epyllion

epyllion

poetry
      brief narrative poem in dactylic hexameter of ancient Greece, usually dealing with mythological and romantic themes. It is characterized by lively description, miniaturistic attitude, scholarly allusion, and an elevated tone similar to that of the elegy. Such poems were especially popular during the Greek Alexandrian period (c. 3rd–2nd century BC), as seen in the works of Callimachus and Theocritus, although the term epyllion was not applied to them until the 19th century. Late Republican and early Augustan Latin poetry, such as Catullus's poem on the marriage of Peleus and Thetis and Ovid's Metamorphoses (c. AD 1–8), reflect the influence of the epyllion, as do the troubadour songs of the Middle Ages and the modern Greek Klephtic ballads. William Shakespeare's The Rape of Lucrece (1594) and Matthew Arnold's "Sohrab and Rustum" (1853) are examples of epyllions in English.

Additional Reading
M. Marjorie Crump, The Epyllion from Theocritus to Ovid (1931, reprinted 1978); Kathryn J. Gutzwiller, Studies in the Hellenistic Epyllion (1981).

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • Epyllion — Ein Epyllion (altgriechisch „kleines Epos“) ist eine Dichtungsform, die im griechischen Hellenismus, vor allem in der alexandrinischen Literatur aufkommt und auch in der römischen Poesie eine wichtige Rolle spielt, etwa bei den Neoterikern. Das… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Épyllion — Un épyllion (diminutif grec de έπος / epos, racine d « épopée ») est, dans la litterature grecque et latine, une épopée très brève. C est un poème narratif de quelques centaines d hexamètres portant généralement sur la vie d un héros ou …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Epyllion — Epỵllion   [griechisch »kleines Epos«] das, /...li|en oder ...lia, epische Kleinform der griechischen und lateinischen Literatur, die in hellenistischer Zeit als Gegenstück zu dem großen Epos entstand. Das Epyllion schildert in Hexametern… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Epyllion — Epyl|li|on das; , Plur. ...lien [...i̯ən] od. ...lia <aus gr. epýllion, Verkleinerungsform von épos, vgl. ↑Epos> in hellenistischer Zeit dem großen ↑Epos gegenübergestellte epische Kleinform oft mythologischen Inhalts …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • epyllion — noun a) a little epic . b) A brief narrative poem with a romantic or mythological theme …   Wiktionary

  • epyllion — [ɪ pɪlɪən, ɛ ] noun (plural epyllia) a narrative poem resembling an epic but of shorter extent. Origin C19: from Gk epullion, dimin. of epos word, song , from eipein say …   English new terms dictionary

  • epyllion — epyl·li·on …   English syllables

  • epyllion — n. (pl. epyllia) a miniature epic poem. Etymology: Gk epullion dimin. of epos word, song …   Useful english dictionary

  • Appendix Vergiliana — The Appendix Vergiliana is a collection of poems traditionally ascribed as juvenilia of Virgil, although it is likely that all the pieces are in fact spurious. Many were considered works of Virgil in antiquity, but it seems that they comprise a… …   Wikipedia

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