What is it about?
"Epic and Genre" presents a new theory of the epic as a narrative genre. It explains why epics, from "Gilgamesh" and the "Aeneid" to "The Lord of the Rings" and "Mass Effect," continue to appear in different cultures and times. The article includes a framework for defining and analyzing epics that can be used for narratives in any medium.
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Why is it important?
Many popular narratives, often in digital media, are increasingly described as "epic." This article presents a historically-grounded and trans-media understanding of the epic that brings depth to aesthetic criticism of complex popular media. This is especially important because these narratives rely on their audience being familiar with a number of complementary media forms.
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Epic and Genre: Beyond the Boundaries of Media, Comparative Literature, December 2016, Duke University Press,
DOI: 10.1215/00104124-3698457.
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Resources
Gradcast #89: Epic Wins with Luke Arnott
Radio interview with Luke Arnott about his work on the epic genre.
Epic and Genre: Beyond the Boundaries of Media
A shorter version presented to the Canadian Comparative Literature Association annual meeting in 2014.
Arkham Epic: Batman Video Games as Totalizing Texts
A book chapter that applies the theories from "Epic and Genre" to the "Batman: Arkham" video game series.
Contributors
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