The idea of the ‘Christian epic'

The term ‘Christian epic’ became firmly established in the critical terminology applied to Old English poetry from the middle of the nineteenth century, and remained a popular generic description in Old English criticism until comparatively recently. Two of the better-known histories of the last thirty years sanction its use and devote considerable space to a survey of its canon. ¹ Since the 1960s the popularity of the term has declined. Nevertheless, the legacy of ‘Christian epic’ remains an important factor in the criticism of the poems held to constitute its canon. Hitherto there has been little attempt to investigate the history of the term ‘Christian epic’ and to examine how it came to be applied to a body of Old English poems. This paper traces the origins and development of the idea of ‘Christian epic’ in Old English scholarship, discusses the implications of its use in criticism and its application to Old English poetry, and assesses its relevance and value as a generic term.