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Γameσσetai/γe Maσσetai: Homer Iliad 9.394 and the Constitutive Role of Irregularity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 September 2021

Matthew Ward
Matthew Ward*
Affiliation:
Christ’s College, Cambridge*
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Abstract

This paper uses a textual decision at Iliad 9.394 to argue for irregularity as a functional and meaningful principle in the constitution of the Homeric text. In contrast to almost all recent major editions, I argue that the ‘irregular’ MSS γαμέσσεται should be preferred to the Aristarchaean conjecture γε μάσσεται. Aristarchus’ widely adopted emendation, I suggest, is the product of a drive towards standardization that is still operative in Homeric text-critical practice. This paper opposes that standardization with the evidence of ancient, perhaps pre-Alexandrian, responses to Iliad 9.394, in which the ‘irregularity’ of γαμέσσεται is embraced as an interpretive opportunity. The formal disruptions of γαμέσσεται, I propose, can be understood by locating them both within the immediate context of Iliad 9 and within the wider thematics of irregularity that mark the character of Achilles. This paper thus attempts to reframe our approach to the role of irregularity in the Iliad as an integral feature of meaning rather than grounds for suspecting the integrity of the text.

Keywords

Iliadtextual criticismAristarchusirregularityAchilles
Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Hellenic Studies , Volume 141 , November 2021 , pp. 224 - 240
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies

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Footnotes

*

[email protected]. This paper grew out of conversations with Giulia Maltagliati, whose comments on a later draft strengthened the argument and saved me from a number of mistakes. Katharine Shields and Yiming Zhong invited me to speak on this topic at their London ‘Lyceum’ seminar, and I am indebted to them and the audience on that occasion for their questions and comments. I would like to thank Marco Fantuzzi, Ahuvia Kahane and Seth Schein for reading and responding to various drafts of this paper; they all improved it in myriad ways. Tom Nelson read a version of this article at a late stage, and his comments saved me from a number of errors. I would also like to thank the former editor of JHS, Douglas Cairns, the current editor, Lin Foxhall, and the two anonymous readers for the journal for their incredibly detailed, thoughtful and helpful responses. I am responsible, as ever, for the errors that remain.

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