Elegy and Epic: A Complex Relationship

The aim of this paper is to investigate the multiform cross-relationship between the Greek archaic and classical elegy and the epic poetry. The paper offers an examination of relevant literary evidences articulated in three steps: a first part on the place of epic and elegy in the classifications of the literary genres proposed by ancient scholars; a second part on the stylistic features; a third part on the performative contexts. The mosaic of similarities and differences emerging from the survey allows to draw some guidelines. In elegy, metrics, style and linguistic features constantly point to epic poetry, but at the same time are the tools employed by elegiac poets to shape a totally new kind of compositions, appropriate for different occasions and situations. Therefore the two literary genres are linked by an osmotic relationship, which is persistent for several centuries and is characterized by different phases.