What is considered the first British epic?

What is considered the first British epic?

• A. Beowulf
• B. The Canterbury Tales
• C. Paradise Lost
• D. Le Morte d'Arthur

Answer: (A)

Beowulf stands as the earliest surviving example of a British epic—a long narrative poem that centers on a heroic figure, spans large-scale battles, and follows a quest-like arc. Composed in Old English and likely created in the early medieval period, it uses elevated language and epic conventions—a fearless hero, fate and reputation, perilous monsters, and a community-centered setting in the mead hall. These features define what many scholars consider an epic in the British tradition, making Beowulf the first epic to endure in English literature. The Canterbury Tales is a late medieval collection of stories told by pilgrims, not an epic; Paradise Lost, though an epic, comes from the 17th century; Le Morte d'Arthur is a 15th-century prose romance about Arthurian legends. While those works are significant, Beowulf best fits the idea of the first British epic.

Beowulf stands as the earliest surviving example of a British epic—a long narrative poem that centers on a heroic figure, spans large-scale battles, and follows a quest-like arc. Composed in Old English and likely created in the early medieval period, it uses elevated language and epic conventions—a fearless hero, fate and reputation, perilous monsters, and a community-centered setting in the mead hall. These features define what many scholars consider an epic in the British tradition, making Beowulf the first epic to endure in English literature. The Canterbury Tales is a late medieval collection of stories told by pilgrims, not an epic; Paradise Lost, though an epic, comes from the 17th century; Le Morte d'Arthur is a 15th-century prose romance about Arthurian legends. While those works are significant, Beowulf best fits the idea of the first British epic.