Somehow, from a present-day perspective, despite the differences in medium and content, the Lord of the Rings and the Aeneid both qualify as ‘epics’. If so, what does this say about the conception of epic today? The very fact that the word ‘epic’ is currently used for classical poetry and fantasy fiction alike – combined with the explicit connections made by the latter to the first – implies a perceived similarity in form or function. Thus, it is safe to say that these very modern fantasy franchises are deeply ‘anchored’ in the classical epic tradition. We may find cosmic battles fought out in Manhattan, a fated hero in a school of wizardry, and an epic proem floating in outer space. Yet a closer look reveals an abundance of tropes, type-scenes, and narrative structures familiar from classical epic.
Ostensibly, these intensely popular and modern franchises – dispersed over different media, from film to video games – are a far cry from the classical poems by Homer and Vergil. Many of these contemporary ‘epics’ are not set in classical antiquity, nor are they written in dactylic hexameter – indeed they are often not written at all: currently, the most significant concentration of heroic storytelling, as well as the use of the ‘epic’ label, is to be found in transmedia fantasy franchises, in the worlds of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Game of Thrones, Avatar, and the Avengers. Indeed, the word is still most commonly used to describe lengthy tales of heroes, involving quests and battles on a cosmic scale.
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