Patterns & Metaphors
Epic
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In some older classifications, all literature is epic except for poetry and drama, thus epic would be akin to prose, loosely defined. (All epic is prose but rot all prose is epic). In most cultures the term is now associated more narrowly with a narrotion of events in which a number of characters figure and in which a considerable period of time is Shown to elapse. Epic, in this sense, is used to portray action of heroic proportions having families, tribes and sometimes nations as their subject matter. Epic also may be a form to record the adventurer, exploits or sacrifices of a great hero or heroine. Epic then, as defined by such content characteristics, may be expressed in poetry or prose, or presented in drama or film. An epic novel also may be termed a saga.
