There is only one thing which can master the perplexed stuff of epic material into unity; and that is, an ability to see in particular human experience some significant symbolism of man's general destiny. Lascelles Abercrombie abilitydestinyepic share on social
No poet will ever take the written word as a substitute for the spoken word; he knows that it is on the spoken word, and the spoken word only, that his art is founded. Lascelles Abercrombie artfoundpoet Change image and share on social
By the general process of epic poetry, I mean the way this form of art has constantly responded to the profound needs of the society in which it was made. Lascelles Abercrombie artconstantlyepic Change image and share on social
Traditional matter must be glorified, since it would be easier to listen to the re-creation of familiar stories than to quite new and unexpected things; the listeners, we must remember, needed poetry chiefly as the re-creation of tired hours. Lascelles Abercrombie chieflycreationeasy share on social
With several different kinds of poetry to choose from, a man would decide that he would like best to be an epic poet, and he would set out, in conscious determination, on an epic poem. Lascelles Abercrombie chooseconsciousdecide Change image and share on social
An epic is not made by piecing together a set of heroic lays, adjusting their discrepancies and making them into a continuous narrative. Lascelles Abercrombie adjustcontinuousdiscrepancy Change image and share on social
The Border Ballads, for instance, and the Robin Hood Ballads, clearly suppose a state of society which is nothing but a very circumscribed and not very important heroic age. Lascelles Abercrombie ageballadborder Change image and share on social
The reason can only be this: heroic poetry depends on an heroic age, and an age is heroic because of what it is, not because of what it does. Lascelles Abercrombie agedependheroic Change image and share on social
But the gravest difficulty, and perhaps the most important, in poetry meant solely for recitation, is the difficulty of achieving verbal beauty, or rather of making verbal beauty tell. Lascelles Abercrombie achievebeautydifficulty Change image and share on social
Epic poetry exhibits life in some great symbolic attitude. It cannot strictly be said to symbolize life itself, but always some manner of life. Lascelles Abercrombie attitudeepicexhibit Change image and share on social
