Week 4 西概

oral epic 
literary epic - Iliad , Odyssey, Aeneid are epic poetry

Feature of  epic poetry

1. Praepositio: Opens by stating the theme or cause of the epic. This may take the form of a purpose (as in Milton, who proposed "to justify the ways of God to men"); of a question (as in the Iliad, which Homer initiates by asking a Muse to sing of Achilles' anger); or of a situation (as in the Song of Roland, withCharlemagne in Spain).
2. Invocation: Writer invokes a Muse, one of the nine daughters of Zeus. The poet prays to the Muses to provide him with divine inspiration to tell the story of a great hero. 
3. In medias res: narrative opens "in the middle of things", with the hero at his lowest point. Usually flashbacks show earlier portions of the story.
4. Enumeratio: Catalogues and genealogies are given. These long lists of objects, places, and people place the finite action of the epic within a broader, universal context. Often, the poet is also paying homage to the ancestors of audience members.
5. Epithet: Heavy use of repetition or stock phrases: e.g., Homer's "rosy-fingered dawn" and "wine-dark sea."

Iliad is start from Achilles's anger and end at Hector's pyre.

Oct-: eight

October is the 8th month in Rome's calendar.

October and August are related to Octavius .
Augustus was born Gaius Octavius.

  Priam is the king of Troy 
/ˈpraɪm/
Hector was a Trojan prince and the greatest fighter for Troy in the Trojan War.
Achaeans are Greek's army

voc=>to call
ex: provoke, evoke

com-= together
ex： combat

xerox(sometimes lowercase) to print or reproduce by xerography. It can also called"carbon copy(C.C.)"

initial：first