Structures of Epic Poetry : Vol. I: Foundations. Vol. II.1/II.2: Configuration. Vol. III: Continuity / Simone Finkmann, Christiane Reitz.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Finkmann, Simone, Editor.

Reitz, Christiane, Editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Epic poetry.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Poetry.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxix, 2,727 pages)

Place of Publication:

Berlin ; Boston : De Gruyter, [2019]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

This compendium (4 vols.) studies the continuity, flexibility, and variation of structural elements in epic narratives. It provides an overview of the structural patterns of epic poetry by means of a standardized, stringent terminology. Both diachronic developments and changes within individual epics are scrutinized in order to provide a comprehensive structural approach and a key to intra- and intertextual characteristics of ancient epic poetry.

Contents:

Structures of Epic Poetry

Frontmatter

Acknowledgements

Contents

Introduction

Part I: Theories of epic

Ancient and modern theories of epic

The narrative forms and mythological materials of classical epic

Learning the epic formula

Narratology and classical epic

Epic and rhetoric

Alexandrian book division and its reception in Greek and Roman epic

Part II: Classification and genre

Intergeneric influences and interactions

History and myth in Graeco-Roman epic

Didactic and epic: origins, continuity, and interactions

Ovid's Metamorphoses: the naughty boy of the Graeco-Roman epic tradition

Epic fragments

Narrative patterns and structural elements in Greek epyllia

Epic structures in classical and post-classical Roman epyllia

Part III: Core structures

The invocation of the Muses and the plea for inspiration

Closure and segmentation: endings, medial proems, book divisions

'Almost-episodes' in Greek and Roman epic

Aetiology and genealogy in ancient epic

Epic catalogues

Similes and comparisons in the epic tradition

Artefact ekphrasis and narrative in epic poetry from Homer to Silius

Indices

Front Matter 2

Part I: Battle scenes

Battle scenes in ancient epic - a short introduction

Arming scenes, war preparation, and spoils in ancient epic

Simply the best? Epic aristeiai

Single combat in ancient epic

Mass combat in ancient epic

Chain-combats in ancient epic

Teichoscopies in classical and late antique epic

Nyktomachies in Graeco-Roman epic

Theomachy in Greek and Roman epic

Naval battles in Greek and Roman epic

River battles in Greek and Roman epic

Flight, pursuit, breach of contract, and ceasefire in classical epic

Epic games: structure and competition

Death, wounds, and violence in ancient epic

Death, ritual, and burial from Homer to the Flavians

Front Matter 3

Part II: Journeys and related scenes

Epic journeys and related scenes - a short introduction

Arrival and reception scenes in the epic tradition from Homer to Silius

Banquet scenes in ancient epic

Scenes of departure by sea in the epic tradition from Homer to Silius

Sea-storms in ancient epic

Part III: Time

Time in ancient epic - a short introduction

Time in Greek epic

'Time as such': chronotopes and periphrases of time in Latin epic

Part IV: Space

An introduction to the concept of space in ancient epic

Cities in ancient epic

Landscapes in Greek epic

Landscapes in Latin epic

Mythical places in ancient epic

Abodes of the gods in ancient epic

Abodes of the dead in ancient epic

Part V: Communication

Principles of communication in Greek and Roman epic-a short introduction

Messenger scenes in Greek epic

Messenger scenes in Roman epic

Dream scenes in ancient epic

Prophecies in Greek epic

Prophecies in Roman epic

Apparition scenes in ancient epic

Divine council scenes in ancient epic

Necromancies in ancient epic

Front Matter 4

The origin, tradition, and reinvention of epic structures - a short introduction

Poetic form and narrative theme in early Greek and Akkadian epic

The transformation of the epic genre in Late Antiquity

Greek biblical epic: Nonnus' Paraphrase and Eudocia's Homerocentones

Between imitation and transformation: the (un)conventional use of epic structures in the Latin biblical poetry of Late Antiquity

Epic forms and structures in late antique Vergilian centos

The tradition of epic poetry in Byzantine literature

Medieval epicity and the deconstruction of classical epic

Narrative structures in Neo-Latin epic from 1440 to 1500

Narrative structures in Neo-Latin epic: 16th-19th century

Experiments in digital publishing: creating a digital compendium

Overview: Graeco-Roman epyllia and epics from Homer to Late Antiquity

Core bibliography

List of contributors

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 06. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

9783110491678

3110491672

9783110492590

3110492598

OCLC:

1135573343