epic

epic, long, exalted narrative poem, usually on a serious subject, centered on a heroic figure. The earliest epics, known as primary, or original, epics, were shaped from the legends of an age when a nation was conquering and expanding; such is the foundation of the Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh, of the Iliad and the Odyssey of the Greek Homer, and of the Anglo-Saxon Beowulf. Literary, or secondary, epics, written in conscious imitation of earlier forms, are most notably represented by Vergil's Aeneid and Milton's Paradise Lost. The epic, which makes great demands on a poet's knowledge and skill, has been deemed the most ambitious of poetic forms. Some of its conventions, followed by epic writers in varying degrees, include a hero who embodies national, cultural, or religious ideals and upon whose actions depends to some degree the fate of his people; a course of action in which the hero performs great and difficult deeds; a whole era in the history of civilization; the intervention and recognition of divine or supernatural powers; the concern with eternal human problems; and a dignified and elaborate poetic style. Other works classified as epics are the Indian Mahabharata and Ramayana, the French Song of Roland, the Spanish Song of the Cid, the Germanic Niebelungenlied, Dante's Divine Comedy, Tasso's Gerusaleme Liberta, Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, Spenser's Faerie Queene, and Camões's Lusiads. A mock epic is a form of satire in which trivial characters and events are treated with all the exalted epic conventions and are made to look ridiculous by the incongruity. The plot of Pope's Rape of the Lock, one of the most famous mock epics, is based on a quarrel over the theft of a lady's curl.

Dramatic form developed in Germany after World War I by Bertolt Brecht and others, intended to provoke rational thought rather than to create illusion. It presents loosely connected scenes often interrupted by direct addresses to the audience providing analysis, argument, or documentation. Brecht's goal was to use alienating or distancing effects to block the emotional responses of the audience members and force them to think objectively about the play. Actors were instructed to keep a distance between themselves and the characters they portrayed and to emphasize external actions rather than emotions.

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Long, narrative poem in an elevated style that celebrates heroic achievement and treats themes of historical, national, religious, or legendary significance. Primary (or traditional) epics are shaped from the legends and traditions of a heroic age and are part of oral tradition; secondary (or literary) epics are written down from the beginning, and their poets adapt aspects of traditional epics. The poems of Homer are usually regarded as the first important epics and the main source of epic conventions in western Europe. These conventions include the centrality of a hero, sometimes semidivine; an extensive, perhaps cosmic, setting; heroic battle; extended journeying; and the involvement of supernatural beings.

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Epic may refer to:

In film and literature:

• Epic poetry, a style of poetry
• Epic film, a genre of film
• Epic fantasy, a subgenre of fantasy fiction
• Epic theater, a type of theater.
• Epic (novel), a novel by Conor Kostick
• Epic Movie, a 2007 parody film
• Epic Western, a subgenre of western fiction

In music:

• Epic Records, a record label
• Epic Trance, a subgenre of melodic trance
• "Epic" (song), a popular single by the rock band Faith No More
• Epic Mazur, an American rapper
• Epic (album), an album by Borknagar
• List of rock epics

In gaming:

• Epic (computer game), a 1992 computer game
• Epic (game), a series of wargames
• Epic Games, a computer game development company

In comics:

• Epic Comics, an imprint of Marvel Comics
• Epic Illustrated, an anthology series published by Marvel Comics

Epic can also refer to:

• Epic Skate Park, the largest indoor skateboard park in Europe
• Epic 2015, short flash animation, set in 2015, about the future of the media and information
• Epic Age, a time period in Indian history
• Epimorphism, epic morphism, in mathematics
• Epic Systems Corporation, a healthcare software company
• Epic Aircraft, an aircraft manufacturer in Bend, Oregon

See also

• EPIC — acronym disambiguation page