A Comparative Study of the Epic Views of Aristotle and Hegel

摘要

Aristotle is the originator of the classical epic theory. He requires that the plot structure of the epic should form an organic whole like the drama, and his epic view is a kind of dramatic epic view. Hegel is the one who epitomized the classical epic theory. He brings the epic into his own aesthetic system and thinks that the epic is an organic whole of the dialectical unity of content and form, general and individual. Their views of epic represent the formation and development of classical epic theory.