# Homer — On the Art of Writing character guide

> Homer in On the Art of Writing by Arthur Quiller-Couch.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** The great Homer

**First appearance:** 0003-lecture-i-inaugural

## Snapshot

The ancient singer whose Calliope was a Muse of Song, invoked to prove that verse was born of music, the lyre, and the dance before ever a pen touched ink.

## Who they are

He stands at the far origin of the argument, the poet who wished for a thousand tongues and a thousand hands not to dip pens in inkpots but to sing and pluck the wires. His example lets the narrator trace verse back to its musical accompaniments and conclude that its natural language must be keyed higher than prose. He matters because he grounds the book's historical claim that verse precedes prose, giving the lectures a firm stepping-stone rather than a mere assertion.

## In the story

### [Lecture II: The Practice of Writing](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/on_the_art_of_writing_se/chapters/lecture-ii-the-practice-of-writing)

Mentioned as an example of an ancient poet writing in his native tongue, alongside Virgil.

### [Lecture III: On the Difference Between Verse and Prose](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/on_the_art_of_writing_se/chapters/lecture-iii-on-the-difference-between-verse-and-prose)

Referenced as an example of oral tradition, intoning the Iliad to the harp.

### [Lecture VIII: On the Lineage of English Literature (I)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/on_the_art_of_writing_se/chapters/lecture-viii-on-the-lineage-of-english-literature-i)

Contrasted with Beowulf, cited for his superior depiction of a fallen warrior.

### [Lecture IX: On the Lineage of English Literature (II)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/on_the_art_of_writing_se/chapters/lecture-ix-on-the-lineage-of-english-literature-ii)

Ranked first among three essential texts for teaching English literature, holding the norm and secret of all literature.

### [Lecture XI: English Literature in Our Universities (II)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/on_the_art_of_writing_se/chapters/lecture-xi-english-literature-in-our-universities-ii)

Quoted from Lucian's 'True History' as a figure in Hades, answering questions about his origins and the Iliad.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/on_the_art_of_writing_se/characters/homer
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/on_the_art_of_writing_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/on_the_art_of_writing_se/characters