EPICS AND LEGENDS

EPICS A long narrative poem of grand scope, style, and theme Vary in size, but are generally quite long in order to accommodate a plot of scope and importance Recounts the exploits of a HERO (or group of heroes), a larger-than-life figure whose character traits are the stylized ideals of a people

Epics An epic is the story of a civilization's values and meaning. Traditional or folk epics are orally composed, but literary epics also exist (e.g., Milton's Paradise Lost).

EPIC CONVENTIONS The story begins in medias res. The story begins with an invocation (prayer) to a god or gods. The story begins with a statement of theme. Allowed listeners to pay attention to the way it was presented, not necessarily what it was about—usually knew the stories anyway

EPIC CONVENTIONS The story has many epithets. These epithets are re-naming of the characters, gods, or things by stock phrases. There are long and formal speeches by many characters. Gods intervene in the affairs of human beings.

EPIC CONVETIONS The settings are vast. The stories use the epic simile. An epic simile is a long comparison of two things that are in different classes. The heroes embody the values of their civilization.

LEGENDS A legend is a narrative that people tell as a true story. Details are difficult to confirm, but the characters and locations are rooted in historical fact. Narrator usually does not claim to be an eyewitness to the events, but heard it from someone who knows someone who heard it from someone who was really there...

LEGENDS Legends often contain a moral or a lesson and are told to uphold the values of the community. They often involve supernatural or religious elements. Legends may be transmitted orally, passed on person-to-person, or, in the original sense, through written text. A meme is a legend or legend fragment that propagates through a culture. Example: King Arthur

MEDIEVAL ROMANCE stories of adventure in which the chief parts are played by knights, kings, or distressed ladies these characters are acting most often under the impulse of love, religious faith, and desire for adventure.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EPICS AND LEGENDS Romance reflects a Chivalric Age (a time of knights and ladies during the Middle Ages in Europe with emphasis on the Code of Chivalry) and the Epic reflects the Heroic Age (a time of superhuman Heroes in ancient Greek and Roman history). The Romance involves more mystery and fantasy. Romance stresses social rank and social distinctions. Romance is more light-hearted. Romance is not as tightly structured around the hero.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EPICS AND LEGENDS The narrator is more obvious in the Romance. In the Epic, the fighting is serious and motivated by national and very serious values and ideals. In the Romance, fighting is often spontaneous and for little purpose. The hero of the Romance is not quite as heroic as the Epic hero. The Epic hero normally has a more noble quest or mission (with the exception of the Holy Grail quest often discussed in the Romance.) The Romance hero is often satisfied with aimless adventure. He is still “larger than life,” like the Epic hero, and he also usually has a mysterious birth and childhood.