Epic (genre)

Last updated

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 epics (poems such as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey ). The epic is no longer 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">Poetry</span> Form of literature

Poetry, also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, a prosaic ostensible meaning. A poem is a literary composition, written by a poet, using this principle.

Genre is any style or form of communication in any mode with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other forms of art or entertainment, based on some set of stylistic criteria Often, works fit into multiple genres by way of borrowing and recombining these conventions. Stand-alone texts, works, or pieces of communication may have individual styles, but genres are amalgams of these texts based on agreed-upon or socially inferred conventions. Some genres may have rigid, strictly adhered-to guidelines, while others may show great flexibility.

<i>Epic of Gilgamesh</i> Epic poem from Mesopotamia

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia. The literary history of Gilgamesh begins with five Sumerian poems about Bilgamesh, king of Uruk, dating from the Third Dynasty of Ur. These independent stories were later used as source material for a combined epic in Akkadian. The first surviving version of this combined epic, known as the "Old Babylonian" version, dates back to the 18th century BC and is titled after its incipit, Shūtur eli sharrī. Only a few tablets of it have survived. The later Standard Babylonian version compiled by Sîn-lēqi-unninni dates from the 13th to the 10th centuries BC and bears the incipit Sha naqba īmuru. Approximately two-thirds of this longer, twelve-tablet version have been recovered. Some of the best copies were discovered in the library ruins of the 7th-century BC Assyrian king Ashurbanipal.

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.

<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 Western culture. The Greek word mythos refers to the spoken word or speech, but it also denotes a tale, story or narrative.

Narrative poetry is a form of poetry that tells a story, often using the voices of both a narrator and characters; the entire story is usually written in metered verse. Narrative poems do not need to rhyme. The poems that make up this genre may be short or long, and the story it relates to may be complex. It is normally dramatic, with various characters. Narrative poems include all epic poetry, and the various types of "lay", most ballads, and some idylls, as well as many poems not falling into a distinct type.

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

The Epic of Gilgamesh has directly inspired many manifestations of literature, art, music, and popular culture, as identified by Theodore Ziolkowski in the book Gilgamesh Among Us: Modern Encounters With the Ancient Epic (2011). It was only during and after the First World War that the first reliable translations of the epic appeared that reached a wide audience, and it was only after the Second World War that the epic of Gilgamesh began to make itself felt more broadly in a variety of genres. In the years following World War II, Gilgamesh, formerly an obscure figure known only by a few scholars, gradually became increasingly popular with modern audiences. The Epic of Gilgamesh's existential themes made it particularly appealing to German authors in the years following the war. In his 1947 existentialist novel Die Stadt hinter dem Strom, the German novelist Hermann Kasack adapted elements of the epic into a metaphor for the aftermath of the destruction of World War II in Germany, portraying the bombed-out city of Hamburg as resembling the frightening Underworld seen by Enkidu in his dream. In Hans Henny Jahnn's magnum opusRiver Without Shores (1949–1950), the middle section of the trilogy centers around a composer whose twenty-year-long homoerotic relationship with a friend mirrors that of Gilgamesh with Enkidu and whose masterpiece turns out to be a symphony about Gilgamesh.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Early history of fantasy</span>

Elements of the supernatural and the fantastic were an element of literature from its beginning, though the idea of a distinct genre, in the modern sense, is less than two centuries old.

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.

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

The Iliad is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the Odyssey, the poem is divided into 24 books and was written in dactylic hexameter. It contains 15,693 lines in its most widely accepted version. Set towards the end of the Trojan War, a ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Mycenaean Greek states, the poem depicts significant events in the siege's final weeks. In particular, it depicts a fierce quarrel between King Agamemnon and a celebrated warrior, Achilles. It is a central part of the Epic Cycle. The Iliad is often regarded as the first substantial piece of European literature.

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

Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and usually inspired by mythology or folklore. The term "fantasy" can also be used to describe a "work of this genre", usually literary.

Greek mythology has consistently served as a source for many filmmakers due to its artistic appeal. Antiquity has been reimagined in many ways and these recreations have been met with great public success regardless of their individual achievements. The plot lines of epic poetry are even more appealing with their enthralling battles, heroic characters, monsters, and gods. And now, with modern technology and computer-generated imagery (CGI), our ability as a society to recreate Greek mythology on screen has improved greatly.

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.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.