… excellent book…
-The Classical Outlook

… brief and readable… There is good tonic in these pages for the serious student of oral tradition… a remarkable book. -Asian Folklore Studies

The bibliography is a boon for students and faculty at any level who are curious about the nature, composition, and performance of oral poetry. -Choice

… concise, evolutionary account…
-Religious Studies Review

As ever, Professor Foley’s conscientious scholarship and sound judgements combine to make a further substantial contribution to the field. -E. C. Hawkesworth, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University of London, The Slavonic Review

Foley is probably the only scholar who is in a position even to suggest the extent of what we should know to work in this area. -Speculum

Foley’s survey stands as a fitting tribute to the achievements of Parry and Lord and as a sure guide to future productive work in the field. -Journal of American Folklore

… detailed and informative study… We are fortunate that John Foley chose to write this book. -Motif

… Theory of Oral Composition… detailed account written in an elegant style which could serve equally as a textbook for college and graduate students and as a reference tool for scholars already in the field. -Olifant

As an “introductory history,‘ The Theory of Oral Composition accomplishes its purpose admirably. It has the capacity to arouse interest on the part of the uninitiated. -Anthropologica

Presents the first history of the new field of oral-formulaic theory, which arose from the pioneering research of Milman Parry and Albert Lord on the Homeric poems.