epic

epic
epic
1. Epic is a term traditionally applied (first as an adjective, later as a noun) to narrative poems that celebrate the achievements of the heroes of history or legend, such as the Iliad, the Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid, Milton's Paradise Lost, the Chanson de Roland, the Old English elegiac poem Beowulf, and the Hindu Mahābhārata and Rāmāyana. The name normally applied to Old Norse narrative poems of this kind is saga.
2. The word has been extended in more recent usage to refer to any major literary work, theatrical performance, or (especially) film, which has some claim to be regarded as exceptional in terms of its length, subject matter, or scale of treatment:

• I want very much to see the Birth of a Nation, which is said to be a really great film, an epic in pictures —Aldous Huxley, 1916

• Talking of films, Meier is still working on his wild, underground epic, Snowball, as well as producing a new Hollywood movie called MM —Face, 1992.

It has also gone full circle in acquiring a new adjectival meaning ‘great, heroic’ in various applications when used attributively (before a noun):

• The Communists' Red Army had just completed its epic Long March from the Southeast to its new headquarters at Yenan —Time, 1977

• In his epic landscape of Jerusalem executed in April of 1830, Roberts draws the Holy City in silhouette —R. Fisk, 1991

• It was from fear of his intellect sinking into torpor that he finally took up the battle against drink. It was an epic struggle, marked by his terrible and yet frequently comic accounts of failure after failure —Independent, 2000.


Modern English usage. 2014.

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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… …   Wikipedia

  • EPIC — bezeichnet: Epic Games, eine Firma, die Computerspiele herstellt Epic Records, eine Plattenfirma Epic (Tabletop), eine Serie von Tabletop Spielen ePIC, electronic Publication Information Center (betrieben vom Alfred Wegener Institut) Rappelz:… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Epic — bezeichnet: Epic (Anforderungsmanagement), Begriff im Kontext des Anforderungsmanagements in der agilen Softwareentwicklung Epic Systems Cooperation, eine Firma die Elektronische Patientenakten Software herstellt Epic Games, eine Firma, die… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Epic — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda El término Epic o EPIC puede tener las siguientes acepciones: Revista Epic, revista de comics con material del magazine americano Epic Illustrated de Marvel comics. Epic Comics, sello de Marvel comics. IA 64, una… …   Wikipedia Español

  • epic — [ep′ik] n. [L epicus < Gr epikos, (adj.) epic < epos, a word, speech, song, epic < IE * wekwos , word < base * wekw , to speak > L vox, OE woma, noise] 1. a long narrative poem in a dignified style about the deeds of a traditional… …   English World dictionary

  • Epic — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. {{{image}}}   Sigles d une seule lettre   Sigles de deux lettres   Sigles de trois lettres …   Wikipédia en Français

  • epic — épic adj. m., pl. épici; f. sg. épică, pl. épice Trimis de siveco, 30.10.2008. Sursa: Dicţionar ortografic  ÉPI//C epiccă (epicci, epicce) 1) Care exprimă în versuri fapte eroice. Poem epic. ♢ Gen epic gen literar care include creaţiile cu… …   Dicționar Român

  • EPIC — can refer to: * EPIC (cognitive architecture) (Executive Process/Interactive Control), a cognitive architecture developed by David E. Kieras and David E. Meyer at the University of Michigan * El Paso Intelligence Center * Electronic Privacy… …   Wikipedia

  • EPIC — EPIC: EPIC (сокр. от англ. Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing)  в микропроцессорах, набор инструкций с явным параллелизмом, использующий VLIW. EPIC (сокр. от англ. Enhanced Programmable ircII Client)  программа, IRC… …   Википедия

  • Epic — Ep ic, n. An epic or heroic poem. See {Epic}, a. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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