UNIVERSIDAD CENTRAL DE VENEZUELA

Facultad de Humanidades y Educacin

Escuela de Idiomas Modenos
De!atamento de In"l#s
Cultua$ Temas y Te%tos &
'st Tem ( &)'' * &)'&
+o,eso Rey"a -enal
C.M+LEMENTAR/ READIN0
Abrams, M. (1999) A Glossary of Literary Terms. Boston: Heinle&Heinle Thompson
Learning (pp. 767!)
E!ic1 "n its stri#t sense the term e!ic or 2eoic !oem is applie$ to a %or& that meets at least
the 'ollo%ing #riteria: it is a long (erse narrati(e on a serio)s s)b*e#t, tol$ in a 'ormal an$
ele(ate$ st+le, an$ #entere$ on a heroi# or ,)asi$i(ine 'ig)re on %hose a#tions $epen$s the
'ate o' a tribe, a nation, or (in the instan#e o' -ohn Milton.s Paradise Lost) the h)man ra#e.
There is a stan$ar$ $istin#tion bet%een tra$itional an$ literar+ epi#s. Tra$itional epi#s (also
#alle$ /'ol& epi#s/ or /primar+ epi#s/) %ere %ritten (ersions o' %hat ha$ originall+ been oral
poems abo)t a tribal or national hero $)ring a %arli&e age. (0ee oral formulaic poetry.)
Among these are the Iliad an$ Odyssey that the 1ree&s as#ribe$ to Homer2 the Anglo0a3on
Beowulf; the 4ren#h Chanson de oland an$ the 0panish Poema del Cid in the t%el'th
#ent)r+2 an$ the thirteenth#ent)r+ 1erman epi# !i"elun#enlied. /Literar+ epi#s/ %ere
#ompose$ b+ in$i(i$)al poeti# #ra'tsmen in $eliberate imitation o' the tra$itional 'orm. 5'
this &in$ is 6irgil.s Latin poem the Aeneid$ %hi#h later ser(e$ as the #hie' mo$el 'or Milton.s
literar+ epi# Paradise Lost (1667). Paradise Lost in t)rn be#ame, in the 7omanti# 8erio$, a
mo$el 'or -ohn 9eats. 'ragmentar+ epi# %yperion$ as %ell as 'or :illiam Bla&e.s se(eral
epi#s, or /propheti# boo&s/ &The 'our (oas$ )ilton$ *erusalem)$ %hi#h translate$ into Bla&e.s
o%n m+thi# terms the bibli#al narrati(e that ha$ been Milton.s s)b*e#t.
"n his Anatomy of Criticism (19;7) <orthrop 4r+e asserts that Homer establishe$ 'or his
s)##essors the /$emonstration that the 'all o' an enem+, no less than o' a 'rien$ or lea$er, is
tragi# an$ not #omi#,/ an$ that %ith this /ob*e#ti(e an$ $isintereste$ element,/ the epi#
a#,)ire$ an a)thorit+ base$ /on the (ision o' nat)re as an impersonal or$er./ The epi# %as
ran&e$ b+ Aristotle as se#on$ onl+ to trage$+, an$ b+ man+ 7enaissan#e #riti#s as the highest
o' all #enres. The literar+ epi# is #ertainl+ the most ambitio)s o' poeti# enterprises, ma&ing
immense $eman$s on a poet.s &no%le$ge, in(ention, an$ s&ill to s)stain the s#ope, gran$e)r,
an$ a)thorit+ o' a poem that ten$s to en#ompass the %orl$ o' its $a+ an$ a large portion o' its
learning. =espite n)mero)s attempts in man+ lang)ages o(er nearl+ three tho)san$ +ears, %e
possess no more than a hal'$o>en s)#h poems o' in$)bitable greatness. Literar+ epi#s are
highl+ #on(entional #ompositions %hi#h )s)all+ share the 'ollo%ing 'eat)res, $eri(e$ b+ %a+
o' the Aeneid 'rom the tra$itional epi#s o' Homer:
&+) The hero is a 'ig)re o' great national or e(en #osmi# importan#e. "n the Iliad he is the
1ree& %arrior A#hilles, %ho is the son o' the sean+mph Thetis2 an$ 6irgil.s Aeneas
is the son o' the go$$ess Aphro$ite. "n Paradise Lost$ A$am an$ ?(e are the
progenitors o' the entire h)man ra#e, or i' %e regar$ @hrist as the protagonist, He is
both 1o$ an$ man. Bla&e.s primal 'ig)re is /the Ani(ersal Man/ Albion, %ho
in#orporates, be'ore his 'all, h)manit+ an$ 1o$ an$ the #osmos as %ell.
&,) The setting o' the poem is ample in s#ale, an$ ma+ be %orl$%i$e, or e(en larger.
5$+sse)s %an$ers o(er the Me$iterranean basin (the %hole o' the %orl$ &no%n at
the time), an$ in Boo& B" he $es#en$s into the )n$er %orl$ (as $oes 6irgil.s Aeneas).
The s#ope o' Paradise Lost is the entire )ni(erse, 'or it ta&es pla#e in hea(en, on
earth, in hell, an$ in the #osmi# spa#e bet%een. (0ee Ptolemaic uni-erse.)
&.) The a#tion in(ol(es s)perh)man $ee$s in battle, s)#h as A#hilles. 'eats in the Tro*an
:ar, or a long, ar$)o)s, an$ $angero)s *o)rne+ intrepi$l+ a##omplishe$, s)#h as the
%an$erings o' 5$+sse)s on his %a+ ba#& to his homelan$, in the 'a#e o' opposition
b+ some o' the go$s. Paradise Lost in#l)$es the re(olt in hea(en b+ the rebel angels
against 1o$, the *o)rne+ o' 0atan thro)gh #haos to $is#o(er the ne%l+ #reate$ %orl$,
an$ his $esperatel+ a)$a#io)s attempt to o)t%it 1o$ b+ #orr)pting man&in$, in
%hi#h his s)##ess is )ltimatel+ 'r)strate$ b+ the sa#ri'i#ial a#tion o' @hrist.
&/) "n these great a#tions the go$s an$ other s)pernat)ral beings ta&e an interest or an
a#ti(e partCthe 5l+mpian go$s in Homer, an$ -eho(ah, @hrist, an$ the angels in
Paradise Lost. These s)pernat)ral agents %ere in the !eoclassic A#e #alle$ the
ma#hiner+, in the sense that the+ %ere part o' the literar+ #ontri(an#es o' the epi#.
&0) An epi# poem is a #eremonial per'orman#e, an$ is narrate$ in a #eremonial st+le
%hi#h is $eliberatel+ $istan#e$ 'rom or$inar+ spee#h an$ proportione$ to the
gran$e)r an$ 'ormalit+ o' the heroi# s)b*e#t an$ ar#hite#t)re. Hen#e Milton.s "and
styleChis 'ormal $i#tion an$ elaborate an$ st+li>e$ s+nta3, %hi#h are o'ten mo$ele$
on Latin poetr+, his sonoro)s lists o' names an$ %i$eranging allusions$ an$ his
imitation o' Homer.s epic similes an$ epithets.
There are also %i$el+ )se$ epi# con-entions$ or 'orm)las, in the #hoi#e an$ or$ering o'
episo$es in the heroi# plot2 prominent among them are these 'eat)res, as e3empli'ie$ in
Paradise Lost1
&+) The narrator begins b+ stating his a"ument$ or epi# theme, in(o&es a m)se or
g)i$ing spirit to inspire him in his great )n$erta&ing, then a$$resses to the m)se the
e!ic 3uestion$ the ans%er to %hi#h ina)g)rates the narrati(e proper &Paradise Lost$
". 1D9).
&,) The narrati(e starts in medias es (/in the mi$$le o' things/), at a #riti#al point in the
a#tion. Paradise Lost opens %ith the 'allen angels in hell, gathering their s#attere$
'or#es an$ $etermining on re(enge. <ot )ntil Boo&s 66"" $oes the angel 7aphael
narrate to A$am the e(ents in hea(en %hi#h le$ to this sit)ation2 %hile in Boo&s B"
B"", a'ter the 'all, Mi#hael 'oretells to A$am ')t)re e(ents )p to @hrist.s se#on$
#oming. Th)s Milton.s epi#, altho)gh its a#tion 'o#)ses on the temptation an$ 'all o'
man, en#ompasses all time 'rom the #reation to the en$ o' the %orl$.
&.) There are #atalog)es o' some o' the prin#ipal #hara#ters, intro$)#e$ in 'ormal $etail,
as in Milton.s $es#ription o' the pro#ession o' 'allen angels in Boo& " o' Paradise
Lost. These #hara#ters are o'ten gi(en set spee#hes that re(eal their $i(erse
temperaments an$ moral attit)$es2 an e3ample is the $ebate in 8an$emoni)m, Boo&
"".
The term /epi#/ is o'ten applie$, b+ e3tension, to narrati(es %hi#h $i''er in man+ respe#ts
'rom this mo$el b)t mani'est the epi# spirit an$ gran$e)r in the s#ale, the s#ope, an$ the
pro'o)n$ h)man importan#e o' their s)b*e#ts. "n this broa$ sense =ante.s 'o)rteenth#ent)r+
2i-ine Comedy an$ ?$m)n$ 0penser.s latesi3teenth#ent)r+ The 'aerie 3ueene (1;9E96)
are o'ten #alle$ epi#s, as are #onspi#)o)sl+ larges#ale an$ %i$eranging %or&s o' prose
'i#tion s)#h as Herman Mel(ille.s )o"y42ic5 (1!;1), Leo Tolsto+.s 6ar and Peace (1!6F
69), an$ -ames -o+#e.s 7lysses (19GG)2 this last %or& a#hie(es epi# s#ope in representing the
e(ents o' an or$inar+ $a+ in =)blin (16 -)ne 19ED) b+ mo$eling them on the episo$es o'
Homer.s Odyssey. "n a still more e3ten$e$ appli#ation, the Mar3ist #riti# 1eorg L)&H#s )se$
the term 4ou"eois e!ic 'or all no(els %hi#h, in his (ie%, re'le#t the so#ial realit+ o' their
#apitalist age on a broa$ s#ale. "n a 'ame$ senten#e, L)&H#s sai$ that /the no(el is the epi# o'
a %orl$ that has been aban$one$ b+ 1o$/ &Theory of the !o-el$ trans. Anna Bosto#&, 1971).
0ee L)&H#s )n$er )ar8ist criticism.