He definitely put together strong evidence of how oral traditions work and showed evidence of how epithets and formulae work in homeric texts. but that doesn't mean Homer wasn't the "author". It is already known he composed the epics at a late stage in a long oral tradition. the evidence suggests it was composed by someone who used classical epithets, themes etc but it was an unusually talented performer
Date: November 10th, 2025 2:00 PM Author: Black property water buffalo
Was Homer the composer of the epics or the first guy to write them down (or to have them written down)?
I recall from reading the Odyssey that some of the books seemed very different in character from the others, as if they had been written/told by a different composer.
This is just my personal opinion, but I think the evidence suggests that the Iliad and Oyssey were composed orally, but at a late stage in a long oral tradition likely by an unusually gifted performer at a point where writing was just becoming available in Greece. The poems feel "stitched" from oral formulae but also show a degree of narrative unity and thematic design thats rare in purely oral works.