What is an epic? Its features and varieties

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The word "epos" came to us from antiquity. From ancient Greek, this term is translated as "narrative". What is an epic? The word has several meanings. We will focus on just two. Literary works created over the centuries by different peoples can be attributed to one of the three existing genres of literature: lyrics, drama and epic. The latter narrates about some act or event in the past, describes various phenomena and characters, contains a complete picture of the social life of the people.

Main epic genres:

• roman;
• epic;
• poem;
• story;
• story;
• poem;
• essay;
• epic;
• fairy tale;
• history song.

Epos as a literary genre

The second meaning of the word in question is a special genre of literature - “heroic”. Today, scientists know perfectly well what an epic is. But the debate about exactly how and where it arose still does not subside. Many literary scholars believe that the epic is a genre that could have originated in cultures such as Chinese and Hebrew. Others are convinced that it is simply impossible.

It is only known that this is the oldest genre (or genres) createdour distant ancestors. In the Middle Ages, these legends, songs, poems, epics were performed by itinerant musicians and wandering storytellers. From its very inception, epic works have always been sung to the music of the violin or harp. Everything is told in them in such a way that the listeners have no reason to doubt the authenticity of the events described. This is the same story, only slightly embellished with fantastic or mystical facts.

Eposes of the countries of the world

Every epic work is considered a unique heritage of the country in which it was written. Of all that is known in this genre, French literary monuments are best preserved. The most famous French epic is the Song of Roland mentioned above, which, according to various sources, was written around the 12th century. Examples of the genre in question can also be found in German literature. The most famous German epic is the Nibelungenlied. It reflects the mystical events that took place against the backdrop of the great migration of peoples. In England, Beowulf is considered the greatest epic. It is about a fearless knight who challenged a monster that threatened the entire kingdom. The longest epic - "Manas" - belongs to the Kyrgyz people. It is twice the size of the Mahabharata and the Tibetan epic about Geser.

What is the epic of the Russian people?

In Russian folk art, an epic that tells about the exploits of heroes is called an epic. In epics, heroes most often act, endowed with enormous physical strength and impressivemental abilities. The most famous epic works tell about the exploits of three famous heroes: Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich and Dobrynya Nikitich.

Conclusion

What is an epic if not the root of literature, the value of which only increases every year? This is an important legacy left to us by our ancestors. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was believed that every self-respecting nation should have its own epic, its own hero, who would be ready to lay down his life in the struggle for the Motherland.