Hi Neville
>Doesn't the epic need an epic sort of behind it?
>All of the things I can think of as epics have either
>directly or indirectly a sort of prequel or
>preexistent story with which they work, or a model
>that is also an epic which is more than just an
>influence.
I don't think an epic 'needs' another epic to support it. For Virgil who
borrowed from Homer's cosmology and for Dante who leaned on Virgil's, there
isn't a 'need' as much as a genuine passion and interest on each poet's
behalf to connect with a previous epic. A tribute if you like; a very
practical one at that, since Virgil's mythology as maifest in Dante's pen
does provide a lot of inspiration to the Comedy's narrative, but again, I
don't think Dante was short of ideas and he didn't 'need' Virgil in the way
that the current movie 'Hannibal' needs the characters of the earlier
'Silence of the Lamb'. As for preexisting stories, well, honestly, isn't
every story, every word and evey name, preexisting? If you're talking about
Milton's use of Chrisitan motifs, or Virgil's mythical ones, then you'd
find that these poets actually LIVED within these motifs - Milton in
particular. Simple as that. There was no other reason for the unknown
writer of Song of Roland to draw on Carolengian legends than the fact that
the central themes of the story (the fight between French and the invaders,
between the Christians and 'heathens', between the Royal blood and
'traitors') were quiet alive in the society where this poem first appeared
- one of the first recorded recitals of this Song of Deeds was before a
decisive battle between the Normans and the Anglo-Saxons. That answers your
question?
>As to how young poet gets noticed, don't write poetry
>thats the answer there, do something else like
>paragliding while singing abba covers that should be
>enough, minor celebrity seems fairly easy, but
>celebrity from poetry won't go.
It's a mighty good idea except for the fact that I have already devoted
myself to poetry and have written something like an epic already and have
been working for two years on my current project. Neville, I don't want
attention for the sake of it (singing Abba? what's wrong with the Village
People?). What I desire is seeing my 'epics' in print, and I find the
current 'journal' system suffocating to say the least. I want my work to be
made public as I see it fit, as a whole, not as a butchered bunch of
stanzas that may or may not tickle the fansy of some journal's poetry
editor who has, by definition, a short-term vision for each writer. Believe
me, I've given this one a lot of thought. But thanks for making me laugh. I
needed it. Cheers.
Ali
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