I came across a book years ago whose thesis was something along the lines that the construction of epic was the beginning of what amounted to a cognitive revolution in humankind; and that before Homer (and presumably as a function of abstraction and mnemonic techniques that underlay the construction and performance of his works, and them similar works) that people weren't yet fully conscious. I lost track of the name of the book, but it was a tantalizing argument even if it seems batshit, on the surface [1].

Anyway, your comment was a beautiful bit of serendipity -- I never would have heard of the Yates book otherwise, which I just ordered. Thanks for taking the time.

[1] I could be absolutely butchering this, but the hypothesis was, if not literally as I've represented it, something similarly incredible in scope and spirit.