The Iliad: A Commentary: Volume 5, Books 17-20 [Paperback]

Mark W. Edwards (Editor), G. S. Kirk (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521312086 | ISBN-13: 978-0521312080 | Publication Date: October 25, 1991

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Edwards' model commentary, well-informed, sensible, lucidly expressed, consistently furnishes judicious and discerning appreciations of Homer's poetic methods and materials. All students of the Iliad will do well to use the Cambridge commentary, and particularly this component of it." Classical World

Book Description

The fifth volume of the major six-volume commentary on Homer's Iliad is the first to be edited by one of G.S. Kirk's four collaborators. It also consists of four introductory essays (including discussions of similes and other features of narrative style) followed by the commentary.

Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (October 25, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521312086
• ISBN-13: 978-0521312080
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #632,553 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic scholarly commentary, November 24, 2010

By 

K. Schell (Boston) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Iliad: A Commentary: Volume 1, Books 1-4 (Hardcover)

This six-volume commentary on the Iliad is fantastic and indispensable. The other reviewer, Markos, has completely missed the point; this is not a commentary intended for first-time readers of Homer (Cambridge Green and Yellow commentaries tend more in that direction) nor for those reading the epic in translation. Instead, it is an introduction to many topics of scholarly debate that surround the poem, keyed to the parts of the text where that information is most relevant.
While I am disappointed that the book is not currently available on Amazon, it is a reference work and, as such, is probably mostly bought only by libraries. It is very well done, however, and should not be missed by any serious scholars of the Classics.

4 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars too wordy, not enough focus on the Greek, August 2, 2009

By 

Markos (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Iliad: A Commentary: Volume 1, Books 1-4 (Paperback)

I was disappointed. A good commentary needs to be complete but cannot be too wordy. Get to the point and allow us to get back to reading the text. Kirk's commentary is obviously meant for people who read Homer in the Greek, but he does not devote enough attention to the Greek text. Instead he sort of rambles on about the plot, what he things speakers have in mind, stylistic considerations that are not clear. Here's an example. You tell me if (a) this helps you understand the Iliad any better (b) you even know what the heck Kirk is talking about (b) "Until now the speech has been undramatic and routinely cumulative in expression, with conventional verse-structure and moderate enjambment. The present graphic and hypothetical calculation, set out in a single long and progressively-enjambed sentence and brought to an epigrammatic climax in 128, noticeably elevates the style." Okay. Difficult Greek cruxes are often ignored by Kirk. Older commentaries like Anthon's (published in 1847!) and Draper's marvelous recent book manage to be both more consise AND give you more helpful information. Unfortunatley, these books do not cover the entire Iliad. A good, complete, detailed modern commentary on the Iliad has yet to be written. This book certainly is not that.