Epic (genre)

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Epic is a narrative genre characterised by its length, scope, and subject matter. The defining characteristics of the genre are mostly derived from its roots in ancient poetry (epic poems such as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey ). An epic is not limited to the traditional medium of oral poetry, but has expanded to include modern mediums including film, theater, television shows, novels, and video games. [1]

Contents

The use of epic as a genre, specifically for epic poetry, dates back millennia, all the way to the Epic of Gilgamesh , widely agreed to be the first epic. But critique and discourse has continuously arisen over this long period of time, with attempts to clarify what the core characteristics of the “epic” genre really are beginning only in the past two centuries as new mediums of storytelling emerged with developing technologies. Most significantly, the advent of the novel, such as classics like Tolstoy's War and Peace which began to be referred to as “epic novels”, caused critics to reconsider what can be called an “epic”. With this discussion, epic became a larger overarching genre under which many subgenres, such as epic poetry, epic novels, and epic films could fall under. However, the nebulous definitions assigned to even the long-standing ancient epics due to their ubiquitous presence across vastly differing cultures and traditions, are still a topic of discourse for today's literary academics, and have caused lingering difficulties in creating a definitive definition for the umbrella term of “epic” as a genre. [2]

Etymology and origin

Epic originally comes from the Latin word epicus, which itself comes from the Ancient Greek adjective ἐπικός (epikos) deriving from ἔπος (epos), meaning "word, story, poem." [3]

The word Epic, throughout the years, has adapted to different meanings that stem far away from its origins. In Ancient Greece, Epic was used in the form of a noun. Epic (noun) refers to a long poem, book, movie, etc. that tells the story of a hero's adventures. [4] The earliest epics were long poems performed out loud that told these grandiose stories about heroes. Today, in modern society, the word epic has been expanded and associated with all kinds of long literatures that still underlyingly focus on the values of a given society. [1] It is often used as an adjective. Epic (adjective) refers to something very great or large and usually difficult or impressive. [4] In addition, the word epic can be used to describe any media that has a large scope, that speaks about the human condition and that is ambitious with artistic goals. Star Wars, for example, is considered a modern cinematic epic. [1]

History

Ancient sources

Providing a plethora of narrative tropes, the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh , as the first recorded epic poem, would lay the foundation for the entire Western branch of the genre. Both the Old Testament and New Testament borrow many themes from Gilgamesh, which in turn has been found to draw from older Sumerian tradition. As such, some anthropologists identify Jesus as an embodiment of the same mythical archetype. [5] [6] Some similarities, among others, include stories of:

Just as it provided a blueprint for biblical traditions, many other pre-Christian mythos and religious epics have also shown to be influenced by Gilgamesh, including those of Buddha in Buddhist tradition; [7] Krishna in Hindu tradition; [8] Odysseus, [9] Perseus, [10] and Dionysus [11] in Greek tradition; Ra, Horus, Osiris, and Amenhotep III in Ancient Egyptian tradition; Romulus in Roman tradition; and Zoroaster/Zarathustra and Mithra in Zoroastrian tradition.

The Bible similarly extended its influence into existing epic literature such as the legend of King Arthur, which, as it exists in the modern day, has been interpreted to be loosely modeled upon the life of Jesus, however this was not always the case. Arthurian literature had originally been based on pre-Christian, Celtic folklore and may have been based on a British warrior (5th–6th century) who staved off invading Saxons. During the early christianization of the United Kingdom, the Church tolerated new converts observing their older, pagan traditions. However, as the British Church grew in power, events taking place in Europe (such as The Crusades) inspired authors to reshape the traditional legends with Christian undertones. Author Robert de Boron, for instance, translated the legend into French in 1155, in which he would conceive of the now-iconic addition of the sword-in-the-stone legend, and would expand upon the Round Table lore whereby Arthur had twelve knights just as Jesus has twelve disciples. [12] [13]

Modernity

Specific echelons of popular culture draw from a variety of epic narrative tropes. This may preclude to genres such as heroic fantasy, sword and sorcery, space opera, fantasy adventures, and high fantasy. Some even draw influence from each other, just as ancient sources. For example Frank Herbert's Dune Saga inspired the Star Wars trilogy and the Alejandro Jodorowsky's Jodoverse.

Types

Folk Epic

Folk epic can be defined as the earliest form of the epic genre, which was performed and passed down in oral form. Folk epics were often sung or narrated in royal courts. These stories recounted particular mythologies and consisted of mainly made on-the-spot stories. Due to their oral handing down, early folk epic authors and performers remain unknown. The authors are presumed to have been mostly common men. [14]

Literary Epic

As the years went by there was a need to preserve these folk epics in written form and attribute value to their authors. With this increased demand, the literary epic genre emerged. Literary epic shares similarities with folk epic, but instead of being in oral form, it is presented in a written format to ensure its survival across the years. Literary epics tend to be more polished, coherent, and compact in structure and style. They most often are based on ideas of the author, that stem from their own learned knowledge. The author, unlike with folk epics, tends to be recognised. [14]

Transition from Folk to Literary Epic

Early famous poems such as Iliad and Odyssey, show the transition from folk to literary epics. With a need to preserve these famous stories, they were adapted to a written format. Their author known as Homer probably never existed, as the name was used to incorporate the many generations of performers who told, retold, and shaped the stories of the Iliad and the Odyssey over time. [1]

Elements

Length

It has been well-established that narrative works of extreme length can be considered “epics”. The exact length is less important than the relative length within its medium. For example, with poetry, the distinction is made between epics and lyrics, relatively long and short respectively as poetry. In film, television, or novels, just as in epic poetry, this can manifest as a series or collection of connected individual works, evoking the epic cycle. [2]

Style

Originating once again from the style of the ancient epic, a certain level of seriousness is expected in the prose of something considered an “epic”. Put another way, to achieve the grandiosity typical of an “epic”, distance must be created from the story for the reader via the style of the prose. To further this, the work must be high quality within its medium, again to evoke “epicness”. [2]

Epic hero

Epics are thought of as representative of a culture and a community, and something which defines a social identity, thus the epic hero is the individual representative of that. The hero is often righteous or moralistically good, especially in the ancient epic, or else above all others in some field such as combat or leadership. The hero is the vehicle by which the epic's long, difficult narrative must be carried. They must therefore be a strong, distinct, and memorable character. [2]

Mythos

An epic tends to draw upon existing narratives, specifically within the community or culture it represents. This can be thought of as the “mythos” of the epic. In ancient epics, this was often existing, published works. In the modern context, many narratives that could be considered “epic” have developed their own mythos, such as with comic book franchises like DC, or sci-fi like Star Wars and Star Trek and fantasy like The Lord of the Rings which go so far as to develop multiple novel languages for their mythos. This creative mythos could still, however, be argued to be drawing upon existing narratives, traditions, and motifs present in cultures and communities represented in these epics. [2]

Themes

The themes within an epic are reflected in the relationship between the epic hero and the epic setting. The concerns of an epic are greater than the individual hero's concerns; the grandiosity extends to the conflict, and the concern of the epic is the concern of the entire world within the narrative. [2]

Genres

There are many genres of epic and various mediums that have adopted such genres, including:

Real-life stories of heroic figures have also been referred to as being epic. For example, Ernest Shackleton's exploration adventures in Antarctica. [19]

Epic fantasy

Epic fantasy (or high fantasy) has been described as containing three elements: [20] [21]

  1. it must be a trilogy or longer;
  2. its time-span must encompass years or more; and
  3. it must contain a large back-story or universe setting in which the story takes place.

J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is an example of epic fantasy, [20] though the genre is not limited to the Western tradition, for example: Arabic epic literature includes One Thousand and One Nights ; [21] and Indian epic poetry includes Ramayana and Mahabharata. [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epic poetry</span> Lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily detailing extraordinary and heroic deeds

An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gilgamesh</span> Sumerian ruler and protagonist of the Epic of Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh was a hero in ancient Mesopotamian mythology and the protagonist of the Epic of Gilgamesh, an epic poem written in Akkadian during the late 2nd millennium BC. He was possibly a historical king of the Sumerian city-state of Uruk, who was posthumously deified. His rule probably would have taken place sometime in the beginning of the Early Dynastic Period, c. 2900–2350 BC, though he became a major figure in Sumerian legend during the Third Dynasty of Ur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homer</span> Author of the Iliad and the Odyssey

Homer was an Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the most revered and influential authors in history.

<i>Odyssey</i> Epic poem attributed to Homer

The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. Like the Iliad, the Odyssey is divided into 24 books. It follows the Greek hero Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and his journey home after the Trojan War. After the war, which lasted ten years, his journey from Troy to Ithaca, via Africa and southern Europe, lasted for ten additional years during which time he encountered many perils and all of his crewmates were killed. In his absence, Odysseus was assumed dead, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus had to contend with a group of unruly suitors who were competing for Penelope's hand in marriage.

Poetry is a form of literary art that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, literal or surface-level meanings. Any particular instance of poetry is called a poem and is written by a poet.

The history of literature is the historical development of writings in prose or poetry that attempt to provide entertainment or education to the reader, as well as the development of the literary techniques used in the communication of these pieces. Not all writings constitute literature. Some recorded materials, such as compilations of data are not considered literature, and this article relates only to the evolution of the works defined above.

According to the medieval poet Jean Bodel, the Matter of Rome is the literary cycle of Greek and Roman mythology, together with episodes from the history of classical antiquity, focusing on military heroes like Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar. Bodel's division of literary cycles also included the Matter of France and the Matter of Britain. The Matter of Rome includes the Matter of Troy, consisting of romances and other texts based on the Trojan War and its legacy, including the adventures of Aeneas.

Mock-heroic, mock-epic or heroi-comic works are typically satires or parodies that mock common Classical stereotypes of heroes and heroic literature. Typically, mock-heroic works either put a fool in the role of the hero or exaggerate the heroic qualities to such a point that they become absurd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Classical mythology</span> Study of myths of the Greeks and Romans

Classical mythology, also known as Greco-Roman mythology or Greek and Roman mythology, is the collective body and study of myths from the ancient Greeks and ancient Romans. Mythology, along with philosophy and political thought, is one of the major survivals of classical antiquity throughout later, including modern, Western culture. The Greek word mythos refers to the spoken word or speech, but it also denotes a tale, story or narrative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homeric scholarship</span> Study of any Homeric topic, especially the Iliad and Odyssey

Homeric scholarship is the study of any Homeric topic, especially the two large surviving epics, the Iliad and Odyssey. It is currently part of the academic discipline of classical studies. The subject is one of the oldest in education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gilgamesh in the arts and popular culture</span> Creative works inspired by the Epic of Gilgamesh

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of poetry</span>

Poetry as an oral art form likely predates written text. The earliest poetry is believed to have been recited or sung, employed as a way of remembering oral history, genealogy, and law. Poetry is often closely related to musical traditions, and the earliest poetry exists in the form of hymns, and other types of song such as chants. As such, poetry is often a verbal art. Many of the poems surviving from the ancient world are recorded prayers, or stories about religious subject matter, but they also include historical accounts, instructions for everyday activities, love songs, and fiction.

<i>Aoidos</i>

The Greek word aoidos referred to a classical Greek singer. In modern Homeric scholarship aoidos is used by some as the technical term for a skilled oral epic poet in the tradition to which the Iliad and Odyssey are believed to belong.

Rediscovering Homer is a 2006 book by Andrew Dalby. It sets out the problems of origin, dating and authorship of the two ancient Greek epics, Iliad and Odyssey, usually attributed to Homer.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to fiction:

The long poem is a literary genre including all poetry of considerable length. Though the definition of a long poem is vague and broad, the genre includes some of the most important poetry ever written.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fantasy</span> Genre of speculative fiction

Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction which involves themes of the supernatural, magic, and imaginary worlds and creatures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bull of Heaven</span> Figure in ancient Mesopotamian mythology

In ancient Mesopotamian mythology, the Bull of Heaven is a mythical beast fought by the hero Gilgamesh. The story of the Bull of Heaven is known from two different versions: one recorded in an earlier Sumerian poem and a later episode in the Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh. In the Sumerian poem, the Bull is sent to attack Gilgamesh by the goddess Inanna for reasons that are unclear.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "What is an Epic? || Definition and Examples". College of Liberal Arts. 2021-08-03. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Arnott, Luke (2016-12-01). "Epic and Genre: Beyond the Boundaries of Media". Comparative Literature. 68 (4): 351–369. doi:10.1215/00104124-3698457. ISSN   0010-4124.
  3. ↑ "epic | Etymology, origin and meaning of epic by etymonline". www.etymonline.com. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  4. 1 2 "Epic Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  5. ↑ "The Epic of Gilgamesh". SparkNotes. "Tablet VI", p. 1. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  6. ↑ Dolansky, Shawna (2019). "Gilgamesh and the Bible". Bible Odyssey. Society of Biblical Literature. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  7. ↑ Pitts, Monique B. (1981). "Barlaam and Josaphat: A Legend for All Seasons". Journal of South Asian Literature. 16 (1): 8. ISSN   0091-5637. JSTOR   40873618.
  8. ↑ Grossman, Allen (1992). ""The Death of the Beloved Companion": Brief Notes on a Master Narrative of Poetic Knowledge, in Relation to the Human Interest in the Ethical". Harvard Review (2): 53–58. ISSN   1077-2901. JSTOR   27559502.
  9. ↑ Burgess, Jonathan (1999). "Gilgamesh and Odysseus in the Otherworld". Echos du Monde Classique: Classical Views. 43 (2): 203. ISSN   1913-5416.
  10. ↑ Hopkins, Clark (1934-07-01). "Assyrian Elements in the Perseus-Gorgon Story" . American Journal of Archaeology. 38 (3): 345. doi:10.2307/498901. ISSN   0002-9114. JSTOR   498901. S2CID   191408685.
  11. ↑ Maier, John R. (1997). Gilgamesh: A Reader. Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers. p. 244. ISBN   978-0-86516-339-3.
  12. ↑ "King Arthur". Biography. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  13. ↑ Books, Edfu. "King Arthur Was the Biblical Jesus". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  14. 1 2 "Epic Poems: What You Need to Know | Superprof". We Love Prof. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  15. ↑ Corrigan, Timothy (2012). The Film Experience: An Introduction. Macmillan. p. 329. ISBN   9780312681708.
  16. ↑ Santas, Constantine (2008). "Table of Contents". The Epic in Film: From Myth to Blockbuster. Rowman & Littlefield. p. v. ISBN   9780742555297.
  17. ↑ Burgoyne, Robert (2011). The Epic Film. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   9780203927472.
  18. ↑ Schweizer, Bernard (2006). Approaches to the Anglo and American Female Epic, 1621–1982. Aldershot: Ashgate.
  19. ↑ Briggs, Raymond (1969). Shackleton's Epic Voyage; Bickel, Lennard (2001). Shackleton's Forgotten Men: The Untold Tragedy of the Endurance Epic; Worsley, Frank A. (1931). Endurance: An Epic of Polar Adventure.
  20. 1 2 Buker, Derek M. (2002). "The Long and Longer of It: Epic Fantasy". The Science Fiction and Fantasy Readers' Advisory. ALA Editions. p. 118. ISBN   9780838908310.
  21. 1 2 3 Grant, John, and John Clute. 1997. "Arabian fantasy." The Encyclopedia of Fantasy . London: Orbit Books. ISBN   978-1-85723-368-1. OCLC   37106061.

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