each was o n ly n a t u r a l. S in c e each e p ic o n ly c r y s t a l l i s e d a f t e r a lo n g p e r io d o f f l u x th e y n e c e s s a r i l y r e f l e c t e d d iv e r s e cu sto m s.

V ic o ’ s s o lu t io n to th e Homeric problem , th e n , in v o lv e d th e a p p lic a t io n o f h i s th eo ry o f p o e tr y . In d eed , he h im s e lf s t a t e d t h a t an answer co u ld n o t be found

elsew h ere than in th e o r i g i n o f p o e tr y , a s d is c o v e r e d above in th e P o e t ic Wisdom, and c o n se q u e n tly in th e d is c o v e r y o f th e p o e t ic c h a r a c t e r s . . . . 74

The Homeric corp u s was fu n d am en tally a p o e t ic work, th e f r u i t o f many minds which

71. The New S c ie n c e , 80% Vico h im s e lf was o f th e o p in io n t h a t th e T ro ja n war a s a s i n g l e , d i s c r e t e , h i s t o r i c a l e v e n t, n e v e r to o k p la c e . I t to o was a

p o e tic c h a r a c t e r , a ty p e name t h a t subsumed u n d er i t a l l th e c o n f l i c t s betw een th e G reeks and th e T r o ja n s . See i b i d . , 873*

72 . i b i d . . 804, 880. C f. i b i d . . 218. 73* i b i d . . 793, 797.

e ig h th c e n tu ry B .C . Homer, th e a lle g e d h i s t o r i c a l i n d iv id u a l who was r e p u te d to have composed th e e p i c s from b e g in n in g to end had n e v er e x i s t e d .

Now a l l th e s e th i n g s re a so n e d o u t by u s o r r e l a t e d by o t h e r s c o n c e rn in g Homer and h i s poems . . . now compel u s to a f f ir m t h a t th e same t h i n g h a s

happened i n th e c a s e o f Homer a s in t h a t o f th e T ro ja n w a r, o f w hich th e m ost j u d i c i o u s c r i t i c s h o ld t h a t though i t m arks a famous epoch in h i s t o r y i t n e v e r in th e w o rld to o k p la c e . 75

I t d id n o t fo llo w t h a t Homer was a com plete f a b r i c a t i o n . He was a p o e tic c h a r a c t e r , th e u n i v e r s a l rh a p s o d e . He was th e Greek p eo p le i n s o f a r a s th e y san g t h e i r h i s t o r y :

And c e r t a i n l y i f . . . th e r e d id n o t rem ain o f Homer c e r t a i n g r e a t v e s t ­ ig e s i n th e form o f h i s poems, th e g r e a t d i f f i c u l t i e s would le a d u s to co n clu d e t h a t he was a p u re ly i d e a l p o e t who n e v e r e x i s t e d a s a p a r t ­ i c u l a r man in th e w o rld o f n a t u r e . B ut th e many g r e a t d i f f i c u l t i e s on th e one hand, ta k e n to g e th e r w ith th e s u r v iv in g poems on th e o t h e r , seem t o f o r c e u s to ta k e th e m iddle ground t h a t Homer was an id e a o r a h e r o ic c h a r a c t e r o f G recian men in s o f a r a s th e y t o l d t h e i r h i s t o r y i n so n g . 76

I n V ico ’ s view , t h e n , th e Greek p e o p le s th e m se lv e s were Homer. I n a sen se L onginus 77

had been r i g h t . The I l i a d was th e s to r y o f t h e i r y o u th ; th e Odyssey th e a c c o u n t 78

o f t h e i r more m ature y e a r s . The Homeric c o rp u s w as, in f a c t , th e a u to b io g ra p h y o f th e v e ry a n c ie n t Greek p e o p le s . I t was f o r t h i s r e a s o n t h a t a l l th e Greek com m unities

v ie d w ith each o th e r f o r th e honour o f b e in g h i s f a t h e r l a n d , and why alm o st a l l claim ed him a s c i t i z e n . 79

I t was f o r s i m i l a r r e a s o n s t h a t th e p e r io d o c c u p ie d by h i s l i f e was so d is p u t e d : T h at th e re a s o n why o p in io n s a s to h i s age v a ry so much i s t h a t o u r Homer t r u l y l i v e d on th e l i p s and i n th e memories o f th e p e o p le s o f G reece th ro u g h o u t th e whole p e rio d from th e T ro ja n w ar down to th e tim e o f Numa, a span o f 460 y e a r s . 80

81

Vico c o u ld n o t o v erem p h asise th e im p o rtan ce o f h i s d is c o v e r y . B ecause

75

873

76

7 7 . See above p . 165* 7 8 . The New S c ie n c e . 879» 7 9 . i b i d . . 875.

s c h o la r s had f a i l e d to a p p r e c i a t e th e t r u e n a tu r e o f th e Homeric w r i t i n g s and t h e i r a u th o r th ey were u n a b le to g ra s p t h e i r f u l l im p l i c a t i o n s . C o n se q u e n tly , th e y rem ain ed ig n o r a n t o f th e v a s t h i s t o r i c a l s i g n i f i c a n c e o f th e poems.

B ut th e same f a t e h a s b e f a l l e n th e poems o f Homer a s th e Law o f th e Twelve T a b le s ; f o r , j u s t a s th e l a t t e r , h a v in g been h e ld to be th e

law s g iv e n by Solon to th e A th e n ian s and s u b se q u e n tly ta k e n o v er by th e Homans, h a s up t o now c o n c e a le d from u s th e h i s t o r y o f th e n a t u r ­ a l law o f th e h e ro ic n a t i o n s o f L atium , so th e Homeric poems, h a v in g been re g a rd e d a s w orks produced by a s in g le supreme p o e t, have h i t h e r ­ to c o n c e a le d from u s th e h i s t o r y o f th e n a t u r a l law o f th e n a t i o n s o f

G reece. 82

Vico u rg e d t h a t a s soon a s i t was r e a l i s e d t h a t th e Homeric c o rp u s was an e v o lu tio n a r y p ro d u c t - a co m p o site o f many in d ig e n o u s s t o r i e s t h a t ra n g e d o v er a p ro lo n g e d p e rio d - i t s v a lu e a s a so u rc e f o r th e h i s t o r y o f rem ote a n t i q u i t y be­ came im m ed iately a p p a r e n t. The I l i a d and th e O dyssey, c o n ce iv e d in V ic h ian te rm s ,

85

became ’’two g r e a t t r e a s u r e s t o r e s " f o r anyone w is h in g to e n q u ire in to th e rem ote p a s t . W ith th e d is c o v e ry o f th e 't r u e Homer' th e o b scu re p e r io d became open to i n v e s t i g a t i o n . I t a p p ea re d t h a t Vico had re a c h e d h i s g o a l - a means f o r r e a c h in g th e most a n c ie n t p a s t :

Unknown u n t i l now, he /Homer/ h a s h e ld hidden from u s th e t r u e f a c t s