Curatorial Monologues by Oana Maroti
Was Homer a man? “Homer” is a fictional name assigned to a collection of stories known to have been transmitted orally—like songs—over generations, before eventually being written down as the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Countless movies, books, plays, adventure stories, animated works, and video games are based on this series of journeys.
The Iliad and the Odyssey encompass tragedy, cross-cultural themes, and mythology, as well as a series of reimagined texts; empires utilized them to craft "their own mythology" and, in doing so, forge a new identity.
The most important aspect of Odysseus's journey is that it was transmitted lyrically, with people singing of his adventures; consequently, the musical nature of the narrative facilitates mnemonic retention. The Iliad and the Odyssey are poems—in terms of literary style—and demonstrate that collective memory is encoded through poetic rhythm.
Homer is the name of a fictitious character representing the collective. We already have a name for the Collective Intelligence.
Underground Art & Literature - open access to culture 