ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi fˈoːɹ, ˈeɪtʃ. dʒˈeɪ. mˈæsɪŋˌæm sˈɔː tˈɑːmpsənz dᵻskɹˈɪpʃən ʌvðə dˌɪsˌɪntᵻɡɹˈeɪʃən ʌv "ɐ lˈoʊkəl sˈɛlfˈæktɪŋ səsˈaɪəɾi lˈɪvɪŋ baɪ ɐ fˈɪkst pˈætɚn ʌv bᵻhˈeɪvjɚ" æz ɐn ˈɛlɪdʒək ɪvəkˈeɪʃən ʌv wʌt hiː kˈɔːld "ðɪs ɡɹˈeɪt tɹˈædʒɪk ˈɛpɪk".
In 1944, H. J. Massingham saw Thompson's description of the disintegration of "a local self-acting society living by a fixed pattern of behaviour" as an elegiac evocation of what he called "this great tragic epic".