Epic

epic, long, exalted narrative poem, usually on a serious subject, centered on a heroic figure. The earliest epics, known as primary, or original, epics, were shaped from the legends of an age when a nation was conquering and expanding; such is the foundation of the Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh, of the Iliad and the Odyssey of the Greek Homer, and of the Anglo-Saxon Beowulf. Literary, or secondary, epics, written in conscious imitation of earlier forms, are most notably represented by Vergil's Aeneid and Milton's Paradise Lost. The epic, which makes great demands on a poet's knowledge and skill, has been deemed the most ambitious of poetic forms. Some of its conventions, followed by epic writers in varying degrees, include a hero who embodies national, cultural, or religious ideals and upon whose actions depends to some degree the fate of his people; a course of action in which the hero performs great and difficult deeds; a whole era in the history of civilization; the intervention and recognition of divine or supernatural powers; the concern with eternal human problems; and a dignified and elaborate poetic style. Other works classified as epics are the Indian Mahabharata and Ramayana, the French Song of Roland, the Spanish Song of the Cid, the Germanic Niebelungenlied, Dante's Divine Comedy, Tasso's Gerusaleme Liberta, Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, Spenser's Faerie Queene, and Camões's Lusiads. A mock epic is a form of satire in which trivial characters and events are treated with all the exalted epic conventions and are made to look ridiculous by the incongruity. The plot of Pope's Rape of the Lock, one of the most famous mock epics, is based on a quarrel over the theft of a lady's curl.

Bibliography

See studies by Sir C. M. Bowra (1961), H. V. Routh (2 vol., 1927; repr. 1968), C. A. Yu (1973), J. Ingalls (1984), and J. K. Newman (1986).

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epic

Long, narrative poem in an elevated style that celebrates heroic achievement and treats themes of historical, national, religious, or legendary significance. Primary (or traditional) epics are shaped from the legends and traditions of a heroic age and are part of oral tradition; secondary (or literary) epics are written down from the beginning, and their poets adapt aspects of traditional epics. The poems of Homer are usually regarded as the first important epics and the main source of epic conventions in western Europe. These conventions include the centrality of a hero, sometimes semidivine; an extensive, perhaps cosmic, setting; heroic battle; extended journeying; and the involvement of supernatural beings.

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(Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing) The parallel architecture used in Intel's IA-64 chips. It was originally developed by HP. See IA-64.

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Epic

See also Saga.

Aeneid

Virgil’s epic poem glorifying the origin of the Roman people. [Rom. Lit.: Aeneid]

Beowulf

Old English epic poem of sixth-century Denmark. [Br. Lit.: Beowulf]

Divine Comedy

Dante’s epic poem in three sections: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. [Ital. Lit.: Divine Comedy]

Faerie Queene

allegorical epic poem by Edmund Spenser. [Br. Lit.: Faerie Queene]

Frithiofs Saga

Esaias Tegner’s poetic version of the Norse Saga of Frithiof the Bold. [Nor. Lit.: Haydn & Fuller, 275]

Gilgamesh

Babylonian epic of myth and folklore, centered on the king, Gilgamesh. [Babyl. Myth.: Gilgamesh]

Gosta Berling’s Saga

Selma Lagerlof’s story of the legendary life of an early nineteenth-century character. [Swed. Lit.: Gosta Berling’s Saga in Benét, 412]

Heimskringla

medieval account of the kings of Norway from legendary times to the twelfth century. [Norw. Hist.: Haydn & Fuller, 322]

Iliad

Homer’s epic detailing a few days near the end of the Trojan War. [Gk. Lit.: Iliad]

Jerusalem Delivered

Tasso’s celebrated romantic epic written during Renaissance. [Ital. Lit.: Jerusalem Delivered]

Kalevala

alliterative epic poem of Finland. [Finn. Lit.: Kalevala]

Laxdale Saga

medieval account of two Icelandic families and their feud. [Icel. Lit.: Benét, 572]

Lusiad, The

celebrates Portuguese heroes and wars. [Port. Lit.: Magill II, 608]

Mahabharata

Indian epic poem of the struggle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. [Indian Lit.: Mahabharata]

Nibelungenlied

medieval German epic poem of Siegfried and the Nibelung kings. [Ger. Lit.: Nibelungenlied]

Njál Saga

greatest of the Icelandic sagas, based on the historical adventures of two families. [Icel. Lit.: Haydn & Fuller, 524]

Odyssey

Homer’s long, narrative poem centered on Odysseus. [Gk. Lit.: Odyssey]

One Hundred Years of Solitude

encompasses the sweep of Latin American history. [Lat. Am. Lit.: Gabriel Garcia Marquez One Hundred Years of Solitude in Weiss, 336]

Orlando Furioso

Ariosto’s romantic epic; actually a continuation of Boiardo’s plot. [Ital. Lit.: Orlando Furioso]

Orlando Innamorato

Boiardo’s epic combining Carolingian chivalry and Arthurian motifs. [Ital. Lit.: Orlando Innamorato]

Paradise Lost

Milton’s epic poem of man’s first disobedience. [Br. Lit.: Paradise Lost]

Ramayana

epic poem of ancient India. [Indian Lit.: Ramayana]

Song of Igor’s Campaign

Old Russian epic poem of 12th-century Prince Igor. [Russ. Lit.: Song of Igor’s Campaign]

Song of Roland

chanson de geste of Roland and Charlemagne. [Fr. Lit.: Song of Roland]

Song of the Cid

epic poem of Spain by an anonymous author. [Span. Lit.: Song of the Cid]

Terra Nostra

combines the myths and history of twenty centuries of Western civilization. [Lat. Am. Lit.: Carlos Fuentes Terra Nostra in Weiss, 458]

Volsunga Saga

cycle of Scandinavian legends, major source of Niebelungenlied. [Scand. Lit.: Benét, 1064]