Preface
Acknowledgments
Notes on the Text
I. Toward a Comparative Poetics of the Epic
1. Theories of the Epic: A Brief Historical Overview
2. Epic Grandeur: A Thematic Approach to the Epic
3. The Transformation of Traditional Epic
II. The Fall of Hyperion and A Night on the Galaxy Railroad: Two Cases of Transitional Epics
4. The Cultural and Historical Background of The Fall of Hyperion and A Night on the Galaxy Railroad
5. The Epic Nature of The Fall of Hyperion and A Night on the Galaxy Railroad
6. The Self-Consciousness of Transitional Epic
Notes
Japanese Words in the Text
Select Bibliography
Index