Debbie: An Epic is a collection of poems written by Lisa Robertson, and is intended to be read as a single poem. As such, this poem can be read as an "epic," inspired by other classical epic poets such as Virgil. Interestingly, Virgil is introduced as a character in this collection, and overall symbolizes the typical features and narratives of an epic.
In Debbie: An Epic, Robertson turns the epic genre on its head and explores its weaknesses alongside narratives that have often been excluded. For example, Robertson considers the stories of women that have been excluded from traditional narratives, such as the "dead-good queens" present in Virgil's writings. The narrator imagines that her gender "is out there, floating wildly on the harbor," without a place within the main narrative.
As an antidote to this, Robertson includes the female experience in the epic. She imagines boats "named for women," who move towards the island as the narrator has "entered books." In another metaphor, Robertson imagines a scene in which Virgil, a great figure of the epic genre, "strolls among the deep shelves of the paternal library," representing the authority of the male experience in the traditional literary canon. This is something Robertson challenges, as she has Debbie come to the forefront, while Virgil "recedes into the distance."
