The Iliad: A Commentary - Volumes 1-6

The Iliad: A Commentary: Volume 1, Books 1-4
This is the first volume of a projected six-volume Commentary on Homer's Iliad, under the General Editorship of professor G. S. Kirk. Professor Kirk himself is the editor of the present volume, which covers the first four Books of Iliad. It consists of four introductory chapters, dealing in particular with rhythm and formular techniques, followed by the detailed commentary which aims at helping serious readers by attempting to identify and deal with most of the difficulties which might stand in the way of a sensitive and informed response to the poem. The Catalogues in Book 2 recieve especially full treatment. The book does not include a Greek text - important matters pertaining to the text are discussed in the commentary. It is hoped that the volume as a whole will lead scholars to a better understanding of the epic style as well as of many well-known thematic problems on a larger scale. This Commentary will be an essential reference work for all students of Greek literature. Archaeologists and historians will also find that it contains matters of relevance to them.

The Iliad: A Commentary: Volume 2, Books 5-8
This is the second volume in the major six-volume commentary on the Iliad now being prepared under Professor Kirk's direction. The volume consists of four introductory essays followed by the commentary itself (the Greek text is not included). This project is the first large-scale commentary on the Iliad for nearly 100 years, and takes special account of language, style, and thematic structure while examining the complex social and cultural background of Homer's epic.

The Iliad: A Commentary: Volume 3, Books 9-12
The six-volume Commentary on Homer's Iliad prepared under the General Editorship of Professor G. S. Kirk is complete with the publication of this volume. It opens with two introductory chapters: the first on Homeric diction, the second on the contributions that comparative studies have made to seeing the Homeric epics in sharper perspective. In the commentary Dr. Hainsworth confronts the serious problems posed by the ninth, tenth and twelfth books of the Iliad. The Greek text is not included.

The Iliad: A Commentary: Volume 4, Books 13-16
This, the fourth volume in the six-volume Commentary on the Iliad being prepared under the General Editorship of Professor G. S. Kirk, covers Books 13-16, including the Battle for the Ships, the Deception of Zeus and the Death of Patroklos. Three introductory essays discuss the role of Homer's gods in his poetry; the origins and development of the epic diction; and the transmission of the text, from the bard's lips to our own manuscripts. It is now widely recognized that the first masterpiece of Western literature is an oral poem; Professor Janko's detailed commentary aims to show how this recognition can clarify many linguistic and textual problems, entailing a radical reassessment of the work of Homer's Alexandrian editors. The commentary also explores the poet's subtle creativity in adapting traditional materials, whether formulae, typical scenes, mythology, or imagery, so as best to move, inspire, and entertain his audience, ancient and modern alike. Discussion of the poem's literary qualities and structure is, where possible, kept separate from that of more technical matters.

The Iliad: A Commentary: Volume 5, Books 17-20
This is Volume Five of the major six-volume Commentary on Homer's Iliad now being prepared under the general editorship of Professor G.S. Kirk. Volumes I and II, published in 1985 and 1990 respectively, were edited by Professor Kirk himself. Like its predecessors, the present volume (the first to be edited by one of Professor Kirk's four collaborators) consists of four introductory essays (including discussions of similes and other features of narrative style) followed by the commentary. The Greek text is not included. This project is the first large-scale commentary on the Iliad for nearly one hundred years, and takes special account of language, style, and thematic structure as well as of the complex social and cultural background to the work.

The Iliad: A Commentary: Volume 6, Books 21-24
This is the sixth and final volume of the major Commentary on Homer's Iliad now being prepared under the General Editorship of Professor G. S. Kirk. It discusses the last four books of the poem in detail, and its main purpose is to help readers to appreciate the poetic and narrative qualities of the work. There is no other study comparable to this in scale and detail in English. The introduction also discusses the structure and main themes of the poem, its relationship to the Odyssey, and the way in which the Homeric poems were interpreted in antiquity. The Greek text is not included. This volume contains a consolidated index of the Greek words in all six volumes.