Secondary epics are also called literary epics and were composed by sophisticated craftsmen in a deliberate imitation of the traditional form. Their efforts is attempt to use again in new circumstances what has already been a complete and satisfactory form of literature. The literary epics are composed more for readers in their structure and language. [...]
Tag Archives | epic
Mock Epic
A mock epic, or mock heroic, poem imitates the elaborate form and ceremonious style of the epic genre, and applies it to a commonplace or trivial subject matter; the high brought low. In a masterpiece of this form, The Rape of the Lock, Alexander Pope views through grandiose epic perspective a quarrel between the beaux [...]
That Damn Flood
I have always been curious as to why that damn flood episode is in Gilgamesh. I mean, it seems so out of place and disrupts the unity of the narrative. I know that Utnapishtim’s immortality and wisdom has to be explained (it does, right?) in some way, but do we really need the whole flood narrative that links the epic to its Hebrew neighbors?
Beowulf Movie
Via /.: Robert Zemeckis, who directed Forrest Gump, Contact, and Cast Away among others, will film the epic Beowulf. I wonder how this one will compare to Beowulf and Grendel, already in post-production? I have never heard of Sturla Gunnarsson, but I have always like Zemekis’ films, and his writers for this project include Neil [...]
Hector: Family Man, but Hero First
Book VI of Homer’s Iliad shows the contention in the heart of Hector, Ilium’s champion, but also a husband and new father: he is torn between his responsibilities as a hero to his people and as a the head of the household. Like so many soldiers going off to battle today, Hector is a new father who must risk his life to maintain his people’s way of life.
The Media in 2014
Robin Sloan’s video The Media in 2014 considers the near future of the news media extrapolated from current trends and recent history of microprocessing technologies and the Internet. It suggests ways that the news will become decentralized and put into the hands of individuals and smaller groups of people: personalized media overtakes the behemoths of [...]
Ecological Themes in Gilgamesh
While the epic of Gilgamesh is best known for its themes of friendship, worldly renown, and quest for immortality, it also seems to be concerned with the inexorable spread of humanity on this planet. While the epic upholds and even advocates the pioneering and trailblazing spirit of humanity, there seems to live within the lines of the text a sort of lament for the nature that is lost when civilization encroaches on the forests, the seas, and the mountains.