The First Epics Were Intended For Recitation;

For The Stage Displays The First Vigorous Expression, As The Natural Thing And Without Conspicuous Restraint, Of Private Individuality.

That Is To Say, Epic Poetry Has Been Invented Many Times And Independently; But, As The Needs Which Prompted The Invention Have Been Broadly Similar, So The Invention Itself Has Been.

The Balance Of Private Good And General Welfare Is At The Bottom Of Civilized Morals But The Morals Of The Heroic Age Are Founded On Individuality, And On Nothing Else.

There Is Only One Thing Which Can Master The Perplexed Stuff Of Epic Material Into Unity; And That Is, An Ability To See In Particular Human Experience Some Significant Symbolism Of Man's General Destiny.

How To Tell Students What To Look For Without Telling Them What To See Is The Dilemma Of Teaching.