Epic
Epic is a word that classifies a heroic action, which can be based on established or invented facts – from the Latin ” epicus “. It is also used to describe a memorable, extraordinary feat, a feat, something very strong and intense.
The epic genre is the verse narrative that presents a heroic episode in the history of a people. It consists of a literary genre originating from the scope of poetry (epic poetry), which reports the heroic acts of real or legendary characters.
Today, the epic literary genre is not restricted to poetry only. Within literature there are epic works in novels, short stories and chronicles, for example. Nor is it restricted to literature: epic can be used to refer to music, movies and theater.
The origin of the epic genre
The epic literary genre (also called the narrative genre) originated in Greek antiquity. It was a verse narrative style that portrayed heroic deeds such as wars, adventures, and mythological stories of gods and demigods.
As this narration was done in verse, this genre has its origin in poetry. Epic poems were also called epics and the first and main works of this literary genre were the Iliad and Odyssey , by the Greek poet Homer.
Other famous works in prose epic style (epic) are: the Divine Comedy , written by Dante Alighieri in the Middle Ages and Os Lusíadas , by Luís de Camões, made in the Modern Age.
Iliad and Odyssey
Homer , author of the Iliad and Odyssey lived around the eighth century BC and was the forerunner of the epic literary style with these two books.
The Iliad depicts the end of the Trojan War and begins with the kidnapping of the Greek princess, Helen, by the Trojans. The Greeks offer the Trojans a huge wooden horse as a gift.
What the Trojans didn’t imagine is that inside that horse there were hundreds of Greek soldiers, who at dawn left the horse and attacked the enemies.
The Odyssey portrays the adventures of the return of the Greeks to Greece at the end of the combat and has as its central character the warrior Ulysses. On the way back home, the warriors face mermaids, cyclops and other characters from Greek mythology.
It is believed that these poems were written only in the sixth century BC and that Homer used as a source of information for the books, the stories that were passed orally from parents to children.
As there are no other records about this time, these poems are important sources to understand how Greek civilization worked in that period.
The literary genres
Literature is divided into three genres: epic, lyrical and dramatic . The division between literary genres emerged in antiquity, with the Greek philosophers Aristotle and Plato.
The categories we use today to classify books, such as science fiction, horror and biography, are subdivisions, but all literary productions fall into one of three main genres. That is, each and every literary work is either epic or lyrical or dramatic.
The epic literary genre is basically characterized by the narration of a story, with characters, in a certain time and place.
Despite having its origins in poetry, today, this literary style is more commonly constructed in prose, such as novels, short stories and chronicles – it is the genre that encompasses most literary production.
The other two literary genres are the lyrical and the dramatic. Lyrical refers to sonority and aims to convey the feeling of the lyrical self and not necessarily tell a story, like the epic genre. Examples of lyrical texts are poetry and sonnets.
And the dramatic style is the texts produced for dramaturgy, that is, to be represented in theatrical plays. Tragedy, comedy and drama are the subdivisions of the dramatic style.
| Gender | Epic | Lyrical | Dramatic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feature | Text that tells a story – the author may or may not be part of it. | The text seeks to convey feelings and emotions of the lyrical self | Text to be represented in the theater, written mainly in the form of a dialogue. |
| subgenres | Romance; tale; chronic; novel; fable; essays and epics. | Poetry; sonnets; haiku; Acrostic; Ode. | Tragedy; comedy; drama. |
epic movie
It is a genre that portrays tales of great heroes and the whole story is based on just one main character or a certain people. Narrative forms are quite objective, and their aim is to create a world that resembles concrete reality.
Epic films are generally characterized by being medieval films, historical documentaries and period films.
epic music
It is used to designate a subgenre of progressive rock, epic rock . Epic songs are long compositions, lasting from 15 to 20 minutes and in some cases can last up to an hour. Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull and Yes are examples of bands that made epic compositions.
In addition, the soundtracks of some fiction, adventure and suspense films are also considered epic music.
