What is an epic. The main genres of the epic

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

Before analyzing the genres of the epic, you should find out what is hidden behind this term. In literary criticism, this word can often refer to several different phenomena.

There is such a category as literary gender. There are three of them in total, and each includes a number of works that are similar in the type of their speech organization. Another important detail is that each genus differs in its focus on the subject, object, or act of artistic expression.

Main element

The key unit that determines the division of literature is the word. It is it that first of all either depicts an object, or reproduces the communication of characters, or expresses the state of each speaker.

One way or another, there are traditionally three literary genres. This is drama, lyrics, epic.

Type of Literature

If the drama depicts a human personality in conflict with the people around him, and the lyrics are aimed at expressing the feelings and thoughts of the author, then the epic genres imply an objective image of an individual interacting with the world around him.

Great attention is paid to events, characters, circumstances, social and natural environment. It is for this reason that the genres of the epic in literature are more diverse thandrama or poetry. The ability to use all the depths of the language allows the author to pay special attention to description and narration. This can be facilitated by epithets, complex sentences, all kinds of metaphors, phraseological units, etc. This and more are pictorial details.

Major epic genres

From the voluminous genres, the epic includes the following genres: epic, novel and works that fall under both of these definitions. This generic designation is opposed to such small genres as short story, novel, etc.

An epic can be defined using two definitions:

1. An extensive narrative focusing on significant historical events.

2. A long and complex story with many events and characters.

Examples of the epic genre are the works of Russian literature "Quiet Flows the Don" by M. A. Sholokhov and "War and Peace" by L. N. Tolstoy. Both books are characterized by a plot covering several dramatic years in the history of the country. In the first case, this is the First World War and the Civil War, which destroyed the Cossacks, to which the main characters belonged. Tolstoy's epic tells about the life of the nobles against the background of the confrontation with Napoleon, bloody battles and the burning of Moscow. Both writers pay attention to many characters and destinies, and do not make one character the protagonist of the entire work.

A novel, as a rule, is somewhat smaller than an epic in terms of volume and does not focus on such a large number of people. In general, this term can be deciphered as a prosaic detailed narrative aboutthe life of the protagonist and the development of his personality. Due to its accessibility and versatility, this genre is certainly the most popular in literature.

The rather vague concept of the novel allows us to classify it as a variety of works, sometimes radically different from each other. There is a point of view about the occurrence of this phenomenon in Antiquity (“Satyricon” by Petronius, “Golden Eagle” by Apuleius). A more popular theory is that the novel appeared in the heyday of chivalry. It could have been a revised folk epic or smaller fables (“The Romance of Renard”).

The development of the genre continued in modern times. It reached its zenith in the 19th century. It was at this time that such classics as A. Dumas, V. Hugo, F. Dostoevsky worked. The works of the latter can also be described as a psychological novel, since Fyodor Mikhailovich reached incredible heights in describing the state of mind, experiences and reflections of his characters. You can also add Stendhal to the "psychological" series.

Other subgenres: philosophical, historical, educational, fantasy, romance, adventure novel, utopia, etc.

In addition, there is a classification of novels by country. All these are also epic genres. The mentality, lifestyle and peculiarities of the language made Russian, French and American novels completely different phenomena.

Smaller items

According to the classification of genres of literature, the following genres belong to the epic - a story and a poem. These two phenomena reflect the opposite approach tocreativity among authors.

The story occupies an intermediate position between the novel and small forms. Such a work can cover a short period of time, it has one main character. It is interesting that back in the 19th century, short stories were also called stories in our country, since the Russian language did not yet know such a term. In other words, it denoted any work that was inferior to the novel in terms of volume. In foreign literary criticism, for example, in English, the concept of "story" is synonymous with the expression "short novel" (short novel). In other words, a novel. The classification of this literary phenomenon is similar to that used among novels.

If the story belongs to prose, then in poetry there is a poem in parallel with it, which is also considered a work of average volume. The poetic form includes a narrative characteristic of the rest of the epic, but it also has its own easily recognizable features. This is morality, pomposity, deep feelings of characters.

Such an epic, examples of which can be found in various cultures, arose a long time ago. A certain point of reference can be called songs of a lyrical-epic nature, preserved, for example, in the form of ancient Greek hymns and nomes. In the future, such literary works became characteristic of the German and Scandinavian early medieval cultures. Epics can also be attributed to them, i.e. Russian epic. Over time, the epic nature of the narrative became the backbone of the entire genre. The poem and its derivatives are the main genres of the epic.

In modern literature, the poem has lost its dominant positionnovel.

Small shapes

Let's consider the small genres of the epic. If the author describes real events and uses factual material, such a work is considered an essay. Depending on the nature of the material, it can be artistic or journalistic.

Epic genres include a portrait essay. With the help of such an experience, the author first of all explores the thoughts and personality of the hero. The surrounding world plays a secondary role, and its description is subordinated to the main task. Sometimes a biographical description based on the main stages of the subject's life is also called a portrait.

If a portrait is an artistic experience, then a problematic essay is considered part of journalism. This is a kind of dialogue, a conversation with the reader on a specific topic. The task of the author is to identify the problem and state his own views on the situation. Newspapers and any periodicals in general are full of such notes, since their depth and size are completely suitable for journalism.

It is worth noting the travel essays that appeared before the rest and even reflected in Russian classical literature. For example, these are Pushkin's sketches, as well as "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow" by A. N. Radishchev, which brought him immortal fame. With the help of travel notes, the author tries to record his own impressions of what he saw on the road. This is exactly what Radishchev did, not being afraid to directly declare the horrific life of the serfs and workers who met on his way.

Epic genres in literature are also represented by stories. This is the simplest and most accessible form for both the author and the reader. Works of Russianliterature in the genre of the story made A. P. Chekhov. Despite its apparent simplicity, with just a few pages, he created vivid images that were deposited in our culture (“Man in a Case”, “Thick and Thin”, etc.).

The story is synonymous with the term "novella", which comes from the Italian language. Both of them are on the last step of prose in terms of volume (consistently after the novel and the story). Writers specializing in this genre are characterized by the so-called cyclization, or the publication of works in periodicals on a regular basis, as well as collections.

The story is characterized by a simple structure: plot, climax, denouement. Such a linear development of the plot is often diluted with unexpected twists or events (the so-called piano in the bushes). This technique became widespread in the literature of the 19th century. The roots of the story are folk epic or fairy tales. Collections of mythical tales were the forerunners of this phenomenon. For example, "A Thousand and One Nights", which gained fame not only in the Arab world, but also reflected in other cultures.

Already closer to the beginning of the Renaissance in Italy, the collection "Decameron" by Giovanni Boccaccio gained popularity. It was these short stories that set the tone for the classic type of story, which became widespread after the Baroque era.

In Russia, the genre of the story became popular during the period of sentimentalism at the end of the 18th century, including thanks to the work of N. M. Karamzin and V. A. Zhukovsky.

Epos as an independent genre

As opposed to literary gender and triad“drama, lyrics, epic” there is also a narrower term that speaks of the epic as a narrative, the plot of which is taken from the distant past. At the same time, it includes many images, each of which creates its own picture of the world, which is different for each culture. The most important role in such works is played by the heroes of the folk epic.

Comparing two points of view on this phenomenon, one cannot help but refer to the words of the famous Russian culturologist and philosopher M. M. Bakhtin. Separating the epic from the distant past from the novel, he drew three theses:

1. The subject of the epic is the national, so-called absolute past, about which there is no exact evidence. The epithet "absolute" was taken from the works of Schiller and Goethe.

2. The source of the epic is only a national legend, and not personal experience, on the basis of which writers create their books. Thus, the genres of the folklore epic contain references to the mythical and divine in abundance, for which there is no documentary evidence.

3. The epic world has nothing to do with modernity and is as far from it as possible.

All these theses make it easier to answer the question of what kind of works or what genres are included in the epic.

The roots of the genre are to be found in the Middle East. The most ancient civilizations that arose between the Euphrates and the Tigris were distinguished by a higher cultural level compared to their neighbors. The cultivation of the land, the emergence of resources, the emergence of trade - all this developed not only the language, without which literature is impossible, but also created the reasons for the start of militaryconflicts, the plot of which forms the basis of heroic works.

In the middle of the 19th century, English archaeologists managed to discover the ancient city of Nineveh, which belonged to the Assyrian culture. Clay tablets containing several scattered legends were also found there. Later they were combined into one work - "The Epic of Gilgamesh". It was inscribed in cuneiform and today is considered the oldest example of its genre. Dating allows us to attribute it to the 18th-17th centuries BC

The demigod Gilgamesh and the history of his campaigns, as well as relationships with other supernatural beings of Akkadian mythology, are at the center of the narration of legends.

Another important example from Antiquity, which allows us to answer the question of what genres belong to the epic, is the work of Homer. Two of his epic poems - "Iliad" and "Odyssey" - are the oldest monuments of ancient Greek culture and literature. The characters of these works are not only the gods of Olympus, but also mortal heroes, the tales of which have been preserved from generation to generation by the folk epic. The Iliad and the Odyssey are prototypes of the future heroic poems of the Middle Ages. In many ways, plot constructions and a craving for mystical stories were inherited from each other. It is in the future that the phenomenon reaches its maximum development and distribution.

Medieval epic

This term refers primarily to the epic, examples of which can be found in Europe among Christian or pagan civilizations.

There is also a corresponding chronological classification. The first half is the work of the early Middle Ages. Of course, these are the sagas left to us by the Scandinavian peoples. Until the 11th century, the Vikings plied the European seas, hunted by robbery, worked as mercenaries for kings and created their own states across the continent. This promising foundation, together with the pagan faith and the pantheon of deities, allowed such literary monuments as the Velsunga Saga, the Ragner Leatherpants Saga, etc. to appear. Each king left behind a heroic story. Most of them have survived to our times.

Scandinavian culture has also influenced its neighbors. For example, the Anglo-Saxons. The poem "Beowulf" was written between the 8th and 10th centuries. 3182 lines tell about the glorious Viking, who first becomes a king, and then defeats the monster Grendel, his mother, and also the dragon.

The second half refers to the era of developed feudalism. This is the French "Song of Roland", the German "Song of the Nibelungs", etc. It is amazing that each work gives an idea of the unique picture of the world of this or that people.

What genres are included in the epic of the specified period? For the most part, these are poems, but there are works of poetry, within which there are parts written in the language of prose. For example, this is typical for Irish legends ("The Saga of the Battle of Mag Turied", "The Book of Conquests of Ireland", "Annals of the Four Masters", etc.).

The key difference between the two groups of medieval poemsis the scale of the displayed events. If the monuments before the XII century. told about an entire era, then in the years of developed feudalism, a specific event (for example, a battle) becomes the object of the narration.

There are several theories of the origin of "heroic" creativity in medieval Europe. According to one of them, songs in the cantilena genre, widespread in the 7th century, became such a basis. Gaston Paris, a well-known French researcher of the Middle Ages, was a supporter of such a theory. Cantilenas were small plots about a particular historical event, based on a simple musical structure (most often vocal).

Over the years, these "crumbs" combined into something more and generalized. For example, in the legends about King Arthur, common among the Celtic population of Great Britain. Thus, the genres of the folk epic eventually merged into one. In the case of Arthur, novels of the "Breton cycle" arose. Plots penetrated into all kinds of chronicles created at the monasteries. So semi-mythical stories turned into documented truth. The Knights of the Round Table still cause a lot of controversy regarding reality and authenticity.

The key reason for the flourishing of the genre in Christian Europe of that era is the fall of the Roman Empire, the decay of the slave system and the emergence of feudalism, which was based on military service to its overlord.

Russian epic

The Russian epic has received its own term in our language - "epics". Most of them were transmitted orally fromgeneration to generation, and those lists that are currently presented in museums and transferred to textbooks and readers belong to the 17th-18th centuries.

Nevertheless, the genres of the folk epic in Russia were at their peak in the 9th-13th centuries, i.e. before the Mongol invasion. And it is this era that is displayed in most literary monuments of this kind.

Features of the epic genre are that they are a synthesis of Christian and pagan traditions. Often, such interweaving prevents historians from determining for sure the nature of a particular character or phenomenon.

The key characters of such works are heroes - heroes of the folk epic. This is especially vividly displayed in the epics of the Kyiv cycle. Another collective image is Prince Vladimir. Most often it is suggested that under this name the baptist of Russia is hiding. This, in turn, gives rise to a dispute about where the Russian epic originated. Most researchers agree that epics were created in the south of Kievan Rus, while in Muscovite Rus they were generalized after several centuries.

Of course, a special place in the Russian literary pantheon is occupied by "The Tale of Igor's Campaign". This monument of ancient Slavic culture acquaints the reader not only with the main plot - the unsuccessful campaign of the princes in the lands of the Polovtsy, but also personifies the picture of the world that surrounded the inhabitants of Russia in those years. First of all, it is mythology and songs. The work summarizes the features of the epic genre. The "Word" is extremely important from the point of view of linguistics.

Lost Works

The heritage of the past, which has not survived to this day, deserves a separate discussion. The reason is often the banal lack of a documented copy of the book. Since the legends were often transmitted orally, over time, many inaccuracies appeared in them, and especially unsuccessful ones were completely forgotten. Many poems perished due to frequent fires, wars and other cataclysms.

References to the lost relics of the past can also be found in ancient sources. So, the Roman orator Cicero in the 1st century BC. in his works he complained that information about the legendary heroes of the city on the seven hills - Romulus, Regulus, Coriolanus - was irretrievably lost.

Especially often verses in dead languages are lost, as there are no carriers who could transmit their culture and keep the memory of the past of the people. Here is just a small list of these ethnic groups: Turduls, Gauls, Huns, Goths, Lombards.

In ancient Greek sources there are references to books, the originals of which have never been found or have been preserved in fragments. This is "Titanomachy", which told about the battle of the gods and titans even before the existence of mankind. She, in turn, was mentioned in his writings by Plutarch, who lived at the beginning of our era.

Lost are many sources of the Minoan civilization that lived in Crete and disappeared after a mysterious cataclysm. Specifically, this is the story of the reign of King Minos.

Conclusion

What genres are epic? Firstly, these are the monuments of the medievaland ancient literature, which are based on a heroic plot and religious references.

Also, the epic as a whole is one of the three literary forms. It includes epics, novels, novellas, poems, stories, essays.