The Epic of Gilgamesh
Anonymous · Ancient · Epic poetry
Genre guide
Epic poetry
Explore 13 works associated with Epic poetry in The Western Canon. This page is generated from reviewed catalog classifications and links directly to each featured work.
Featured works
Beowulf
Anonymous · Medieval · Epic poetry
Paradise Lost
John Milton · Early Modern · Epic poetry
The Iliad
Homer · Ancient · Epic poetry
The Odyssey
Homer · Ancient · Epic poetry
The Aeneid
Virgil · Ancient · Epic poetry
The Song of Roland
Anonymous · Medieval · Epic poetry
The Poem of the Cid
Anonymous · Medieval · Epic poetry
The Nibelungenlied
Anonymous · Medieval · Epic poetry
Orlando Furioso
Ludovico Ariosto · Renaissance · Epic poetry
The Shepheardes Calender
Edmund Spenser · Renaissance · Epic poetry
Jerusalem Delivered
Torquato Tasso · Renaissance · Epic poetry
The Faerie Queene
Edmund Spenser · Renaissance · Epic poetry
Epic poetry books and poems
Where should you start with epic poetry?
Epic poetry stretches from ancient heroic journeys to later religious and national epics. Start with the most influential works, then compare how later poets reshape war, homecoming, empire, exile, salvation, and rebellion.
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Anonymous · Ancient
The Iliad
Homer · Ancient
The Odyssey
Homer · Ancient
The Aeneid
Virgil · Ancient
Beowulf
Anonymous · Medieval
Paradise Lost
John Milton · Early Modern
The Song of Roland
Anonymous · Medieval
Orlando Furioso
Ludovico Ariosto · Renaissance
Follow the Great Epics reading path or compare translations of The Odyssey.