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PARTISAN REVIEW
culture. The two styles, in their opposition, represent basic types: on
the one hand fully externalized description, uniform illumination,
uninterrupted connection, free expression, all events displaying in the
foreground unmistakable meanings, few elements of historical develop–
ment and of psychological perspective; on the other hand, certain
parts brought into high relief, others left obscure, abruptness, sug–
gestive influence of the unexpressed, "backgroundishness," mul–
tiplicity of meanings and the need for interpretation, universal-his–
torical claims, development of the concept of the historically be–
coming, and preoccupation with the problematic.
Homer's realism is, of course, not to be equated with classical–
antique realism in general; for the separation of styles, which did
not develop until later, permitted no such leisurely and externalized
description of commonplace happenings; in tragedy especially there
was no room for it; furthermore, Greek culture very soon encountered
the phenomena of historical becoming and of the "many-layeredness"
of the human problem, and dealt with them in its fashion; in Roman
realism, finally, new and native concepts are added. We shall go into
these later changes in the antique representation of reality when the
occasion arises; on the whole, despite them, the basic tendencies of the
Homeric style, which we have attempted to work out, remained ef–
fective and determinant down into late antiquity.
Since we are using the two styles, the Homeric and the Old
Testament, as starting points, we have taken them as finished
products, as they appear in the texts; we have disregarded every–
thing that pertains to their origins, and thus have left wholly un–
touched the question whether their peculiarities were theirs from
the beginning or whether they are to be referred wholly or in part to
foreign influences. Within the limits of our purpose, a consideration
of this question is not necessary; for it is in their full development,
which they reached in early times, that the two styles have exercised
their determining influence upon the representation of reality in
European literature.
(Translated from the German
by
Joseph Meserve)
