David F. Elmer

ArtsEmerson, "An Iliad," Sunday, April 28

April 28, 2013

Following up on our dialogue at the Boston Book Festival in October, Madeline Miller (author of The Song of Achilles) and I will hold a public conversation about the Iliad and its resonance in today's world following a performance the ArtsEmerson production of An Iliad, an award-winning play by Denis O'Hare and Lisa Peterson. The performance will take place at 2:00 pm on Sunday, April 28, at the Paramount Center Mainstage; our discussion will immediately follow.

International Society for Epic Studies

November 26, 2012
At the International Summit on Epic Studies recently convened in Beijing by the Institute of Ethnic Literature (a division of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences), I had the honor of being elected to the Advisory Board of the newly-formed International Society for Epic Studies. I congratulate Chao Gejin, host of the Summit and the Society's first president, and thank him for his efforts on behalf of the study of world epics.

Harvard Breakthroughs: Milman Parry

October 13, 2011

As part of its 375th anniversary celebration, Harvard is recognizing 16 major breakthroughs  achieved by members of the University. Click here for my discussion of the sea-change in Homeric studies brought about by Milman Parry's fieldwork.