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Epic Verse and Epic Hero
An Epic is one of the earliest forms of literature. It is a long
narrative (story) poem that recounts the adventures of a
legendary hero who is pursuing a goal of national importance.
In an epic poem, the hero’s accomplishments and virtues
reflect the values of his culture
The epic hero is the central character of an epic poem. He is
usually a larger-than-life figure, noble or semi-divine. He needs
to use his fantastic courage, skills and strength to battle a an
opposing, evil force.
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Types of Epics
There are two distinct forms of Epics.
Folk Epics are long narratives passed down orally in a culture
from one generation to the next. They were written down long
after they were first composed.
Examples of Folk Epics: Beowulf, Gilgamesh, Mahabharata
Literary Epics are written by individual authors, drawing on the
style and conventions of the folk epic .
Examples of Literary Epics: Iliad, Odyssey, Paradise Lost
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Quest
A quest is a long, dangerous journey or mission undertaken by
the epic hero.
The quest is an opportunity for the epic hero to prove himself
and win honor and glory.
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Valorous Deeds
These actions demonstrate the hero’s virtues.
The are actions made by the hero to show how courageous,
strong and resilient he is.
Valorous deeds make up most of the action and move the plot
along.
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Divine Intervention
In many epics, the hero receives help from a god or another
supernatural force.
This supernatural being usually takes an interest in the hero’s
plight and wants to help him achieve his goal
For example, in the Greek Epic the Iliad, the goddess Athene
helps the hero Achilles.
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Great Events
Important events from the history or mythology of nation or
culture often provide the themes and backdrop for the epic
story.
In other words, the epic narrative takes place in the midst of
some other famous time period of struggle
In the Iliad, the adventures of Achilles take place against the
backdrop of the Trojan War
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Kenning
Kenning is a form of figurative language that is a creative two-
word compound that renames an object
Examples: “Whale’s-home” for the sea, “Battle-Sweat” for
blood, “sky-candle” for he sun
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Theme
The theme is the overall message or lesson that the author of
a work is trying to convey.
Theme are usually universal and can apply to the life of the
reader.
The theme may be directly stated or implied.. The
characters, plot, conflicts and setting usually contribute to the
author’s development of the theme
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Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of a consonant sound, usually at the
beginning of each word
It is used to develop rhythm and meter, especially in poetry
Example from Robert Frost’s poem “Acquainted with the Night”:
I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet…
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Caesura
A caesura is a breath or pause in the middle of a line of poetry
It is usually added to create an effect- either to build suspense
or drama
They are usually noted by punctuation (a comma, semicolon or
sometimes an apostrophe)
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Direct Characterization
Direct Characterization occurs when an author makes a direct
statement about a character’s personality or directly explains
what the character is like
Example: “Ed Johnson scratched his head in confusion as the
sales rep explained Dralco’s newest engine performance
diagnostic computer. The old mechanic hated modern
electronics, preferring the old days when all he needed was a
stack of manuals and a good set of tools.”
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Indirect Characterization
Indirect Characterization occurs when an author reveals
information about a character through the character’s thoughts,
speech and actions, as well as the behavior of other characters
toward that character
Example: ““That Ed Johnson,” said Anderson, watching the old
mechanic scratch his head in confusion as the sales rep
explained Dralco’s newest engine performance diagnostic
computer. “He hasn’t got a clue about modern electronics. Give
him a good set of tools and a stack of yellowing manuals with a
carburetor needing repair, and he’d be happy as a hungry frog
in a fly-field.””
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Allegory
Allegory is a form of extended metaphor, in which
objects, persons, and actions in a narrative, are equated with
the meanings that lie outside the narrative itself. The underlying
meaning has moral, social, religious, or political
significance, and characters are often personification of
abstract ideas as charity, greed, or envy.
Thus an allegory is a story with two meanings, a literal meaning
and a symbolic meaning.
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Frame Tale
A frame tale is a narrative technique that sets up a main story
that will include the telling of other stories within that story. The
Frame Tale leads readers from the main story to the smaller
one within it
In many cases, the frame tale progresses with a group of
characters meeting together and telling each other stories
Most of the plot occurs in the stories-within-the-story
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Imagery
Imagery is the process by which an author uses words to appeal
to the five senses of the reader
Imagery is important in getting the reader engaged in the story
Imagery is created by SHOWING and not simply TELLING
Example from William Wordsworth’s poem “I Wandered Lonely as
a Cloud”:
"A host of golden daffodils; / Beside the lake, beneath the trees, /
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze/Continuous as the stars that
shine / And twinkle on the milky way, / They stretched in never-
ending line / Along the margin of a bay.”
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Symbolism
A person, place or object which has a meaning in itself but
suggests other meanings as well. Things, characters and
actions can be symbols. Anything that suggests a meaning
beyond the obvious.
For example- in the American flag, the stars represent the fifty
states and the stripes represent the 13 original colonies.
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Allusion
Allusions are references, made by the author or characters, to
a well-known or famous person, event, object or literary work.
They draw on the reader’s associations to prove a point
Example: FAMILY GUY, anyone?
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Satire
Satire is a literary device that uses ridicule, irony, sarcasm or
exaggeration to make fun of human weakness or error
Example: “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” try to
expose and poke fun at the political landscape in America.
Even Stephen Colbert’s super conservative, ridiculous
character is meant to show the people who actually act like that
how he perceives them.
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Foil
A foil
is a character that serves as
a contrast to a major character
Laertes is a foil to Hamlet
because Hamlet is indecisive and
contemplative and Laertes is rash
and impulsive
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Mood
Mood is the feeling the author
establishes in a story. The author
uses word choice (diction) to
create emotional effects on the
reader.
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Soliloquy
A soliloquy is a speech that a character
delivers to him or herself
Itoften reveals the theme of the work and
helps to develop characterization- that is,
showing what the characters are thinking
and feeling.
Itis used in plays to allow a character to
speak indirectly to the audience to provide
them with information
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Comic Relief
Comic relief is a technique used by an author to
break up a serious, sad or tense story
It
comes in the form of a hilarious or silly character, a
witty scene or funny bit of dialogue
Incharacter form, the comic relief is usually a
bumbling, stupid or clumsy sidekick to the hero or
the villain
Famous comic relief characters: C3PO from Star
Wars and Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter series
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Tragic Hero
The Tragic Hero is the main character in a tragedy.
The tragic hero has a few required
elements, according to Aristotle: 1.He has noble or
high birth, 2. He has a tragic flaw that eventually
leads to his downfall, 3. He develops self-awareness
or knowledge, 4. The audience feels pity for him, 5.
He is doomed from the very start, 6. His suffering
means something or is important, 7. His downfall is
usually his own fault, not the fault of fate or someone
else
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Tragic Flaw
A flawor negative characteristic
that eventually leads to the ruin or
doom of the character
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Internal/External Conflict
Internal Conflict occurs when a character is
fighting a battle within him or herself. The
character is usually wrestling with a decision
or a personal problem that he/she is trying to
solve
ExternalConflict occurs between two
characters and can be
emotional, physical, verbal or mental
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Iambic Pentameter
Five “iambs” in a line
An iamb has two syllables- one
stressed and one unstressed
An example of an iamb is the word
“today” (to-DAY)
Iambic Pentameter is five iambs in a
line 5 iambs at 2 syllables each = 10
syllables in a line
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Unit Terms, Set 4
Women Authors and Post-Colonialism
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Symbolism
A person,place or object which has a
meaning in itself but suggests other
meanings as well. Things, characters and
actions can be symbols. Anything that
suggests a meaning beyond the obvious.
Forexample- in the American flag, the stars
represent the fifty states and the stripes
represent the 13 original colonies.
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Irony
Irony is an implied difference in the way things are from the way things
should be.
Verbal Irony shows a difference between what is said and what is
meant, and the speaker is trying to convey a message by saying the
opposite (Example: "as pleasant and relaxed as a coiled rattlesnake”)
Situational Irony occurs when what happens is the opposite of what is
expected (Example: When John Hinckley tried to assassinate Ronald
Reagan, all of his shots initially missed the President; however, a bullet
ricocheted off the bullet-proof Presidential limousine and struck Reagan in
the chest. Thus, a vehicle made to protect the President from gunfire was
partially responsible for his being shot.)
Dramatic Irony occurs when the audience knows something that the
characters in the narrative do not (Example: In Romeo and Juliet, the
other characters in the cast think Juliet is dead, but the audience knows
she only took a sleeping potion.)
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Setting
The time and place in which events of a literary work
take place (geographical location, weather
conditions, historical context, time, psychological
state of characters, way of life of characters, etc.);
not just where events take place. Settings may be
symbolic, representing ideas larger and more
significant than the literal time and place.
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Characterization
Characterization is the process by which an author describes
and explains a character. The author reveals details about the
character through: looks, thoughts, actions, choices and
dialogue.
We learn about the characters through what the author tells us
(direct) and what we can infer about the character through their
thoughts and actions (indirect).
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Allegory
A work in which the characters and
events are to be understood as
representing other things and
symbolically expressing a deeper, often
spiritual, moral, or political meaning
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Style
The way the author writes. Style is
developed by word choice and
sentence structure, among other
things. It is the characteristic way that
writer uses language to achieve certain
effects.
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Theme
The overall message or main idea of a
piece of literature
The idea that an author wants to get
across to the audience
Often themes try to impart a lesson or a
learning experience
They are usually universal
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Point of View/Narrator
The perspective from which the story is told
It is important to evaluate the telling of events based on the
credibility or bias of the narrator- if the narrator is involved in
the story or may not know what is going on in the minds of
other characters
Objective Point of View
Third Person Point of View
First Person Point of View
Omniscient and Limited Omniscient Points of View
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Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a technique used by an author to provide
clues that he audience can analyze to predict what might come
next
Example: In Star Wars Episode 2, Obi Wan says to Anakin
“Why do I feel like you will be the death of me?” Later, we find
out that Anakin does indeed kill him.
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Diction
Diction means the words the author chooses and is part of the
way an author develops style.
When analyzing literature, it is important to look at the words
chosen by the author because they usually have a deeper
meaning
