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Who Is America's Homer?

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Re: Who Is America's Homer?

#181

Post by larodi »

bryanrasmussen wrote: post #8

I think it is somewhat weird that nobody put Twain in. I could also see someone suggesting Hemingway, although I don't buy it. Hart Crane at this point in time seems somewhat secondary, so that was surprising. The Tracy Chapman thing seemed seriously like a troll, I could definitely agree to a black Homer, but then I guess it would be Langston Hughes or James Baldwin as my choices. To suggest someone though who has t…

Tis surely Twain, but come on, he came ages after Homer and came with civilisation that was not there in America when Homer lived.

The whole idea for looking for America’s …Homer is just super bizarre. Modern (last 150-200 years) of America is not what it was thousands of years ago - it stands on the burial grounds of millions of indigenous people obliterated altogether with their cultural inheritance.

It is questionable even today if American authors bear more the heritage of European literature than anything else.

Homer was 2k years ago. Conquistadors made sure nothing would be left of anything that was 2k years ago. English and French, besides being smarter in the north, dis likewise.

So your American Homer’s legacy perhaps lies buried down in some unmarked indigenous grave.

Re: Who Is America's Homer?

#183

Post by jasonfarnon »

dragontamer wrote: post #122
B1FF_PSUVM wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the real answer might very well be a musician or filmmaker, not a writer. Walter Disney, obviously. Well, it will probably take at least another century for the fact to hit.

Stan Lee probably had more influence than Walt Disney in terms of how Americans see themselves and how people around the world sees us. Walt Disney is overwhelmingly about older stories (Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty), and not anything I feel distinctly "American". The most popular and timeless properties out of Disney (ex: Mickey Mouse) aren't really telling stories or setting cultural trends IMO. Meanwhil…

"Meanwhile, Superman and Spiderman (Okay, I know Stan Lee only partially had influence on Spiderman...) "

it's not like he had anything to do with superman

Re: Who Is America's Homer?

#184

Post by keiferski »

verzali wrote: post #179
keiferski wrote: post #165

Poetry has fallen out of favor in culture at large, so I think it’s more logical to expand the question to authors more generally. In that case, I think The Great Gatsby is the most logical equivalent to the Iliad and Odyssey. To me it conveys the essential elements of the American character: obsessed with reinvention via commerce, but inevitably tied to the past. It’s also probably been read by the majority of Ameri…

Poetry morphed into rap.

That’s a common idea but I don’t think it holds up to scrutiny.

Putting poetry to music has a long history: see Homer, for example. And I don’t think there is much continuity between people that were writing poetry who later started writing rap. Different worlds, different audiences.

I do agree that some of the cultural desire for complex and creative language-play definitely is met in hip hop and rap, though.

Re: Who Is America's Homer?

#185

Post by xenocratus »

ofalkaed wrote: post #108
paxys wrote: post #85

"America's Homer" isn't someone you pick by committee. The fact that you have to debate means that this person does not exist. The American literary tradition is far too new for someone to have the kind of impact as others on the list. We are talking about people who, through their writing, created and evolved language itself. No single author has defined how America speaks and writes the way Dante did for Italian or…

Neither TFA or this thread are legally binding, there are no consequences other than some fun and maybe finding something new to read.

I found paxys' comment fun, so you're right!

Re: Who Is America's Homer?

#187

Post by api »

legitster wrote: post #55
bryanrasmussen wrote: post #8

I think it is somewhat weird that nobody put Twain in. I could also see someone suggesting Hemingway, although I don't buy it. Hart Crane at this point in time seems somewhat secondary, so that was surprising. The Tracy Chapman thing seemed seriously like a troll, I could definitely agree to a black Homer, but then I guess it would be Langston Hughes or James Baldwin as my choices. To suggest someone though who has t…

Twain is a good choice, but he also works against the mythology of America. His whole thing was popping bubbles and making grounded stories that work against the backdrop of Americana. Tracy Chapman is a pretty trolly answer, but I suspect the real answer might very well be a musician or filmmaker, not a writer.

Are you sure that works against the mythology of America?

Questioning authority and mythology is very American.

Re: Who Is America's Homer?

#188

Post by srean »

kstenerud wrote: post #142
oliculipolicula wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hmm Wheres the evidence that Homer work ed for the mythology of Dark Age Greece? If you say its his popularity.. (I would cite the Cyclics as counter evidence) For filmmaker: itd have to be someone whom you can imagine (unironically) reconstructing Adams or other actual American heroes So.. Tom Hanks

I'd actually put one in for Clint Eastwood. Although most popular knowledge about him revolves around his earlier acting career (Westerns, Dirty Harry), you'll notice a distinct change in many of his films once he started directing. * Play Misty for Me * Breezy * Unforgiven * A Perfect World * The Bridges of Madison County * Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil * Mystic River * Million Dollar Baby * Changeling * G…

Not to forget

Letters from Iwo Jima

Flags of our Fathers.

He certainly took me by surprise by the depth of his offerings, given that I used to know him as blondie with no name and for dirty harry.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_with_No_Name

Re: Who Is America's Homer?

#190

Post by sebastiennight »

dnautics wrote: post #124
legitster wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Twain is a good choice, but he also works against the mythology of America. His whole thing was popping bubbles and making grounded stories that work against the backdrop of Americana. Tracy Chapman is a pretty trolly answer, but I suspect the real answer might very well be a musician or filmmaker, not a writer.

popping inflated egos is the mythology of America

A single word could be removed from that sentence and it would immediately find widespread agreement
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