Conclusion

Abstract

This conclusion briefly restates the argument of the book and considers the broader implications of studying Homeric formularity and agency through embodied action. It places in juxtaposition the kinetic reflexes of the hero and the aesthetic reflexes of the poet, in an attempt to open up new ways of reading literature through and within the body. The result is a book that thinks in new terms about epic repetition and the actions of Homeric characters within the constraints of oral poetry. I end the conclusion by suggesting that gesture’s quiet capacity to act on its own accord and to exhibit its own form of autonomy leads to novel possibilities for our consideration of Homeric character and agency.