Ancient Greek was never a homogeneous language like many modern “standardized” languages. The language of Homer’s poems was not the same as that of Leonidas of the famed 300. These different dialects were used not only by separate political entites, but also within each state, they were used for different genres of literature. The main ...
In his book entitled The Hero with a Thousand Faces, literary critic Joseph Campbell outlines twelve distinct phases of plot that a poem must contain in order for it to be considered epic. Among the poems classified as epic, there are many well known titles such as Homer’s The Iliad, Virgil’s The Aeneid, Beowulf, Gilgamesh, ...
Beowulf is an epic poem written in the 8th Century by a Pagan warrior-poet. Reinterpreted in the 11th Century by two distinct Christian monks, this poem has both Pagan and Christian religious motifs throughout the writing. Beowulf is centrally a transitory literary piece from the Pagan era to a Christian one and the text offers ...
Myths are enduring facets of human nature because they allow cultures to bring order to chaos and to understand human behavior and the mysterious workings of the universe. Despite the presence of scientific and psychological explorations that define the Modern world, myths continue to shape our culture and literary art. In order to be more ...
Section I: Part I Aristotle proposes to discuss poetry and its various types. Epic poetry, tragedy, comedy, dithyrambic poetry, and instrumental music are all modes of imitation but they differ in the medium, objects, and manner of imitation. In the arts, imitation is produced by rhythm, language, and/or harmony. Some people use poetry as a ...
The tale of Jason and the Argonauts has been told roughly since the time of Homer. The myth itself comes out of Thessaly where a tradition of Greek Epic Poetry began in about 800 BCE. The tale of Jason and the Argonauts is set one generation before the events of the Trojan War, but is ...
There is a degree of controversy regarding whether book 10 of Homer’s Iliad was part of the Iliad’s original composition, and if it really belongs in Homer’s epic. I believe that book 10, though in some ways a significant departure from the majority of the Iliad, is nevertheless a valid part of the story, composed ...
The epic poem is one of the earliest and most enduring forms of literature in our history. The first works of fiction in recorded history are almost entirely epic poems; Beowulf, Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, The Iliad, The Aeneid (and soon to be Theodore the Wonder Duck). The list goes on and on, all of them ...
