LoveLoveLovix
Puella Magi
So, in my British Literature and Composition class today, we talked about the qualifications of an "epic story" and an "epic hero." Jokingly, my friend Maydy and I used the form my teacher showed us to explain how our favorite shows and books were "epics." And we used Buffy, which the more I thought about it, the more it seemed to fit the bill exactly.
Qualifications that mark an epic hero:
Glorified: must have been glorified in some way
On A Quest: an epic hero must be trying to achieve something
Ethical: must have some ethics
Strong: must be mentally, magically, or physically stronger than most
Qualifications of an epic (story or poem):
Bravery: people must show bravery
Loyalty: characters must be loyal
Generosity: the story must show some form of it
Friendship: the story must teach the value of friendship in some way
Also, while we didn't talk about this in class, in my English 9 class three years ago we learned that epic heroes also usually had a fatal flaw: something that prevented them from being too Mary Sue-ish.
I think that Buffy is an epic for modern times (likely Angel too, but I still haven't seen that much of it). What do you guys think?
Here's what I said to qualify Buffy, by the way:
Qualifications that mark an epic hero:
Glorified: A lot of people in the supernatural world seem to have heard of Buffy, or at least the Slayer. Stories are told about her.
On A Quest: to stop whatever apocalypse is going on at the moment
Ethical: Buffy usually tries to do the right thing, no matter the cost, even if it means her death (twice).
Strong: Slayer strength. 'nuff said.
Qualifications of an epic (story or poem):
Bravery: The Scoobies commonly face things they are scared of, which is the highest form of bravery
Loyalty: Most of the characters stick together through thick and thin, no matter what.
Generosity: As said above, Buffy sacrifices many things, even her life, so other people can be safer and happier and live with less risk of vampires and demons.
Friendship: Buffy would be dead several times over if not for her friends- that's a huge point of the show.
Fatal flaw: Buffy can be a little too sacrificial at points, and a little too selfish at other points. To me, it seems like she never really strikes a good balance. And that can be really bad.
Qualifications that mark an epic hero:
Glorified: must have been glorified in some way
On A Quest: an epic hero must be trying to achieve something
Ethical: must have some ethics
Strong: must be mentally, magically, or physically stronger than most
Qualifications of an epic (story or poem):
Bravery: people must show bravery
Loyalty: characters must be loyal
Generosity: the story must show some form of it
Friendship: the story must teach the value of friendship in some way
Also, while we didn't talk about this in class, in my English 9 class three years ago we learned that epic heroes also usually had a fatal flaw: something that prevented them from being too Mary Sue-ish.
I think that Buffy is an epic for modern times (likely Angel too, but I still haven't seen that much of it). What do you guys think?
Here's what I said to qualify Buffy, by the way:
Qualifications that mark an epic hero:
Glorified: A lot of people in the supernatural world seem to have heard of Buffy, or at least the Slayer. Stories are told about her.
On A Quest: to stop whatever apocalypse is going on at the moment
Ethical: Buffy usually tries to do the right thing, no matter the cost, even if it means her death (twice).
Strong: Slayer strength. 'nuff said.
Qualifications of an epic (story or poem):
Bravery: The Scoobies commonly face things they are scared of, which is the highest form of bravery
Loyalty: Most of the characters stick together through thick and thin, no matter what.
Generosity: As said above, Buffy sacrifices many things, even her life, so other people can be safer and happier and live with less risk of vampires and demons.
Friendship: Buffy would be dead several times over if not for her friends- that's a huge point of the show.
Fatal flaw: Buffy can be a little too sacrificial at points, and a little too selfish at other points. To me, it seems like she never really strikes a good balance. And that can be really bad.
D
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