David Maloufs Hero in Ransom - 1215 Words

The hero trope is used in many different genres in many different ways, but the genre in which this trope and the ‘hero’s quest’ appear in their traditional form is that of narrative heroic poetry. One such example being the eight century poem Beowulf. Which when tied and compared to a much more modern take on the traditional hero genre in the form of David Malouf’s â€Å"ransom† showcase the different ways in which the hero trope can be explored. Throughout both these texts, the author directs and challenges the readers ideas of heroism. Within Beowulf especially where the traditional ideals of being a hero are challenged and reformed, to create depth and interesting new ideas thus come into play that co-exist with traditional hero tropes and the unique genre to become a new thing. Also within David Malouf’s ‘Ransom’ the genre is challenged by modernising a familiar traditional hero tale and inter-textualising it. Creating a wh ole new form of telling the heroes quest, without relying heavily on the original tale for details and instead brings forth more attention to characters that are in the background or barely mentioned in the original text. Beowulf holds a key to understanding how the author can invoke a response from the reader through different narrative forms and the heroic/non heroic trope. The form of the epic poem is used to present the themes of power, war death and life itself in an enhanced way that allows the writer to arouse a particular response from theShow MoreRelatedRANSOM BY David Malouf Class Notes2751 Words   |  12 Pagesï » ¿ RANSOM BY David Malouf Characters Make brief notes in your workbook to describe who each character is Agamemnon Peleus Patroclus Achilles Priam Briseis Hermes Hector Hecuba Thetis Iris Somax/Idaeus Myrmidons Neoptelemus Polydamus Automedon Helenus Cassandra Background Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad, first started as an oral storytelling tradition dating from about 1100 BC, after the Trojan war. It is part of the great oral tradition of storytelling