In clear, accessible prose, it traces the development of epic storytelling from ancient songs and wandering minstrels to the polished forms of Greek poetry. It draws connections between Homer, medieval French and German narratives, and Indian and Greek sculpture and art, showing how imagination often supplanted history in long-running poetical traditions.

See how the Iliad and Odyssey are placed alongside epic cycles from other cultures.
Learn how oral traditions shaped the way heroic poems were built and expanded over time.
Compare the cultural contexts of poetry, performance, and visual art across civilizations.
Discover how later scholars and critics inferred ancient practices from surviving works.

Ideal for readers of classical literature and literary history who want a cross-cultural perspective on epic poetry’s origins and evolution.

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