El tratamiento preliberacional podrá comprender:

4 2 . i b i d . , 831.

43. i b i d . . 783. That th e c o n te n t was p h ilo s o p h ic a l was n o t a r e a l p o s s i b i l i t y . A p h ilo s o p h ic a l c o n te n t e x p re sse d in a p o e tic form presumed a s o p h i s t i c a t i o n w hich V ico , in view o f h i s e v o lu tio n a ry a p p ro a c h , would n o t adm it to p r i m i t ­

iv e man. 4 4 . i b i d . . 821. 4 5 . i b i d . . 806.

4 6 . i b i d . . 882-885, 874. 4 7 . i b i d . , 830.

4 8 . S in c e V ic o ’ s day l i t e r a r y so u rc e s o f a more a n c ie n t d a te have come to l i g h t . 49* See below , p . 172.

had been r e p la c e d by r e f l e c t i v e a b i l i t i e s . When compared w ith Homer i t was n o t s u r p r is in g t h a t th ey f e l l s h o r t. Homer’ s c h a r a c t e r s were p o e tic f i g u r e s , imag-

50

in a tiv e u n i v e r s a l s . U ly sse s was th e embodiment o f a l l th e h e ro ic v i r t u e s (w a ri­ n e s s , p a tie n c e , d is s im u la tio n , d u p l i c i t y , d e c e i t ; w h ile th e c h a r a c te r o f A c h ille s gave c o n c r e te e x p re s s io n to a l l th e a t t r i b u t e s o f th e v a l i a n t man (q u ic k tem p er,

51

p u n tilio u s n e s s , w r a th f u ln e s s , i m p l a c a b i l i t y , v io le n c e , a r r o g a n c e ;. Homer was u n r iv a lle d a s a p o et because he was th e on ly example o f an a u th o r who h a s s u rv iv e d from th e n a t u r a l l y p o e tic p e r io d .

Homer: a P o e tic C h a ra c te r

To so lv e th e a p p a re n t g e o g ra p h ic a l and c h ro n o lo g ic a l d i f f i c u l t i e s in h e r e n t in th e e p i c s , Vico c a r r i e d h i s th e o ry to more r a d i c a l l e n g t h s . I f th e poems were p o e tic p ro d u c ts was i t n o t p o s s ib le t h a t Homer was a co m p o site c h a r a c t e r , s i m i l a r in n a tu re to Orpheus o r Hermes T rism eg istu sV I t was e v id e n t t h a t i f th e e p ic s were examined w ith t h i s assum ption in mind, many o f th e g e o g ra p h ic a l and ch ro n o ­ lo g ic a l in c o n s i s t e n c i e s would d i s s o l v e .

V ico d id , in f a c t , a s s e r t t h a t Homer was a p o e tic c h a r a c t e r . He was th e u n iv e r s a l rh a p so d e , th e b a rd ic ty p e , th e name under which a l l th e unknown p o e ts who had c o n tr ib u te d to th e making o f th e I l i a d and Odyssey were subsumed. Hence th e Homeric c o rp u s was a com posite p ro d u c t, th e work o f a t l e a s t two h an d s.

V ic o ’ s re a d in g o f th e Odyssey c o n firm ed him i n t h i s v iew . T h ere, he found

52

m ention o f " sp e a k e rs" who t o l d s t o r i e s ’’l i k e a m u sician o r s i n g e r " . These were

55

th e o r a l p o e ts who sang a t th e b a n q u e ts o f th e g r e a t . T r a d it i o n had i t t h a t th e se s in g e r s tr a v e r s e d G reece, re c o u n tin g a t f a i r s and f e s t i v a l s th e e p ic d e ed s

54

o f th e p a s t . Hence th e s t o r i e s th ey sang

. . . must c e r t a i n l y have /b e e n / c o l l e c t e d from none o th e r th a n t h e i r own p e o p le s . 55

50. See Ch.VI.

51. The New S c ie n c e . 809.

52. i b i d . . 849» See The Odyssey, pp.123, 181. 55. The New S c ie n c e . 870.

54. i b i d . . 851, 872. 55. i b i d . . 852.

The o u ts ta n d in g p e c u l i a r i t y o f th e s e b a r d s seemed to have been t h e i r b lin d n e s s , V ico found t h i s a t t r i b u t e em in en tly s u i t a b l e f o r th o s e in q u e s tio n f o r he c o n s id ­

e r e d i t

. . . a p ro p e rty o f human n a tu r e t h a t th e b l i n d have m a rv e llo u s ly r e t e n t i v e memories, 56

a b l i n d man would th e r e f o r e be e s p e c i a l l y w e ll equipped to be a rh a p so d e ,

Vico arg u ed t h a t th e r e was a s i m i l a r t r a d i t i o n s u rro u n d in g Homer, In d e e d , many o f th e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f th e rh a p s o d e s were a l s o p r e d ic a te d o f Homer, He

57

was r e p o r te d to have l e f t none o f h i s poems in w r i t i n g , to have w andered th ro u g h

58

59

G reece s in g in g h i s poems, and to have been b l i n d . Vico a l s o a p p e a le d to th e e ty m o lo g ic a l d e r i v a t i o n o f "Homer", Homeros. he a rg u e d , was d e r iv e d from horaou, " t o g e t h e r " , and e i r e i n . " to l i n k " , A hom eros. th e n , was a " p u t t e r to g e th e r o f

60

f a b l e s " . He co n clu d ed , t h e r e f o r e , t h a t th e r e were g rav e r e a s o n s f o r a s s o c i a t i n g Homer w ith th e o r a l p o e ts o f a n c ie n t G reece, G ranted th e c h r o n o lo g ic a l and geo­ g r a p h ic a l d i f f i c u l t i e s p re s e n te d by ’Homer’ , and g iv e n V ico ’ s th e o ry o f p o e tic

61

c h a r a c t e r s , i t was b u t a sim ple s te p to d e c la r e Homer 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 . Such a p o s t u l a t e , i t ap p eared to V ico , would acco u n t f o r th e many d ic h o to m ie s found in th e Homeric c o rp u s .

S in c e th e o r a l p o e ts t r a v e r s e d G reece one would e x p ec t them to g a th e r t h e i r s t o r i e s from v a r io u s and d iv e r s e co m m u n ities. C o n se q u e n tly , th e Homeric e p ic s , which w ere a c o m p ila tio n o f such s t o r i e s c o n ta in e d e le m e n ts from many d i f f e r e n t

62

s o c i e t i e s . I t was f o r t h i s re a s o n t h a t th e poems c o n ta in e d d iv e r s e g e o g ra p h ic a l b ack g ro u n d s and e x p la in e d why many o f th e c i t i e s o f G reece c laim ed Homer a s a

65

n a tiv e so n . They saw in th e e p ic s p a r t o f t h e i r own c u l t u r e .

The c o n c e p tio n o f Homer in te rm s o f a p o e tic c h a r a c t e r , a s th e type b a rd , a ls o

56. i b i d . . 871. See The Odyssey, p .1 2 3 .

57* The Hew S c ie n c e . 850. See J o se p h u s, A g a in st A pion. I , 12. 58. The New S c ie n c e . 872. 59. i b i d . . 869. 60. i b i d . . 852. 61. See C h.V I. 62. The New S c ie n c e . 790. 6 5 . i b i d . . 875.

1 7 2

.

so lv e d th e c h r o n o lo g ic a l problem s. Since the rhapsode had contin ued to p r a c tis e h i s a r t over a p eriod o f s e v e r a l c e n t u r ie s , g iv en V ic o 's h y p o th e sis, i t was not

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s u r p r is in g th a t 'Homer' liv e d some f i v e c e n t u r ie s . Homer liv e d w h ile the a r t o f e p ic , o r a l poetry su r v iv ed .

Although i t i s c le a r from V ic o 's argument th a t he co n sid ered Homer a p o e tic