[Beowolf] is considered an epic because of its long speeches, its digressions, its repetition, and its being required.
Richard Armour (1969). “English lit relit: a short history of English literature from the precursors (before swearing) to the Pre-Raphaelites and a little after, intended to help students see the thing through, or see through the thing, and omitting nothing unimportant”, McGraw-Hill Companies