Epic Or Romance: Authorial Concept of Genre in Middle English Visions of Troy (Critical Essay‪)‬

ABSTRACT Middle English narratives of the Trojan War are commonly classified as romances. Their authors, however, are aware of the generic differences between romance and epic and see their works as a continuation of the epic tradition. In authorial exordia, invocations, prologues and comments, the reader finds ample proof of an epic conception of the works. The authors claim to be narrating historical facts that belong to the tradition of their own nation. They see their heroes as models and archetypes of chivalry. They believe that their role is to preserve the fame of the heroes and to promote the heroic attitude among their readers. The medieval stories of Troy are an example of Alistair Fowler's concept of mutability and changeability of genres.