Encyclopaedia of Romantic and Epical Literature

These volumes deal with the greatest epics in the world’s literature, and the period of time covered embraces roughly 4000 years. A beginning is made with the “dawn” of literature, and even to the ‘’dawn” of civilization, utilized floating traditions regarding tribal heroes that were already of hoary antiquity in their own days. Most of the literature represented here bears “the magic stamp of a master”, it is plain, natural, and spirited, and, withal, “sustainedly noble” manner. There are two ways in which the epics can be dealt with in such a volume as this. One is by giving bald and brief summaries of their contents; another by rendering them, partly in condensed form, so as to convey to the reader some idea of their charm as narratives, and also something of their character and atmosphere, utilizing good metrical renderings of famous passages, and, as in the case of the Paradiso, utilizing poetic translations quite freely. The latter method has been adopted, so that the volume may be, not only a helpful work of reference for students, but also one which provides instructive and entertaining reading for those who have neither time nor opportunity nor the necessary equipment for perusing the originals. In engaging on this part of the work the writer hoped that he was doing something to extend the knowledge and appreciation of masterpieces among the masses of the people, and to induce the rising generation of readers to cultivate with profit an intimate acquaintance with works of a great and noble poets and great scholars of many countries.