Epic poetry

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

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 weltanschauung of a people. They were originally oral literatures, which were later written down by either single author or several writers.

Related Topics:
Societies - Literary - Masterpiece - Weltanschauung - Literature

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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.

Related Topics:
Balkans - Milman Parry - Albert Lord - Paratactic

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Parry and Lord also showed that the most likely source for written texts of the epics of Homer was dictation from an oral performance.

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See also list of world folk-epics.

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