New epic poetry is a modern version of the mainstream epic tradition whose features have changed to meet the requirements of modern taste. The most outstanding poet in employing this form is Ahmad Shamloo, one of the most renowned contemporary Iranian poets. To highlight the changes in the content and formal linguistic features of the traditional and new forms of epic, the present study compares the stylistic aspects of the Shāh-nāme with Shamloo’s poetry to reveal how the “passage of time” can account for such changes. Shamloo has composed his epic within the framework that can typically be termed as “Shamloo”esque. Shamloo’s characteristic epic features are reflected both in content and form. With regard to content, Shamloo’s poetry is characterized by: idealism, humanism, collective feelings, narrative form, myth-making, heroic elements, and the battle between the forces of good and evil. The formal linguistic features include: diction, “epic combination” of lexical items, old syntactic structures, mythical images, images of weaponry, epic atmosphere, brevity of expression, hyperbole, antithesis, taxis, and splendid music. These features can be viewed as important elements in the new epic form.
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