Epic Notes EpicEpic: A long narrative poem about a national or legendary hero –Iliad: Fall of Troy...
-
Upload
rachel-osborne -
Category
Documents
-
view
215 -
download
0
Transcript of Epic Notes EpicEpic: A long narrative poem about a national or legendary hero –Iliad: Fall of Troy...
Epic Notes
• EpicEpic: A long narrative poem about a national or legendary hero– Iliad: Fall of Troy– Odyssey: Odysseus’ trip home
• HomerHomer: Blind poet, lived between 900 and 700 BCE
…but there’s no TV!!
• RhapsodesRhapsodes: Traveling poets– Part memory– Part improvised
• MusesMuses: 9 goddesses who preside over song and literature. Called upon for inspiration
The Odyssey
• Odyssey: 24 books long; 3 main plot strands
1. Ithaca without Odysseus2. Odysseus’ travels following the war3. Odysseus returns home to family
Epic Conventions
• Epic conventions: qualities, traits and common devices of a traditional epic
1. Epic Hero: person of national or international importance and/or legendary significance.1. No super powers; must rely on intelligence2. Faithful to family, country, and god/gods3. Feels fear, but overcomes it to defeat evil
Epic Conventions cont…
2. Intervention of superhuman forces (ie: gods, angels, demons, etc.)
3. Opens “in media res” (in the middle of things) filling in necessary information later
4. Lengthy speeches by main characters
5. Epic similes: elaborate, extended simile which runs for several lines
Epic Conventions cont…
6. Epithets: a word or phrase used to characterize a person or thing
7. Repetition of passages (a memorization aid)
8. Digressions: a temporary deviation from the plot (helps to fill in prior story line)
The Odyssey as Myth
• Mythos– Greek for plot, story, or legend
• Myth does NOT mean an untrue story!
• Has serious moral implications• Captures the human experience• Culture building stories
The Hero’s Journey
• Joseph Campbell• Exemplifies life
– Collective Unconscious– Comparing Religions– Looking at Literature Throughout History
• Archetypes: the quintessential– The Wise Old Man– The Innocent Youth– The Hero
Between the Known and the Unknown
Literature in Cycles
• Northrop Frye • A cycle of five:
– Mythos– Romantic– High Mimetic– Low Mimetic– Irony
The Common Human Experience and Literature