Remembrance of Things Past: Overture & Combray

To maintain a healthy level of insanity, I've decided to read Proust's Remembrance of Things Lost this summer. All 1.5 million words of it. The use of memory and reflections upon the past are prominently featured throughout the work—especially in the madeline sequence (48-51). Like many other modernist writers, Proust focuses upon sensory details like taste and smell to describe his memories. In these first two chapters, Marcel reflects on his childhood and impressions he has of people. I doubt he is entirely reliable (a modernist technique, no doubt), but he it is his unreliability which is one reason the work is so endearing. Marcel himself seems to realize the problem memories can have in relation to truth. He finds: "We try to discover things, which become precious to us on that account, the reflection of what our soul has projected on to them; we are disillusioned when we find that they are in reality devoid of the charm which they owed, in our minds, to the association of ideas" (93). How many times has an individual gone back to visit people or places of the past and they are simply not right? They have lost the charm they once had and no longer resemble those precious memories which we have created and cherish.

Marcel delves into the issue of society and its impact upon the characters within the book. Marcel's family falls within the middle class and his compares France's society to a Hindu caste system in which sharply defined castes are determined at birth. One's station in life cannot be changed unless there is "the accident of an exceptional career or of a 'good' marriage" (17). Everyone accepted their role within society and seemed to play the part they had been given happily.

Hamlet: Is He an Unlikely Hero?

Hamlet is the not the typical hero many would envision when considering Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces, but he does have many of the characteristics that other heroes have. His call to adventure comes from the ghost of his father. Though Hamlet has many helpers on his journey, he never seems to fully trust any around him and kills or has killed all who seem to act as allies (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern) or mentors (Polonius). Perhaps this is because the hero must act alone and complete the journey without any outside aid. As stated on the handout, "the action occurs in a heroic past. With the exception of Omeros epics feature the heroes of a culture: the kings and warriors. The churls and gravediggers are of little consequence. In epics, the heroes illustrate how members of society should behave to create a better world for all. How Hamlet accomplishes this, I'm stumped. Also, after the hero completes his task i.e. avenging the death of his father, he should emerge with some great wealth (whether tangible gold or a great revelation), but Hamlet is left to die. (In fact, everyone seems to die; the body count is remarkably high even for a Shakespearian tragedy.)

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

CS Lewis is an amazing writer, but I had never considered his work TLTW&TW to be an epic. This idea has completely reinvigorated the work for me and makes we want to read the entire work again as an epic. The selection from Lewis' work has part of Aslan's aristeia: he is taunted continually by his enemies. After being shaved, the mob remarks that "he's only a great cat after all!" (150). In "Deeper Magic From Before the Dawn of Time," the audience is exposed to many of the prophesies that are traditionally found in the epics. Aslan reveals "that when a willing victim who has committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards" (160). This prophesy allows "the gods" to play a role in TLTW&TW. Also the gathering of the followers of Aslan together seems reminiscent of so many other epics. In Lord of the Rings a council met to discuss the fate of the rings, in Iliad both gods and men come together to discuss the next actions in the Trojan War, in Paradise Lost the council in heaven discussing the war with Satan also seems to influence this work.

Candide

As much as I love Voltaire' Candide, I can't seem to wrap myself around this satire as an epic. First off, the story seems to begin more ab ovo. There is a clear beginning; it almost starts with a once upon a time. Through a series of unfortunate events, Candide begins a journey that doesn't seem to be as straight as those in other epics. He is often taken off course and pursues other adventures. His entire quest is for the lovely Cunegonde. In the end, he does find Cunegonde, but she is not the girl of his dreams. His entire "epic" journey has been a bit of waste. She isn't beautiful, she's sun-burnt, with bloodshot eyes, a withered neck, wrinkled face, red scaly arms. His prize is rotten! At the end of a hero's journey, he is supposed to have something to show for it. He doesn't have a beautiful girl; perhaps, Candide is one of those fellows he ends up with wisdom only the hero may gain—but he seems to reject all of the knowledge he has gained through his experiences and refuses to better society, content to live the remainder of his days cultivating his garden. He is too selfish to share his wisdom (if he has gained any, which I don't believe he did, he just kind of quit). Don't get me wrong; Candide's an amazing satire—I cannot classify it as an epic.

Kalevala

The Kalevala seems to integrate many of the elements of the epic tradition within its work. Although "the power of a man lay not only in the strength of his arms" there is still an element of competition and warriors take a genuine pride in a job well done (15). In the "Singing Contest," Joukahainen is determined to "battle" the great warrior Vainamoinen. Like in the Lusiads and the old man yelling from the dock his warning not to proceed, Joukahainen's parents plead with him not challenge the old wizard. Although this is not the typical epic battle we are used to where men attempt to hack each other to death, it contains many of the elements of the aristeia. At their meeting, Joukahainen brags about his amazing knowledge and his many accomplishments just like many of the warriors in past epics like Iliad, Aeneid, and Lusiads. Vainamoinen taunts Joukahainen stating that his "is the learning of women" (19). Vainamoinen reminds me faintly of Achilles in The Iliad: before Patroclus' death, Achilles is offered a huge amount of booty to join the ranks and fight the Trojans, yet he resisted. Vainamoinen is offered an array of fabulous prizes, but only the promise of an amazingly beautiful young girl is able to persuade Vainamoinen to release the magic holding Joukahainen.

Dante & His Fiery Inferno

Although Dante wrote his Divine Comedy in verse, I'd never considered it "epic" before. While reading Canto V, it became apparent that it follows many of the same conventions found throughout the course. Dante's references to characters used in previous works seem especially pertinent. In the second circle of hell are those which are carnal and unable or unwilling to control their physical desires. Dido, Cleopatra, Helen, Achilles, Paris, and Tristan all were doomed to this eternal torment. Dido, Helen, and Paris I can understand the reasoning behind their presence because of the epics which I've studied. (I believe Dido cannot truly be held responsible for her actions because it was the gods that influenced her decision to fall in love. Also Helen and Paris seem to have caused one another enough pain in their mortal existence—it seems cruel to continue their punishment since they were never able to truly enjoy the decision they made.) But I don't quite understand how Achilles ended up there. Achilles did not fight throughout much of Iliad because he was unwilling to humble himself before Agamemnon. Upon hearing Patroclus died, Achilles was filled with a furor that was unmatched. He had a great love and respect for his friend, and fought to honor his friend. I don't see him as one who was unable to control his appetites because in the end, he forfeited every comfort to avenge his friend's death.

Lord of the Rings

On the Tolkien and Medievalism handout, the "responsibility to be a good lord and repay fealty with honors and love" is documented. The lord and his servant have a working relationship to allow both parties to better their situation. I think that this closely resembles both Aeneas in Aeneid and the Portuguese in Lusiads because both the heroes within those epics were willing to sacrifice everything for the good of the state. Time and time again, we see Aeneas torn between his desires as a man and the sense of duty that continually drives him to sacrifice his own happiness.

The Lord of the Rings contains many other epic elements that are similar to those past epics, yet in the reading we see two unlikely heroes: a hobbit and a woman. These are definitely NOT the heroes Homer or Virgil would have written about. Yet in this trilogy we see the ordinary doing the extraordinary which is radically different from most epics (Omeros also falls into this category). Tolkien's variety of heroes seems to appeal to a much wider audience—there seems to be a hero that each individual could find admirable and perhaps emulate. If epics teach society how to behave and sacrifice for the greater good, Lord of the Rings certainly does accomplish that task.