Study Guide
The Anglo-Saxon EPIC
An epic is a long narrative poem that celebrates a hero’s deeds. The earliest epic tales survived for centuries as oral traditions before they were finally written down. They came into existence as spoken words and were retold by poets from one generation to the next.
Stock epithets: adjectives that point out special traits of particular persons or things.
For example: using “swift-footed” to describe Achilles in the Iliad.
Kennings: poetic synonyms found in Germanic poems, such as Beowulf. Rather than being an adjective, like an epithet, a kenning is a descriptive phrase or compound word that substitutes for a noun. For example: in Beowulf, “the Almighty’s enemy” and “sin-stained demon” are two kennings that are used in place of Grendel’s name.
*All epics concern the actions of a hero, who can be described as:
1. Being of noble birth or high position, and often of great historical or legendary importance.
2. Exhibiting character traits, or qualities that reflect important ideals of society.
3. Performing courageous, sometimes superhuman deeds that reflect the values of the era.
4. Performing actions that often determine the fate of a nation or group of people.
The SETTING is usually vast in scope, often involving more than one nation.
The PLOT is complicated by supernatural being or events that may involve a long and dangerous journey through foreign lands.
The DIALOGUE often includes long, formal speeches delivered by the major characters.
The THEME reflects timeless values, such as courage and honor, and encompasses universal ideas, such as good and evil or life and death.
The STYLE includes formal DICTION (the writer’s choice of words and sentence structure) and the TONE (the expression of the writers attitude toward the subject).
VOCABULARY TO KNOW:
1. Affliction 5. Loathsome
2. Gorge 6. Purge
3. Infamous 7. Talon
4. Lair 8. Livid
An epic is a long narrative poem that celebrates a hero’s deeds. The earliest epic tales survived for centuries as oral traditions before they were finally written down. They came into existence as spoken words and were retold by poets from one generation to the next.
Stock epithets: adjectives that point out special traits of particular persons or things.
For example: using “swift-footed” to describe Achilles in the Iliad.
Kennings: poetic synonyms found in Germanic poems, such as Beowulf. Rather than being an adjective, like an epithet, a kenning is a descriptive phrase or compound word that substitutes for a noun. For example: in Beowulf, “the Almighty’s enemy” and “sin-stained demon” are two kennings that are used in place of Grendel’s name.
*All epics concern the actions of a hero, who can be described as:
1. Being of noble birth or high position, and often of great historical or legendary importance.
2. Exhibiting character traits, or qualities that reflect important ideals of society.
3. Performing courageous, sometimes superhuman deeds that reflect the values of the era.
4. Performing actions that often determine the fate of a nation or group of people.
The SETTING is usually vast in scope, often involving more than one nation.
The PLOT is complicated by supernatural being or events that may involve a long and dangerous journey through foreign lands.
The DIALOGUE often includes long, formal speeches delivered by the major characters.
The THEME reflects timeless values, such as courage and honor, and encompasses universal ideas, such as good and evil or life and death.
The STYLE includes formal DICTION (the writer’s choice of words and sentence structure) and the TONE (the expression of the writers attitude toward the subject).
VOCABULARY TO KNOW:
1. Affliction 5. Loathsome
2. Gorge 6. Purge
3. Infamous 7. Talon
4. Lair 8. Livid