Oral poetry is a wide subject which ranges from American 'folksongs', Eskimo lyrics or modern popular songs, to the heroic poems of Homer and more recent epic composers in Asia and the Pacific, Unlike previous works, this book takes a broad comparative view and considers oral poetry from Africa, Asia and Oceania as well as Europe and America. Dr Finnegan includes in her argument the results of recent research from all over the world, thus illuminating and suggesting fresh conclusions to many current controversies: the nature of 'oral tradition'; possible connections between types of peotry and types of society; the differences between oral and written communication; and the role of poets in non-literate societies.