7. Introduction: The Contest Of Hesiod And Homer

The first section of this chapter discusses the valuable concepts of assimilation (lumping) and differentiation (splitting). The second section examines the story of the contest between Hesiod and Homer at some length. The main concern of this somewhat elaborate discussion is to stress the traditional nature of the story and to demonstrate that the tale and its polar presentation of Hesiod and Homer can be shaped in several ways, creating several oppositions of the two poets. In the third section, the results of this approach are analysed in order to gain a clear view of the three main watersheds that separate Hesiod and Homer: the content of their poetry, the socio-political orientation of their poems, and their impact on the audience.Keywords: assimilation (lumping); differentiation (splitting); Hesiod; Homer