The epic is one of the most ancient forms of functioning literature, chronicling the history of society with grandeur and elegance. Over the millennia, its vessels have certainly changed, beginning as an oral tradition in many societies and civilizations. From the 20th century B.C. we encounter The Epic of Gilgamesh, a tale that is considered to be one of the oldest known works of literary fiction. Gilgamesh was told orally, as well as inscribed on a series of stone tablets. It tells the story of Gilgamesh, the discontented king and his friend Enkidu, a born adventurer. Together, the main characters of this epic embark on many journeys that take them to distant places with numerous interesting encounters. Gilgamesh deals chiefly with the issue of immorality and is thought of as one of the premier literary works, from any civilization, to do so.
When examining the characteristics of the epic, there is a clear divide as to the aspects that are central its formation and the aspects that have been forged out of classical tradition. For example, in most works of Greek and Roman epic literature, the story begins with an invocation to the gods. The Greek epic The Odyssey by Homer begins with the famed invocation “Oh Goddess of Inspiration, help me sing of wily Odysseus, the master of schemes!” This aspect of classical epic literature is certainly a remnant from the days when the epic was a mainly oral tradition. Another seemingly classical tradition of epic style is what many consider an “aristocratic bias” due to the fact that many Greek and Roman epics were written by members of an educated class in order to honor their ancestors.
These classical aspects, firmly ingrained in the epic tradition, while important to the study of the genre are in essence, a stale tradition. As the scope of literary study in the Western World has broadened, particularly over the last century to include topics of multicultural study outside of Western society, we behave in essence, expanded the epic genre tenfold. Strong aspects of epic poetry can be found across the globe in works from The Americas, Asia and Africa. By discarding many of the classical, yet somewhat frivolous aspects of epic poetry, we are able to view literature from every part of the globe through an epic lens.
On the African content, we see many parallels between the oral history of this region of the world and the oral history and epic formation of ancient western civilizations. Both traditions are pervaded by oral myths, legends and fables that have withstood the test of time, for some reason or another, usually due to some central theme that can be considered universal such as love, morality, truth, etc.
An interesting evolution can be found in the epic aspects of contemporary works. Keeping our focus on Africa, a continent rich with literary material such as tribal religion, civil war and colonial oppression, a succinct case of epic aspects in modern literature can be found in Sembène Ousmane's tale of the Senegalese Union Railroad Strike of 1947, God's Bits of Wood.
As a filmmaker, Ousmane's ties to epic understanding are strong. Growing up in post-colonial Senegal, many of Ousmane's works deal with the national and racial struggle undertaken by Black Africans throughout history, and particularly under post-colonial and other forms of governmental oppression. Nearly the entirety of his work is set against the framework of African culture and a certain pervasive nationalism. In God's Bits of Wood, Ousmane chronicles the great struggle of the Black Railroad Unionists in Senegal, highlighting their courageous fight against colonial powers, as well as their demand for equal treatment to whites, including pay and benefits.
There are several blatant elements of the epic in Ousmane's novel. For example. A standing tradition in the genre is the concept of “A Cast of Thousands,” meaning that there are a great deal of active and inactive characters within the story that is being told. The characters in God's Bits of Wood are mainly the Railroad workers, as well as their wives, children and extended families. What is interesting about this novel that certainly differentiates it from other forms of epic literature as that there is no single character that can be identified as “the hero.” Instead, Ousmane intentionally casts equal literary weight on many of the characters in order to convey a sense of unity and oneness among them, a careful device that is central to themes found in this account of brave solidarity.
Another direct aspect of epic literature that is present in Ousmane's novel is the extremely broad setting in which the story takes place. This type of setting in the traditional epic is often a device that renders the story conducive to some sort of journey. However, the grand setting of most epics works symbiotically with a generally short time frame in which the story occurs, providing a certain illuminating contrast between the space and time of the tale. In God's Bit's of Wood, Ousmane utilizes the rich setting of Africa and Senegal and particular. The railway, which the novel is centered around takes on not only a literal center of the story, but serves as a metaphor for the journey that has been embarked upon by the characters. One example of the importance of the vast setting to the story is the march of the women of the village from Thiès to Dakar. This highly symbolic action is representative not only of the painstaking physical quest that they have undertaken, but is also indicative of the strength of the protagonists as a community. In this manner, Ousmane has taken the epic to a new level of exploration. Whereas most traditional epics rely more heavily on a physical journey as a display of heroism, God's Bits of Wood is mainly working with the aspects of an introspective journey, taken by the characters on a group and individual level.
Perhaps the most forward epic attribute displayed in Ousmane's novel is the fierce nationalism and sense of pride that it conveys. In early epics such as The Odyssey and The Aeneid, a strong sense of nationalist pride was placed in these works, which drew greatly from their cultural surroundings, most commonly depicting them in a glorified state. God's Bits of Wood is definitely an epic in this sense of its function. Ousmane, as a filmmaker and writer is seeking to shed light on the oppression faced by Black Africans, in particular the plight of his native people in Senegal. The strong theme of community found in the novel, while definitely intentional, highlights this sort of abstract nationalism, different from that of Greek and Roman literature in several ways, the most prominent being that while these ancient epics took great pride in their nation as a physical entity, Ousmane's nationalist pride is reserved for its native citizens. Ousmane takes pride in their struggle and perseverance, in a way, utilizing them as a symbol upon which ideal nationalism should be based.
Whether or not Sembène Ousmane's Gods Bits of Woodcan truly be characterized as an epic may be, in some ways, the stylistic concern of the reader and his or her viewpoint on the function of epic literature. Those who regard the epic as a privileged and elite work, loaded with classical ideology and device such as in medias res and invocation may not think it to be so. However, it is important to note that the epic has always been highly reliant on the oral tradition, meaning that before it was ever written on paper, it had to be preserved an carried out, assumingly by numerous people as it gained popularity. Clearly, this illustrates that the epic is reliant on the people who have passed the tale on through the generational span, which would never have happened without it having relevance to these people. Is Ousmane perhaps just a conveyor of a greater story? Perhaps the epic has nothing to do with the blatant story that it tells. It seems more likely that the tradition has survived due to a more subconscious expression of common themes in humanity.
