Project Gutenberg 2004-01-01 Public domain in the USA. 84 Abercrombie, Lascelles 1881 1938 The Epic An Essay Produced by Garrett Alley and PG Distributed Proofreaders "The Epic" by Lascelles Abercrombie is an essay on epic poetry likely written in the early 20th century. The work examines the nature, development, and significance of epic poetry within the context of literature, rather than approaching it solely from sociological or historical perspectives. Abercrombie argues that epic poetry emerges as an art form reflecting the Heroic Age—a time characterized by individual greatness and personal valor, providing insight into human experience and cultural expression through its major themes and storytelling methods. The opening of the essay outlines Abercrombie's intent to analyze epic poetry not merely as a collection of traditional tales, but as a literary genre that evolves with society. He introduces the concept of the Heroic Age, a period that recenters the individual amid tribal existence, spurring the creation of epics. The author discusses how this era has birthed various epic traditions across cultures, noting their shared features and distinct differences. He emphasizes that true epic poetry transcends the mere collection of heroic tales, emerging from a singular artistic vision that binds narrative and meaning while evolving over time. The initial sections set the foundation for exploring how epic poetry has shaped and, conversely, has been shaped by the imaginative and cultural landscapes of its time. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 53.3 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Epic poetry -- History and criticism PN Text Category: Poetry Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches 161508 2025-07-05T04:45:09.259208 text/html 137267 2024-10-28T18:00:50 text/html 115833 2025-07-05T04:45:13.272199 application/epub+zip 118561 2025-07-05T04:45:10.694215 application/epub+zip 118561 2025-07-05T04:45:09.745209 application/epub+zip 199388 2025-07-05T04:45:15.370218 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 184927 2025-07-05T04:45:12.747210 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 167922 2022-09-05T09:37:08.906212 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 151492 2023-10-05T06:48:11.888446 text/plain 131815 2024-10-28T18:00:50 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 15416 2025-07-05T04:45:15.493173 application/rdf+xml 8469 2025-07-05T04:45:10.231235 image/jpeg 2308 2025-07-05T04:45:09.988203 image/jpeg 112980 2025-07-05T04:45:09.272218 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia