Epic Features

The Song of Igor's Campaign

contains many of the elements of the traditional epic. It is about a heroic figure, Igor, who is of national significance for Russia. The setting is vast, stretching across the great expanse of Russian lands, and the author augments this effect by recalling many battles from the past and naming the places where they were fought. The action involves feats of courage in battle, and the omniscient point of view adopted by the author allows him to tell of events widely apart in time and place. This also allows him to convey the inner feelings of some of the characters through dialogue and description. Finally, epics usually begin with an invocation to a muse, and this is echoed in the Song: the author starts by recalling the skill of the earlier bard, Boyan.

However, many aspects of the traditional epic are not...