In the study of genre, what is the critical distinction between a 'primary epic' (folk epic) and a 'secondary epic' (literary epic)?

Correct answer: Primary epics come from an oral singing tradition; secondary epics are written by one author

Primary or folk epics, such as *Beowulf* or the *Iliad*, emerge out of an oral-formulaic tradition where tales were sung by bards before being written down centuries later. Secondary or literary epics, like Virgil's *Aeneid* or John Milton's *Paradise Lost*, are conscious, highly artistic creations drafted directly onto paper by a single literate author who mimics classical oral conventions for a specific political or cultural purpose.