Medieval heroic epic
During the Middle Ages, the development of the traditions of folk epic literature continues. This is one of the significant stages of its history, when the heroic epic became the most important link in the medieval book literature. The heroic epos of the Mature Middle Ages reflected the processes of ethnic and state consolidation and the developing seyneral-vassal relations. The historical themes in the epic expanded, crowding the mythological and mythological, the importance of Christian motifs increased and patriotic pathos intensified, a great epic form and more flexible stylistics were developed, which was facilitated by some distance from purely folklore samples. However, all this led to a certain impoverishment of the plot and mythopoetic imagery, so later the knightly novel again turned to folklore fiction. All these features of the new stage in the history of the epic are closely linked internally. The transition from the epic archaic to the epic classics, in particular, was
Rodo-tribal interests have been pushed aside by national interests, even in embryonic form, so in many epic monuments we find pronounced patriotic motives, often associated with the struggle against foreign and other conquerors. Patriotic motives, as it is specific for the Middle Ages, partially act in the form of opposing Christians to “unfaithful” Muslims (in Romance and Slavic literatures).
As said, the epic in the new stage depicts feudal strife and senile-vassal relations, but due to epic specificity vassal fidelity (in “The Songs of the Nibelungs”, “Songs of Roland”, “Songs of My Side”), as a rule, merges with loyalty to the clan, tribe, native country, state. A characteristic figure in the epic of this time is the epic “king”, whose power
The idealization of the courtly forms of everyday life of the epic basically preserves the people’s heroic ideals, heroic aesthetics. In the heroic epic, there are also some tendencies that go beyond the limits of its genre nature, for example, hypertrophic adventure (“Raul de Cambre”, etc.), material motivations of the hero’s behavior patiently overcoming unfavorable circumstances (in “The Song of My Side”), dramatism, reaching to tragedy (in “Nibelungs” and in “Songs about Roland”). These diverse trends indicate the hidden potentialities of the epic kind of poetry, anticipate the development of the novel and tragedy.
Stylistic features of the epic are now largely determined by a departure from folklore and a deeper processing of folklore traditions. In the process of transition from oral improvisation to recitation by manuscripts, numerous enjambements appear, ie, transfers from verse to verse, synonymy develops, flexibility and variety of epic formulas increase, sometimes the number of repetitions decreases, a more precise and harmonious composition becomes possible (“Song of Rolande).
Although wide cyclization is familiar to oral creativity (for example, in the folklore of Central Asia), but mainly the creation of epic works of large volume and their addition to cycles is supported by a transition from oral improvisation to a manuscript book. Apparently, bookishness contributes to the emergence of a “psychological” characterization, as well as interpretation of the heroic character in terms of a kind of tragic guilt. However, the interaction of folklore and book literature is actively continuing: in the composition and especially the performance of many works of the epic is the participation of the spielmen and jugglers in this period.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)