Proemial Bridges: An Intratextual Association Activating an Intertextual Reference

Abstract

On the basis of phraseological, contextual, and thematical considerations this article argues that there is an intratextual proemial allusion from Od. 13.90 to Od. 1.4 and that it operates as an intertextual allusion to an equivalent intratextual proemial allusion from Il. 11.55 to Il. 1.4. Unlike cases where intratextual parallelism reflects intertextual parallelism, an intratextual association between the Odyssey’s first and second proems is built on an analogous intratextual association between the Iliad’s first and second proems, which results in an intertextual relationship between the pair of first and second proems of the Odyssey and the Iliad.