Epic poetry

:For other meanings of epic, see epic (disambiguation).

Epic versus narrative

One factor that distinguishes epics from other forms of narrative poetry is scale: epic poems tend to be too long to be read or performed in a single sitting. A second distinguishing factor is stylistic: epic poems are written in what might be termed high style, avoiding popular metres and verse patterns. For example, an epic written in English would not use the ballad form.

Related Topics:
Metre - Verse - English - Ballad

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Thirdly, epic poems always deal with persons and events that are considered to be historically real by the poet and their audience. Epics are, essentially, the tale of the tribe. In oral cultures, the learning and performance of epic poems frequently formed an integral part of the education of the poet and, by extension, the audience. This assumed historicity is important for distinguishing epic from other long narrative forms such as allegory.

Related Topics:
Tribe - Allegory

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The fourth distinguishing factor in the definition of an epic is what is termed the epic hero cycle. The hero in an epic poem tends to follow a predictable cycle of events that is repeated in epics from every sort of culture. Although the cycle may repeat upon itself and vary slightly in order from epic to epic, the general points of the cycle include:

Related Topics:
Epic hero cycle - Hero

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• a test (to test worthiness to complete said quest)
• a main antagonist, often supernatural
• a magical/unreal world, unable to be visited by a normal human, that the hero visits (e.g. the underworld or the world of the gods)
• a resurrection (either from being dead or from a dead-like state of mind, such as an unwillingness to complete the quest, and may also be a hero who was thought to be dead who was rediscovered)

George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy, in particular, follows this cycle exactly, and some have cited it as the reason for its mass appeal.

Related Topics:
George Lucas - Star Wars

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Classical epic conventions include:

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• Invocatio (pray to the muse )
• Prepositio (introduction of the epic's theme)
• Enumeratio (counting the fighting armys / heroes)
• In medias res (start from the middle of an event)
• Deus ex machina (interruption / miracle from a god)
• Anticipatio (prediction)
• Ephiteton ornans (permanent attributives of the hero)
• Episodes
• Epic similies