Chapter 3 - The Epic Strain

Summary

The topic considered in Chapter 3 is an epic strain in the Tour, following the model first suggested by E.M.W. Tillyard. It attempts to show how the work fulfils the requirements of the genre, as defined by Tillyard, which include high seriousness, amplitude, a predetermined organization, and a choric quality, through which the author is able to “express the feelings of a large group of people living in or near his own time.” The chapter identifies a number of features in the Tour that mimic epic properties, among them the opening statement of a running theme; the motif of a journey comparable in particular ways to a heroic quest; a descent into the underworld; catalogues of past deeds; episodes which the traveler encounters natural winders; discussion of local myths; and the use of sententiae. It is argued that the nation becomes the hero of a narrative designed to aggrandise the future glories of Britain.