I’m splitting this discussion of poetics into three blog posts. I like to make good on my promises so here’s the first part of my discussion on the future of the epic. I’ll start with its past.

For the purpose of this discussion I’m breaking poetic history down into three periods: The pre-literate, the literate, and the post-literate. The pre-literate period refers to the time in prehistory when poetry was an oral art form and not written. The literate age consists of the bulk of history when writing and reading has allowed for the production and enjoyment of literature as a written art form. The post-literate age is now in its infancy and represents a decline in reading for pleasure and therefore a decline in producing written works (yet to come).

I believe it is necessary to discuss the epic past before getting into the epic future so I will digress to a lengthy discussion on poetic history, in particular, the epic. Most of this first post will be nothing new to most of my more savvy and learned readers. If you don’t want a brush-up, feel free to skip it and wait for the next installment.

Ancient Epics And Setting The Rules
In the pre-literate age, the epic was the preferred poetic form. Because there was no writing, entertainment came by way of those who were willing to perform for others. They sang, danced, chanted, told stories, and re-told the popular and familiar. This was their craft.

When men started writing and creating a written language they naturally took the popular songs and chants and put them on the page for people to read. At first, few people could read. But over time more and more people learned to read and eventually reading became a popular form of entertainment.

It’s interesting, though, that when we examine the ancient epics they all have a few things in common:

• There is a larger-than-life hero
• Action begins in media res – in the middle
• The hero must overcome insurmountable odds to eventuate a victorious outcome
• The hero is rewarded for his courage, strength, and/or heroic deeds (the rewards can be material or immaterial, but often come from the gods)
• Usually, the hero is a warrior, but at times we also see an adventurer-hero
• There is usually some element of romance or a hint of sexual relations between the hero and a maiden or beloved, and often even with a god or two
• The gods often get involved in the affairs of men (and that’s not a sexual reference)

Because performers recited the poems before audiences they needed to remember the lines and most epics were huge. Homer’s epics were quite long so trying to remember every line became a chore. That was the purpose for the rhyme. It was as much a tool for memorization as anything else. Nevertheless, the definition of an epic came to be a story or narrative that told of a hero overcoming grand obstacles to reach a worthy goal. Usually the hero was one person but there have been instances when the hero was a lovable beast or a group of people, a nation even.

The movement from pre-literate storytelling to literate storytelling was a bit subtle in terms of forms. They didn’t change much. The forms and methods used by oral storytellers were the same forms and methods used by those who wrote them down. Initially, written works offered nothing new. They were simply a written re-telling of the stories that had been passed down orally for centuries.

In the next installment of this series I’ll discuss the literate age in depth, though not as in depth as possible (that would take a book). I will cover some highlights and mostly discuss the 20th century. See you then.