Paul Innes offers a clear introduction to what is often a complex and unwieldy area of literary studies. Tracing epic from its ancient and classical roots through postmodern and contemporary epic and pointing towards the future, this volume discusses: a wide range of writers including Homer, Vergil, Ovid, Dante, Chaucer, Milton, Cervantes, Keats, Byron, Eliot, Walcott and Tolkien texts from poems, novels, children#xE2;#xAC;"s literature, tv, theatre and film themes and motifs such as romance, tragedy, religion, journeys and the supernatural. Taking a global perspective and addressing epic far beyond the English language, this handy book takes you on a fascinating guided tour through the epic.