ON THE PROBLEM OF NATIONAL PECULIARITIES IN EPIC

Abstract

The author discussses the problem of national peculiarities in epic as this relates to the subject of typology. Within the diversity of scholarly opinion on the subject, the author’s approach leans mostly closely towards that of the Russian scholar E. M. Meletinski and his English counterpart Sir Cecil Bowra, to the effect that folk epics should be divided into two categories – archaic and medieval. The class to which a given epic is assigned is аnindicator of theoriginality of its national matrix. Though each culture reflects features associated with both archaicand medieval characteristics, it is also true that the epic monuments in one or the other category also differ significantly from one another.

To illustrate his argument the author analyses three epics of medieval origin, the Armenian “David of Sasun”, the Spanish “Song of El Cid” and the French “Song of Roland”. While all of them share common features, such as the rivalry of the protagonists, nevertheless each reveals its distinct national profile. It emerges that the Armenian epic is more mythological, despite the fact that all the mythological aspects of the plot have undergone the influence of medieval folk thinking. Meanwhile, the Spanish and French epics, in contrast, are completely lacking in any mythological element in their plot structure. Here, our interest is drawn to the striking contrast in the portrayal of the protagonists of those epics on certain important areas. Roland was entirely devoted to the demands of chivalry, while El Cid was able to perform actions outside the norms of knightly conduct. All these divergences can be associated with the national origin of these epics.

REFERENCES

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