Middle Ages: The Literature Flashcards
The Epic Poem:Where does the word Epic come from and what was it’s meaning?
The word “epic poem” comes from the Greek word : “epos” which translates to “oral exposition” .
The Epic poem: Which were the themes of an epic poem ?
The epic poem showed a recollection of the glorious past of a Nation. it depicted heroic values that were extremely important for society. Heroes were the main focus of these poems and their values were the reflection of the values of the society that it portrayed . It also depicted an aristocratic and military society . It also showed how important leadership was for these kind of societies .
The Epic poem: Can you talk about the epic poem’s structure?
The epic poem is a long narrative .It is rich of vivid pictorial flashes that are calle type-scenes. From the greek word “topos” which practically means something that is common in certain situations/scenarios. Examples of type-scenes can be the banquet,voyage,funeral and battle.
The style is also elevated and the vocabulary is extremely rich and vivid .
The medieval ballad: What did the medieval ballads represent ?
They represented the collective culture of the people who sang and listened to them .
The medieval ballad: How were they transmitted ? and when did they write them down ?
Much like the epic poem these ballads were transmitted orally and it was only around the 13th and 14th centuries that these ballads were collected and written down .
the medieval ballad : What were the common themes of these ballads?
These ballads were typically short and dramatic stores represented by rapid flashes and about ordinary people or supernatural characters like fairies, dragons ,witches and more . They were quite simple and didn’t have any moral aim. They were made just for entertainment purposes .
The medieval ballad: How was it’s structure?
Since they were supposed to be memorised the were rich in repetitions and were composed by four line stanzas with a rhythmic schemes that usually went from ABCB to ABAB.The repetitions were also accompanied by the frequent use of refrains .They are a mixture between dialogue and narration.
the medieval narrative poem: what does it tell?
It tells a story in verses and contains narrative elements like :
- setting in time and place
- the description of characters
- use of narrator
The medieval narrative poem: what was their dual aim?
Theur dual aim was to entertain and educate .The narration expressed the moral views of the time and they also depicted the social structure that was changing.
The medieval narrative poem: what was their dual aim?
Theur dual aim was to entertain and educate .The narration expressed the moral views of the time and they also depicted the social structure that was changing.
