Although oral and written literary products differ from each other, modern/written literary production is inevitably affected by oral culture. It is generally thought that the expression of one s wishes through bodily gestures, which first appeared in religious ceremonies, has been preserved in the social memory as a cultural heritage and that contemporary theatre also has its roots in the rituals of primitive man. In order to demonstrate that these and similar cultural data, which have been preserved in the social memory, were handed down in conscious or unconscious form as Sagen (folk tales, myths, legends, folk songs etc.), Axel Olric systematized the rules of epic folk narratives in fifteen categories and then substantiated his theory by applying these classifications to many literary products.The Epic of Ali of Keshan in which Haldun Taner presented aspects of life in a slum quarter, while displaying influences from Bertolt Brecht s concept of the epic theatre and from Traditional Turkish Theatre (folk theatre), also draws on folk speech, feeling and thought. This article will apply to The Epic of Ali of Keshan the epic rules that Olric established on the basis of folk narratives and will attempt to evaluate whether or not this work abides with Olric s rules.