Roman Epic - 1.2 Introduction to Roman Epic: Texts and Contexts Appropriating a model which C.S. Lewis first introduced in A Preface to Paradise Lost critics often distinguish between primary (oral) and secondary (literary) epic: - Primary epic = poetry which 'stems from heroic deeds and which is composed ... in order that such deeds may not be forgotten.' Its story world supposedly records historical real world events, but 'much glamour may be added'. - Secondary epic = poetry 'which is composed, not as an historical record of the past, but as the poet's artistic interpretation or recreation of legend or theme. The combination of the poet's "seeing eye" and his personal style together create something which is not based on reality, but has a life of its own'. Homer comes first (stems from heroic deeds so they may not be forgotten supposedly history) and then Virgil comes second (composed not as historical record but an interpretation of a legend/theme) epic. Homer is potentially less sophisticated and naiver than Virgil denoted by the terms and labels doesn't mean that its true but these carry baggage. Homeric epic is composed orally and therefore changes the original reception and part pf bardic and communal tradition. Virgil is very different and they have extensive library, editing the work and read to other poets and was written down therefore different things come into play. Poetry written in the hexameter would've been the definition of epic in the ancient time. The idea of Primary epic was to memorialize the heroic deeds of these heroes. Supposedly these stories were meant to be real world historic events, larger than life characters, fighting gods etc. The Bard effaces themselves, the muse speaks through the Homeric Narrator and the story comes through him out to the audience. They were eyewitnesses to the events as the muses and they then put these into your mind so you can tell the story as though the bard was there. The muses take the credit and it's not the poets own literary talent. Homer does have views and opinions but they are hidden and very slight in the work. The temporal complexes are so complicated and clever and never loses sight of the chronology and story must mean that it can't have been completely composed from just the Oral tradition. The idea of orality could be doubted as writing was just being discovered again at the time this epic was produced/being written.
Roman Epic - 1.2 There are classic formulae, epithets, catalogues, fighting etc. Lots and lots of repetition in Primary Homeric Epic. The Secondary Epic isn't composed as a historical record as much as first but as the poet's representation of their own interpretation. Draws attention to the fact they are filtering the story, their spin on the past, this isn't the muses alone, they want their own praise for their literary erudition. It's an artistic interpretation, meant to be literary and genius and inserts their own flair into the story and