What is an epic?

Epos is a concept that defines andliterary genre (a synonym - epic), and one of three literary genera (epic, lyric and drama). The difference between the kinds of literature and genres is that genera unite different genres, the concept of "genus" is much broader than the concept of "genre." Therefore, there are two answers to the question about what an epic is.

Epos as a genre of literature includes genres:

great (epic, novel, novel-epic, poem-epic),
medium (novel),
small (story, essay, short story).

Epos is very informative, it tells about the features of society (traditions, customs, attitudes, way of life, values, feelings) of this or that epoch.

And unlike lyrics and drama, the epic representswe realistic pictures, which are written "by voice behind the scenes," that is, the author himself does not participate in what is happening, he only narrates. But, remaining "behind the scenes", he forms an attitude towards the narrator, and we look at what is happening with his eyes.

Epos as a genre arose in the distant past and in different nations for glorifying the courage of heroes, their achievements and conquests.

In Russia epic songs were called "antiquities", inmodern Russian language folklorist I. Sakharov began to call them bylinas. He took this title from the epic "The Lay of Igor's Host". This speaks about one more feature of the epic (epic) as a genre - about authenticity. Of course, it is impossible to speak about the complete authenticity of what was stated in the epics, but for those in whose times these epics were born, they were truthful. They sang the heroism and strength of their heroes, their valor and conquests. That's what a heroic epic is.

Russian epics

One of the most famous epics in Russia isthe above-mentioned "The Lay of Igor's Host". This work tells us not only about the life of the peoples of Rus and the relations between tribes, cities, princes, but also presents us with important historical facts that really happened. It indicates the religious state of Russia in the 12th century, shows a turning point in all colors.

There are many more epic: "The Story of Sukhan", "The History of the Kiev hero, Mikhail Danilovich, twelve years old", "The Tale of Prince Stavr Godinovich", "The Tale of Ilya Muromets, The Nightingale the Robber and Idol", "The Story of Prince Vladimir of Kiev, of the Heroes of Kiev, and about Mikhail Potok Ivanovich, and about Tsar Kashchey Zalata Ardy "and others, which we now see in the form of cartoons about the heroes (about Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin).

Difference from other heat waves

As it was said above, the main difference -relative reliability. The second difference is the structure (they consist of stanzas of 8 lines, and they use formulas). Epic formulas are those phrases or whole stanzas, which are a "platform" for aligning the plot line of the work. Examples of formulas: