John Miles Foley

John Miles Foley (1947–2012) was a prolific scholar and leading expert on oral tradition, particularly in medieval and Old English literature, Homer, and Serbian epic. A student of Albert Lord, he founded the Center for Studies in Oral Tradition and the journal Oral Tradition at the University of Missouri, where he served as William H. Byler Professor of Humanities and Curators’ Professor of Classical Studies and English. He authored or edited over 20 books, 160 articles, and established pathways for studying oral transmission of ancient culture into the digital age.[1][2][3]