HyperEpos:

Epic on the Internet

Responding to the lack of genre-based sites on the web, I've gathered here an array of sites focused on epic poetry, aiming for the occasionally quirky as well as the canonical vision of the genre. In addition to the links to individual poems and poets, I've tried to incorporate a few key sites for chronological study. Thus, links to sites like Perseus, The Labyrinth or Romantic Circles, with all their wealth of connections, are included at the bottom of the appropriate page. Your comments and suggestions for inclusion or updating are appreciated. Like all good sites, this one should be perpetually evolving, and appropriately enough, in the midst of things. I update the pages as often as I can (but time's wingéd chariot hurries near).

For familiarity's sake, the organization is (loosely) chronological, with a few pages (Non-Western, American, and Women's Epic) based in kinds rather than times of origin. The chronologies as well as the selections currently show too clearly my own as well as the Internet's strong Anglo-American bias. And I have finally incorporated a search page for this directory, which may help if you're not sure where to start looking.

Note: Though I do include links to some creative, occasionally naive endeavors, I try not to include sites like the following (straight from the original): "Oral poets can whole heroic poems a formulae in construction of their epics although in this case Homer did not."

Search HyperEpos

General Epic Resources
Women's Epic
Non-Western Epic
American Epic

Pre-Classical Epic
Homeric Epic
Other Greek Epic
Latin Epic
Medieval Epic
Renaissance Epic
Neoclassical Epic
Romantic Epic
Victorian Epic
Modernist Epic
Contemporary Epic

General Epic Resources

Piping the Epic A data mashup which tries to bring together current news on epic poetry from the various corners of the Internet.

Epic Memory What looks to be an engaging project in "questions of medium, memory and performance in relation to the percolation of the past through located poetics" In other words, perhaps, "how does the epic form (meter, rhythm and formula) facilitate the remembrance of past events in an oral tradition? This easily segues into questions such as what effect do other media whether they are text based, aural modes of record, film, etc. have upon epic remembrance? "

How to Write an Epic Poem Just in case you were wondering: "Confront your hero with dangerous monsters and other incredible adventures. Include vivid and explicit descriptions of warfare (particularly weapons and combat)."

The Genre of Performative Epic Under "epic," a "quasi manifesto" from the poet of Plains of Abraham, a poem in English, inspired by Greek and Sanskrit epic.

The Heroic Poem, or The Epic: A Family Rather Than a Genre Useful observations, but unfortunately Philip Allingham does not address the important theoretical claim made in the title

Notes on Heroic Poetry: The Primary and Secondary Epic Useful notes from Philip Allingham at the Victorian Web

The Diversity of Oral Epics Some useful notes from the Folklore Fellows

Mnemonic Devices in the Epic Poetry of Primary Oral Cultures Sarah Becker briefly reviews key ideas of Havelock and Ong

Top Ten American Epic Poems of the 20th Century About.com's idiosyncratic grouping , though it's good to see Loy and Notley on the list

Top Five More A touch odd how many of these are published in the last three years of the 20th Century.

Poetry Portal: Epic Poetry Part of the broad range offered by the Poetry Portal, this provides thumbnail descriptions and useful, if sometimes outdated, links

Epic Poetry A useful but limited site offered by the Wikipedia, including some odd links and notions (e.g., "epic versus narrative")

Epic Poetry Yahoo Directory, mainly to individual texts or sites

Basic Definitions   A few words cribbed from the Handbooks on epic, epic formulas, epic similes

Epic Reviews   Brief reviews, annotations, and/or descriptions of epic scholarship. An ongoing enterprise

Poetry from Beowulf to the Present: Forgotten Ground Regained Nicely focused on alliterative and accentual meters, with a good range of poems and excellent resources

Epic Poetry Quiz Bob Yantosca's questions on first, last, random lines

Classics 160: Epic Course materials, Homer to Milton

Literary Resources on the Net Jack Lynch's extensive annotated listing of literary and scholarly pages

The Listening Booth / The Academy of American Poets Pound performing Canto I; HD reading from Helen in Egypt; much more

Center for Studies in Oral Tradition   All back issues now online and accessible in this new version of the site.

"Poets as Teachers" by John P. Van Mater   Essay from Sunrise Magazine on the import and vitality of epic poetry

Lord Raglan's Scale Heroic life patterns according to the enthusiastic author of The Hero (1936). The site's author even includes a reading of her cat, Tatsu, as archetypal hero

John Dryden's Discourses on Satire and Epic Poetry Significant 1667 essay through Gutenberg, perhaps best remembered for its disparaging of Milton's then-fresh use of blank verse.

| Amazon.com | Voice of the Shuttle

	General Epic Resources
		Piping the Epic A data mashup which tries to bring together current news on epic poetry from the various corners of the Internet. Epic Memory What looks to be an engaging project in "questions of medium, memory and performance in relation to the percolation of the past through located poetics" In other words, perhaps, "how does the epic form (meter, rhythm and formula) facilitate the remembrance of past events in an oral tradition? This easily segues into questions such as what effect do other media whether they are text based, aural modes of record, film, etc. have upon epic remembrance? " How to Write an Epic Poem Just in case you were wondering: "Confront your hero with dangerous monsters and other incredible adventures. Include vivid and explicit descriptions of warfare (particularly weapons and combat)." The Genre of Performative Epic Under "epic," a "quasi manifesto" from the poet of Plains of Abraham, a poem in English, inspired by Greek and Sanskrit epic. The Heroic Poem, or The Epic: A Family Rather Than a Genre Useful observations, but unfortunately Philip Allingham does not address the important theoretical claim made in the title Notes on Heroic Poetry: The Primary and Secondary Epic Useful notes from Philip Allingham at the Victorian Web The Diversity of Oral Epics Some useful notes from the Folklore Fellows Mnemonic Devices in the Epic Poetry of Primary Oral Cultures Sarah Becker briefly reviews key ideas of Havelock and Ong Top Ten American Epic Poems of the 20th Century About.com's idiosyncratic grouping , though it's good to see Loy and Notley on the list Top Five More A touch odd how many of these are published in the last three years of the 20th Century. Poetry Portal: Epic Poetry Part of the broad range offered by the Poetry Portal, this provides thumbnail descriptions and useful, if sometimes outdated, links Epic Poetry A useful but limited site offered by the Wikipedia, including some odd links and notions (e.g., "epic versus narrative") Epic Poetry Yahoo Directory, mainly to individual texts or sites Basic Definitions A few words cribbed from the Handbooks on epic, epic formulas, epic similes Epic Reviews Brief reviews, annotations, and/or descriptions of epic scholarship. An ongoing enterprise Poetry from Beowulf to the Present: Forgotten Ground Regained Nicely focused on alliterative and accentual meters, with a good range of poems and excellent resources Epic Poetry Quiz Bob Yantosca's questions on first, last, random lines Classics 160: Epic Course materials, Homer to Milton Literary Resources on the Net Jack Lynch's extensive annotated listing of literary and scholarly pages The Listening Booth / The Academy of American Poets Pound performing Canto I; HD reading from Helen in Egypt; much more Center for Studies in Oral Tradition All back issues now online and accessible in this new version of the site. "Poets as Teachers" by John P. Van Mater Essay from Sunrise Magazine on the import and vitality of epic poetry Lord Raglan's Scale Heroic life patterns according to the enthusiastic author of The Hero (1936). The site's author even includes a reading of her cat, Tatsu, as archetypal hero John Dryden's Discourses on Satire and Epic Poetry Significant 1667 essay through Gutenberg, perhaps best remembered for its disparaging of Milton's then-fresh use of blank verse.

	\| Amazon.com \| Voice of the Shuttle