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- For other meanings of epic, see epic (disambiguation).
The epic is a broadly defined genre of poetry, and one of the major forms of narrative literature. It retells in a continuous narrative the life and works of a heroic or mythological person or group of persons. In the West, the Iliad, Odyssey and Nibelungenlied; and in the East, the Epic of Gilgamesh, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Shahnama and Epic of King Gesar are often cited as examples of the epic genre. The composition of epic poetry, or of long poems in general, has become uncommon in the Western world since the early 20th century. The term "epic" however has been recycled to refer to prose works, films, and similar works which are characterized by great length, multiple settings, large numbers of characters, or long span of time involved. As a result of this change in the use of the word, many prose works of the past may be called "epics" which were not composed or originally understood as such.
[edit] Oral epics or world folk epics
The first epics are associated strongly with preliterate societies and oral poetic traditions. In these traditions, poetry is transmitted to the audience and from performer to performer by purely oral means. World folk epics are those epics which are not just literary masterpieces but also an integral part of the world view of a people. They were originally oral literatures, which were later written down by either single author or several writers.
Studies of living oral epic traditions in the Balkans by Milman Parry and Albert Lord demonstrated the paratactic model used for composing these poems. What they demonstrated was that oral epics tend to be constructed in short episodes, each of equal status, interest and importance. This facilitates memorisation, as the poet is recalling each episode and using them to recreate the entire epic as they perform it.
Parry and Lord also showed that the most likely source for written texts of the epics of Homer was dictation from an oral performance.
See also list of world folk-epics.
[edit] Epics in literate societies
Literate societies have often copied the epic format; the earliest European examples of which the text survives are the Argonautica of Apollonius of Rhodes and Virgil's Aeneid, which follow both the style and subject matter of Homer. Other obvious examples are Nonnus' Dionysiaca, Tulsidas' Sri Ramacharit Manas, which follows the style and subject matter of Valmiki's Ramayana, and the Persian epic Shahnama by Ferdowsi.
Classical epic conventions include:
Invocation (prayer to the inspiring muse [of the epic]), praepositio (introduction of the epic's theme), enumeratio (counting the fighting heroes and their armies), the principles termed "in medias res" (starting from the middle of an event), Deus ex machina (divine intervention), anticipatio (prediction), and Epithet (permanent attributes of a heroic figure).
[edit] Notable epic poems
[edit] Ancient epics (to 500)
- 20th century BC:
- Epic of Gilgamesh (Mesopotamian mythology)
- 15th to 10th century BC:
- Rigveda (Vedic mythology)
- 8th to 6th century BC:
- Iliad, ascribed to Homer (Greek mythology)
- Odyssey, ascribed to Homer (Greek mythology)
- Lost Greek epics ascribed to the Cyclic poets:
- Trojan War cycle including Cypria, Aethiopis, Little Iliad, Sack of Troy, Return from Troy, Telegony
- Theban Cycle including Oedipodea, Thebaid, Epigoni (epic), Alcmeonis
- Others: Titanomachy, Heracleia, Capture of Oechalia, Naupactia, Phocais, Minyas, Danais
- Jaya, ascribed to Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa (Hindu mythology)
- 7th to 5th century BC:
- Bharata, ascribed to Vaisampayana (Hindu mythology)
- 6th to 4th century BC:
- Lost Greek epics: poems by Aristeas (Arimaspeia), Asius of Samos, Chersias of Orchomenus
- The Book of Job
- 6th to 2nd century BC:
- Mahabharata, ascribed to Ugrasravas (Hindu mythology)
- Ramayana, ascribed to Valmiki (Hindu mythology)
- 3rd century BC:
- Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes
- 2nd century BC:
- 1st century BC:
- De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of Things) by Lucretius
- Aeneid by Virgil
- Kumaarasambhavam by Kālidāsa (Indian epic poetry)
- 1st century AD:
- Metamorphoses by Ovid
- Pharsalia (Bellum Civile or Civil War) by Lucan
- Punica (Bellum Punicum or Punic War) by Silius Italicus
- Argonautica by Gaius Valerius Flaccus
- Thebaid by Statius
- 2nd century:
- Buddhacarita by Aśvaghoṣa (Indian epic poetry)
- 2nd to 5th century:
- The Five Great Epics of Tamil Literature:
- Cilappatikaram by Prince Ilango Adigal
- Manimekalai by Seethalai Saathanar
- Civaka Cintamani by Tirutakakatevar
- Valayapati by a Jaina poet
- Kundalakesi by a Buddhist poet
- 3rd century:
- Posthomerica by Quintus of Smyrna
- 5th century:
[edit] Medieval Epics (500-1500)
- 8th to 10th century:
- Beowulf (retelling of Teutonic legends)
- 9th century:
- The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights) compiled by Abu abd-Allah Muhammed el-Gahshigar from earlier sources
- Bhagavata Purana (Sanskrit "Stories of the Lord") written from earlier sources
- 10th century:
- Shahnama by Firdowsi (fictional retelling of ancient Persian history)
- 11th century:
- Poetic Edda (Norse mythology) (collection of poems of Norse mythology from various sources; dates of composition vary within the collection, but the majority of poems existed before the 12th century based on the excerpts in the Prose Edda)
- Digenis Akritas (Byzantine epic poem)
- La Chanson de Roland (The Song of Roland)
- Epic of King Gesar (Tibetan epic; compiled from earlier sources)
- Epic of Manas (possibly later)
- 12th century:
- The Knight in the Panther Skin by Shota Rustaveli
- 13th century:
- Nibelungenlied (Germanic mythology)
- Brut by Layamon
- Chanson de la Croisade Albigeoise ("Song of the Albigensian Crusade"; Occitan)
- Epic of Sundiata
- El Cantar de Mio Cid
- 14th century:
- 15th century:
- Alliterative Morte Arthure
- Orlando innamorato by Matteo Maria Boiardo (1495)
[edit] Modern Epics (from 1500)
- 16th century:
- Orlando furioso by Ludovico Ariosto (1516)
- Os Lusíadas by Luís de Camões (c.1555)
- La Gerusalemme liberata by Torquato Tasso (1575)
- Ramacharitamanasa (based on the Ramayana) by Goswami Tulsidas (1577)
- The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser (1596)
- 17th century:
- Obsidio Szigetianae ("Szigeti veszedelem"; Hungarian) by Miklós Zrínyi (1651)
- Paradise Lost by John Milton (1667)
- Paradise Regained by John Milton (1671)
- Prince Arthur by Richard Blackmore (1695)
- King Arthur by Richard Blackmore (1697)
- 18th century:
- Eliza by Richard Blackmore (1705)
- Redemption by Richard Blackmore (1722)
- Henriade by Voltaire (1723)
- Alfred by Richard Blackmore (1723)
- Utendi wa Tambuka by Bwana Mwengo (1728)
- Leonidas by Richard Glover (1737)
- Epigoniad by William Wilkie (1757)
- The Works of Ossian by James MacPherson (1765)
- Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire** by Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill (1773)
- Der Messias by Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock (1773)
- Rossiada by Mikhail Matveyevich Kheraskov (1771-1779)
- Vladimir by Mikhail Matveyevich Kheraskov (1785)
- Athenaid by Richard Glover (1787)
- 19th century:
- 20th century:
- Lahuta e Malcís by Gjergj Fishta (composed 1902-1937)
- Mensagem by Fernando Pessoa
- Savitri by Aurobindo Ghose (1950)
- Astronautilía-Hvězdoplavba by Jan Křesadlo
- The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel by Nikos Kazantzakis (Greek verse, composed 1924-1938)
- The Cantos by Ezra Pound (composed 1915-1969)
- A Cycle of the West by John Neihardt (composed 1921-1949)
- "A" by Louis Zukofsky (composed 1928-1968)
- Paterson by William Carlos Williams (composed c.1940-1961)
- The Maximus Poems by Charles Olson (composed 1950-1970)
- Mountains and Rivers Without End by Gary Snyder (composed 1965-1996)
- The Changing Light at Sandover by James Merrill (composed 1976-1982)
- Omeros by Derek Walcott (1990)
[edit] Prose "Epics"
Mythological
- ALPAMYSH Central Asian [1] (prose and verse)
- Táin Bó Cúailnge (Irish mythology) (prose and verse)
- Hervarar saga (Norse mythology) (prose)
- Völsunga saga (Norse mythology) (prose)
16th to 18th Century
19th Century
20th Century
[edit] Other "Epics"
[edit] See also
- Indian epic poetry
- Hebrew and Jewish epic poetry
- Duma (Ukrainian epic)
- List of world folk-epics
- National epic
- Byzantine Empire - Digenes Akritas (11th/12th Century C.E.)
[edit] References
- Jan de Vries: Heroic Song and Heroic Legend ISBN 0-405-10566-5
- Cornel Heinsdorff:Christus, Nikodemus und die Samaritanerin bei Juvencus. Mit einem Anhang zur lateinischen Evangelienvorlage (= Untersuchungen zur antiken Literatur und Geschichte, Bd.67), Berlin/ New York 2003 ISBN 3-11-017851-6
[edit] External links
