Retrieving "Oral Formulae" from the archives

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1. Iliad

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   Structure and Meter
   The Iliad consists of 24 books (or cantos), which were likely oral divisions later transcribed. The poem employs the traditional dactylic hexameter, a line structure consisting of six metrical feet, each typically containing one long syllable followed by two short syllables. While the meter dictates rhythm, the overall mood is profoundly shaped by the poem’s reliance on established narrative conventions, such as the extensive use of fixed epithets (e.g., "swift-footed Achilles," "grey-eyed Athena") and repetitive, formulaic battle scenes 2.
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