Diachronic Dialogues is an attempt to develop a theory of ancient epic practice.
On the one hand this middle ground allows the past and the present to 'communicate', something that ordinary language cannot do. On the other hand epic's 'middle ground' is also different from the 'fiction' of other mimetic genres like tragedy or lyric, and epic's narrative is also distinct from verbal records of the past like those of historical prose. The practice of epic, this study suggests, is a unique form of non-magical, socially accepted verbal ritual that enacts a common ground for the past and the present. The second part of this study considers the findings of the first part within concrete historical settings. This question is answered by means of several studies of epic practice within its historical contexts.