Epic Genre
A Epic Genre is a narrative genre of long narratives, scope, and subject matter.
- Context:
- It can (typically) incorporate Grand Scale and Heroic Themes.
- It can (typically) utilize Elevated Language and Formal Style.
- It can (often) deal with themes of heroism, conflict, and the exploration of human values and societal issues.
- It can (often) employ a formal and elevated style of language, aiming to evoke a sense of grandeur and significance.
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- It can range from being a Traditional Epic to being a Modern Epic, depending on historical period.
- It can range from being a Historical Epic to being a Fantasy Epic, depending on subject matter.
- It can range from being a Personal Epic to being a Societal Epic, depending on narrative scope.
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- It can originate from ancient traditions, with roots in epic poetry.
- It can encompass a variety of mediums, including epic poems, epic novels, epic movies.
- It can include vast Setting Scales and large Character Casts.
- It can serve as a means of cultural expression.
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- Example(s):
- Epic Poems, such as:
- Epic of Gilgamesh, exploring ancient heroic themes.
- The Iliad, depicting warfare and honor.
- The Odyssey, chronicling a hero's journey.
- Epic Novels, such as:
- Dune Novel, creating vast science fiction mythology.
- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, examining society during wartime.
- Epic Movies, such as:
- Lawrence of Arabia, portraying historical grandeur.
- Ben-Hur, depicting ancient world spectacle.
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- Epic Poems, such as:
- Counter-Example(s):
- Short Storys, which lack the necessary scope and scale.
- Lyric Poetry, which focuses on personal emotions rather than grand narratives.
- Situation Comedys, which deal with everyday situations.
- Intimate Dramas, which focus on personal relationships.
- Minimalist Fiction, which intentionally limits scope and scale.
- See: Epic Film, Narrative, Genre, Homer, Film, Theatre, Television Show, Novel, Video Game.
References
2024
- (Wikipedia, 2024) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_(genre) Retrieved:2024-2-23.
- Epic is a narrative genre characterised by its length, scope, and subject matter. The defining characteristics of the genre are mostly derived from its roots in ancient epics (poems such as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey). The epic is no longer limited to the traditional medium of oral poetry, but has expanded to include modern mediums including film, theater, television shows, novels, and video games.
The use of epic as a genre, specifically for epic poetry, dates back millennia, all the way to the Epic of Gilgamesh, widely agreed to be the first epic. But critique and discourse has continuously arisen over this long period of time, with attempts to clarify what the core characteristics of the “epic” genre really are beginning only in the past two centuries as new mediums of storytelling emerged with developing technologies. Most significantly, the advent of the novel, such as classics like Tolstoy's War and Peace which began to be referred to as “epic novels”, caused critics to reconsider what can be called an “epic”. With this discussion, epic became a larger overarching genre under which many subgenres, such as epic poetry, epic novels, and epic films could fall under. However, the nebulous definitions assigned to even the long-standing ancient epics due to their ubiquitous presence across vastly differing cultures and traditions, are still a topic of discourse for today's literary academics, and have caused lingering difficulties in creating a definitive definition for the umbrella term of “epic” as a genre.
- Epic is a narrative genre characterised by its length, scope, and subject matter. The defining characteristics of the genre are mostly derived from its roots in ancient epics (poems such as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey). The epic is no longer limited to the traditional medium of oral poetry, but has expanded to include modern mediums including film, theater, television shows, novels, and video games.