Epic

Introduction

Depiction of the hero Odysseus slaying the suitors in the epic Odyssey

Title page of a first edition Moby-Dick

Is there a more clichéd word in literature than epic? Furthermore, is there another term that is as widely employed but so vaguely defined? For example, are the book and film versions of The Lord of the Rings epic on their own or do they become epic only when combined into a trilogy? In essence, an epic is about both size and magnitude. Epics (whether poems, films, novels, or other creative forms) tend to be longer than average. This characteristic is not by accident; it demonstrates their key defining trait: complex storytelling. Some epics are so labyrinthine that they span several periods of time as their stories play out. Yet mere length does not an epic make. The story must have great magnitude and scope, either in the subject matter itself or in the telling of it. Epics, whether chronicling nobility or everyday people, often revolve around a character who goes on a difficult journey and achieves the extraordinary. The Odyssey, Don Quixote, and Moby-Dick are just a few of Western literature's "epic" works.

Essential Facts

1. The origin of the word epic encompasses the ideas of story, poem, and language. The grand scale now associated with it developed over time.
2. The epic Sanskrit poems The Mahabharata and The Ramayana evolved over hundreds of years, with innumerable authors adding to and altering them.
3. The play Epic Proportions, which is set during the filming of a Golden Age Hollywood biblical epic, satirizes many of the conventions of the genre.
4. Bertolt Brecht’s idea of “Epic Theater” achieved the grandiosity of traditional plays, but its majestic scope was matched by big ideas. The movement was defined by its desire to force the audience to think about social and political concepts raised in the productions.
5. A scandal-ridden production that went over schedule and budget, Cleopatra (starring new couple Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton) is often cited as officially killing the old-fashioned Hollywood epic.