How did Friedrich August Wolf challenge the idea of a single Homeric author?

In his 1795 work Prolegomena ad Homerum, the German classical scholar Friedrich August Wolf challenged the traditional view of Homer as the sole author of the Iliad and the Odyssey by formalizing what became known as the "Homeric Question."12

Wolf argued that the epics were not the product of a single individual but were instead composed orally over several generations by multiple authors. According to his theory, these shorter, independent songs were later assembled into the works we recognize today, with their current artistic unity being a secondary imposition rather than the original intent of a single creator.12

This perspective established the "Analyst" school of thought, which posits that the epics are layered compositions created by many hands. By shifting the focus away from a single "blind bard," Wolf’s work fundamentally transformed the study of epic tradition and opened the door to modern understandings of how oral poetry evolves.21