The Epic Hero

The Epic Hero PDF

Author: Dean A. Miller

Publisher: JHU Press

Published: 2003-05-22

Total Pages: 529

ISBN-13: 080187792X

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Selected by Choice Magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title From Odysseus to Aeneas, from Beowulf to King Arthur, from the Mahâbhârata to the Ossetian "Nart" tales, epic heroes and their stories have symbolized the power of the human imagination. Drawing on diverse disciplines including classics, anthropology, psychology, and literary studies, this product of twenty years' scholarship provides a detailed typology of the hero in Western myth: birth, parentage, familial ties, sexuality, character, deeds, death, and afterlife. Dean A. Miller examines the place of the hero in the physical world (wilderness, castle, prison cell) and in society (among monarchs, fools, shamans, rivals, and gods). He looks at the hero in battle and quest; at his political status; and at his relationship to established religion. The book spans Western epic traditions, including Greek, Roman, Nordic, and Celtic, as well as the Indian and Persian legacies. A large section of the book also examines the figures who modify or accompany the hero: partners, helpers (animals and sometimes monsters), foes, foils, and even antitypes. The Epic Hero provides a comprehensive and provocative guide to epic heroes, and to the richly imaginative tales they inhabit.

Spenser, Milton, and the Redemption of the Epic Hero

Spenser, Milton, and the Redemption of the Epic Hero PDF

Author: Christopher Bond

Publisher: University of Delaware

Published: 2011-04-29

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 1611490677

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This book studies the interplay of theology and poetics in the three great epics of early modern England, the Faerie Queene, Paradise Lost, and Paradise Regained. Bond examines how Spenser and Milton adapted the pattern of dual heroism developed in classical and Medieval works. Challenging the opposition between 'Calvinist,' 'allegorical' Spenser and 'Arminian,' 'dramatic' Milton, this book offers a new understanding of their doctrinal and literary affinities within the European epic tradition.

Beowulf

Beowulf PDF

Author:

Publisher: Courier Corporation

Published: 2012-03-01

Total Pages: 70

ISBN-13: 0486111105

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Finest heroic poem in Old English celebrates the exploits of Beowulf, a young nobleman of southern Sweden. Combines myth, Christian and pagan elements, and history into a powerful narrative. Genealogies.

The Rama Epic

The Rama Epic PDF

Author: Robert P. Goldman

Publisher: Asian Art Museum

Published: 2018-09-25

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 9780939117772

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"Exhibition catalogue for The Rama Epic--recounting the struggle of Prince Rama to defeat a powerful demonic king, rescue his abducted wife and reestablish virtuous order in the world. The epic has been a prime subject for visual and performing arts, literature and religious thought in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia for many centuries. A huge number of artworks of all kinds relating to the Rama legends have been made over the course of 1500 years in a dozen countries. This book illustrates some of the most important episodes involving the four primary characters: the hero, Rama; the heroine, Rama's wife Sita; the ally, Rama's faithful monkey lieutenant Hanuman; and the foe, the ten-headed demon king Ravana. The catalogue tells the story in a new light using more than 130 artworks, ranging from paintings to puppets to decorative arts to contemporary works to ephemera, inviting readers to find echoes of their own experiences in the stories and dilemmas of each of the characters"--

The Best of the Argonauts

The Best of the Argonauts PDF

Author: James J. Clauss

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2023-07-28

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 0520313801

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This revelatory exploration of Book One of the Argonautica rescues Jason from his status as the ineffectual hero of Apollonius' epic poem. James J. Clauss argues that by posing the question, "Who is the best of the Argonauts?" Apollonius redefines the epic hero and creates, in Jason, a man more realistic and less awesome than his Homeric predecessors, one who is vulnerable, dependent on the help of others, even morally questionable, yet ultimately successful. In bringing Apollonius' "curious and demanding poem" to life, Clauss illuminates two features of the poet's narrative style: his ubiquitous allusions to the poetry of others, especially Homer, and the carefully balanced structural organization of his episodes. The poet's subtextual interplay is explored, as is his propensity for underscoring the manipulation of the poetry of others through ring composition. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1993.

Planet Omar: Epic Hero Flop

Planet Omar: Epic Hero Flop PDF

Author: Zanib Mian

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2022-06-14

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 0593407172

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Omar and his friends are up to a new heroic adventure in the fourth installment of this highly-illustrated middle-grade series starring a Muslim boy with a huge imagination. Is there ever a good time to tell a lie? When his best friend Daniel messes up at school, Omar decides to take the blame to save Daniel from getting in trouble—which makes Omar feel like a total hero! Being treated like a hero feels great, so he does it again. But then something more serious happens, and all eyes land on Omar. Uh-oh. The principal is convinced that Omar must have done it. Will he and his friends be able to prove his innocence, or is his good reputation ruined forever?

Epic Heroes on Screen

Epic Heroes on Screen PDF

Author: Antony Augoustakis

Publisher: Screening Antiquity

Published: 2019-11-27

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781474454636

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Since 2000, numerous heroes of the ancient world have appeared on film and TV, from the mythical Hercules to leaders of the Greek and Roman worlds. This collection brings together a range of perspectives on twenty-first century cinematic representations of heroes from the ancient world.

The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours

The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours PDF

Author: Gregory Nagy

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2020-01-10

Total Pages: 657

ISBN-13: 0674244192

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What does it mean to be a hero? The ancient Greeks who gave us Achilles and Odysseus had a very different understanding of the term than we do today. Based on the legendary Harvard course that Gregory Nagy has taught for well over thirty years, The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours explores the roots of Western civilization and offers a masterclass in classical Greek literature. We meet the epic heroes of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, but Nagy also considers the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, the songs of Sappho and Pindar, and the dialogues of Plato. Herodotus once said that to read Homer was to be a civilized person. To discover Nagy’s Homer is to be twice civilized. “Fascinating, often ingenious... A valuable synthesis of research finessed over thirty years.” —Times Literary Supplement “Nagy exuberantly reminds his readers that heroes—mortal strivers against fate, against monsters, and...against death itself—form the heart of Greek literature... [He brings] in every variation on the Greek hero, from the wily Theseus to the brawny Hercules to the ‘monolithic’ Achilles to the valiantly conflicted Oedipus.” —Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Monthly

Sister of Grendel: A Novel

Sister of Grendel: A Novel PDF

Author: Susan Thurston

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2015-11-30

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13: 1882699017

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In the ancient epic, Grendel and his mother are monsters slain by the hero warrior Beowulf. In Sister of Grendel we learn a different truth, told by the lone witness to their brutal deaths. In this powerful and poignant reimagining, Grendel has a sister, Rehsotis. She and her brother are not monsters, but Anathians, who possess refined language and intelligence, great physical strength, and longevity. They live close to the natural and spiritual world, are skilled in herbal medicine, music, and magic, and can enter the dreams of sleeping humans. Rehsotis and Grendel are among the last of their race. Ultimately, Rehsotis must bridge the dangerous divide with humankind-the Smallheaded-with the help of her few allies, including a forsaken monk, a grieving lover, and a trusting child.