The word "epic" came to us from antiquity. From ancient Greek this term is translated as "narration". What is an epic? A word has several meanings. We will focus only on two. Literary works created over the centuries by different peoples can be attributed to one of the three existing kinds of literature: lyrics, drama and epic. The latter narrates about an act or event in the past, describes various phenomena and characters, contains an integral picture of the public life of the people.
The main genres of the epic :
- novel;
- epic;
- poem;
- story;
- story;
- poem;
- feature article;
- epic;
- fairy tale;
- historical song.
Epos as a literary genre
The second meaning of the word in question is a special genre of literature - “heroic”. Today, scientists are well aware of what epic is. But the debate about exactly how and where it originated, still has not subsided. Many literary scholars believe that the epic is a genre that could have arisen in such cultures as Chinese and Hebrew. Others are convinced that this is simply not possible.
It is only known that this is the oldest genre (or genres) created by our distant ancestors. In the Middle Ages, these legends, songs, poems, epics were performed by wandering musicians and wandering storytellers. From its inception, epic pieces have always been sung to the music of a violin or harp. Everything is told in them so that the audience does not have a reason to doubt the authenticity of the events described. This is the same story, only slightly embellished with fantastic or mystical facts.
Epos of the world
Every epic work is considered to be a unique heritage of the country in which it was written. Of all that is known in this genre, the best preserved French literary monuments. The most famous French epic is the aforementioned "Song of Roland", which, according to various sources, was written around the 12th century. You can also find examples of the genre in question in German literature. The most famous epic of Germany - "Song of the Nibelungs." It reflects the mystical events that took place against the backdrop of the great migration of peoples. In England, Beowulf is considered the greatest epic. It refers to the fearless knight who challenged the monster that threatened the entire kingdom. The longest epic, Manas, belongs to the Kyrgyz people. It is twice the size of the Mahabharata and the Tibetan epic about Geser.
What is the epic of the Russian people?
In Russian folk art, the epic telling about the exploits of the heroes is called epic. In epics, heroes most often act, endowed with tremendous physical strength and impressive mental abilities. The most famous epic works tell about the exploits of three famous heroes: Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich and Dobryni Nikitich.
Conclusion
What is an epic, if not the root of literature, the significance of which is increasing every year? This is an important legacy left to us by our ancestors. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was believed that every self-respecting people should have its own epos, its own hero, who would be ready to lay down his life in the struggle for his homeland.