According to the question, the story begins in the thick of the actions is the convention of the epic genre employed in the Beowulf.
However, such method is called in medias res. This implies that the reader is immediately thrown into action without any necessary long introductions. The story explained what happened immediately. It told the problem Dane had with monster Grendel and also pointed out that Dane need Beowulf.
Further Explanation
Although, there was a long introduction in the story but the story portrayed Beowulf as a great hero that can help Denmark. There is also no invocation to the muse, which is a common characteristics of epic poetry.
in medias res is a method that is used to narrate a story from the middle after assuming that the audience have a knowledge of the past event.
The origin of this literary device dated back to Roman lyric poet, Horace who used in medias res in his poem.
in medias rem is a Latin word which means in the midst of things. This strategy is used by authors to initiate their stories. Its principle is based on the practice of Odyssey and homer in the Iliad.
simply put, if you are starting the beginning of your story in medias res, it means the actions narrated on the first few pages can emanates from any where in the story line.
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KEYWORDS:
- latin word
- in media res
- horace
- poet
- beowulf
