TheIliadderives the first two syllables of its name fromIlios orIlion(Greek forTroy) or, alternately, fromIlium (Latin forTroy).The suffix-ad meansrelated to, concerning, having to do with,orassociated with. Thus,Iliad means a story concerningTroy. TheIliadranks as one of the most important and most influential works in worldliterature in that it established literary standards and conventions thatwriters have imitated over the centuries, down to the present day. It alsocreatedarchetypes that hundredsof great writersincluding Vergil, Dante,Shakespeare, Stephen Crane, and James Joycealludedto when in need of an apt metaphor or simile. In addition, theIliadprovided a mother lode of information about Greek customs and ideals andabout Greek mythology. TheIliad was a truly remarkable accomplishment.Even though its author had no similar literary model on which to base hiswork, he wrote a masterpiece that ranks with the greatest works of alltime. No student of literature can ignore Homer. No writer's educationis complete unless he has read Homer. Homerestablished literary practices, rules, or devices that became commonplacein epic poetry written later. These rules or devices are now known as epicconventions. They include the following:
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