Definition of epic in English:

epic

noun ˈɛpɪkˈɛpɪk

1A long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the past history of a nation.
Example sentencesExamples
- Hitherto, male storytelling took place in the public space and was associated with the narration of epics or factual events, current or past.
- Perhaps, Milton's England makes the author of the brief epic more severe towards the humanist tradition he has inherited than Elizabethan England does for Spenser.
- Traditional beliefs and views are subverted as a searching look is directed at figures and heroines from our epics, myths and legends.
- Homer not only composed the two epics that now bear his name, but he also composed numerous hymns.
- We are often expected to teach dance, religion, mythology, epics, folklore, history, culture, customs, traditions, language… and music.
- A welter of poems, plays, epics and narrative poetry came into existence all at once, altering the landscape of literary activity in Bengal forever.
- The suggestion appealed to him and he decided to compose an epic to extol the achievements of Abdullah Khan.
- The book she was completing when she passed in 2000 is a collection of epics and shorter lyric poems that affirm her place as one of the most significant and masterful poets of the 20th century.
- Happily did he write epics according to ancient rule; no one was impressed.
- Through the centuries the Homeric epics have influenced writers and philosophers for many different countries.
- Some scholars have linked the introduction of narratives with oral epics current in the 8th century.
- The ancient epic had its counterpart in athletic contests just as the medieval romance had its counterpart in jousts and tournaments between knights.
- The poem also creates an epic that centers on mortal characters rather than heroes or the gods.
- Besides the Homeric epics, his works represent the best manuscript tradition from Classical antiquity.
- Maybe she was some sort of scribe, writing epics about their heroic journey?
- In taking the nationalistic, idealized and ancient form of the epic and combining it with a narrative of mercantile discovery, Camões embodies early modern epistemological anxiety.
- Still, in most such cultures it seems to be normal to repeat stories or sagas or epics of the past that to a limited extent explain, if not the present, then some aspect of custom or faith.
- These soundbites will then be taken even further out of context by rival spinners and talking heads until they are told an retold, like the great epics of oral tradition, or a game of Telephone!
- The poem is an epic of the First Crusade, with the addition of romantic and fabulous elements.
- I was pained to see that our very history and epics had barely created a ripple in the minds of most people.
Synonyms
heroic poem, long poem, long story
saga, legend, romance, lay, history, chronicle, myth, fable, folk tale, folk story
1. 1.1mass noun The genre of epics.
  the romances display gentler emotions not found in Greek epic
  Example sentencesExamples
  Before Cervantes, narrative could exhaust itself in a single reading of the past: the epic, or of the present: the picaresque.
  He engages with an unprecedented range of Greek and Roman writing; every genre, not just epic, leaves its mark in the poem's idiom.
  Likewise, in the Metamorphoses Ovid subverts the epic, the literary genre best suited to Augustus's program of cultural classicism.
  Walcott's metaphoric take on epic is so powerfully originative as to put the whole genre in a new light.
  In this ambience the Pope, versed in classical epic, devised the programme for Michelangelo's Last Judgement, in which a warrior Christ thunderbolts the stunted damned.
  It must be allowed that Dryden would have been hard-pressed to find another episode from ancient epic which so peculiarly recalled recent history.
  In epic, there is oral recitation: a poet directly confronting the listening audience.
  Since he writes neither drama nor epic, he said, his poetry can only be lyrical.
2. 1.2 A long film, book, or other work portraying heroic deeds and adventures or covering an extended period of time.
  a Hollywood biblical epic
  Example sentencesExamples
  The tragedy of this conception, and the intelligence with which it is executed on screen, makes it unique among film epics.
  And how large IS the audience demand for sand and sandals epics?
  But why create a fictional romance in a historical epic and then do very little to make viewers care anything about that story?
  But this time I caved into temptation and went to see the latest war epic to spew out of Hollywood.
  During the silent era, Italian cinema became famous for its lavish historical epics.
  Many fantasy epics give us colorful enemies with distinct personalities to confuse us.
  Instead, it depicts a creature far more readily found in the collective imagination of the male contingent of its adolescent target audience, and tells a story almost as implausible as any sword and sorcery epic.
  His script is unfocused, his direction uneasy; this film even lacks the visual splendor normally associated with epics and costume dramas.
  While it fails as an epic, the film does have many supernatural elements.
  Indoors there is, or was, a fabulous curved screen perfect for widescreen epics.
  His next works could be seen as sweeping epics, describing the history and hopes of the people of Taiwan.
  And historical epics don't have the power that they used to.
  What kind of biblical epic would you all like to see?
  Unfortunately, the creators also introduce an element that has killed many a fantasy adventure epic: comic relief.
  "This is a sprawling historical epic, portraying Rio de Janeiro in the 19th century.
  Henry James is not a name that springs to mind when we think of adventure stories, prose epics or historical fiction.
  Instead it is an adequate film masquerading as an epic.
  Ibsen's sprawling epic is the kind of play it shouldn't be possible to stage.
  Too often the film comes across more like a tribute to old-fashioned swashbuckling epics than a solid story in its own right, and the result is diverting enough but lacks dramatic heft.
  Oddly melancholy for a fantasy epic, the film overflows with sorrow for love lost, love unrequited, and the agony of lovers separated by the void of death.
  Synonyms
  epic film, long film
  informal blockbuster
2informal An exceptionally long and arduous task or activity.
the business of getting hospital treatment soon became an epic
Example sentencesExamples
- I remember him appearing one morning, after his epic in sheeting rain where we'd all made the exception and accepted parental lifts.
- In the great epic of human activity, lunchtime is a relatively marginal interlude; but in the biography of a specific individual, what he thought and when is vital.

adjective ˈɛpɪkˈɛpɪk

1Relating to or characteristic of an epic or epics.
our national epic poem Beowulf
Example sentencesExamples
- JRR Tolkien, after all, was a pioneering scholar of Anglo-Saxon poetry and wrote a definitive reinterpretation of the epic poem.
- The epic poem ‘Beowulf’ will be performed on the night.
- Christopher Marlowe's epic poem Hero and Leander, which is based on an ancient Greek myth, says more about the customs of contemporary England than of the ancient Greeks.
- The heroes of most epic poems, in particular, can be seen as symbolic and fictitious figures invented and contrived by poets to convey religious and political ideals.
- Seamus Heaney is one of the United Kingdom's most respected poets and Beowulf stands as one of the greatest epic poems in English literature.
- That's because Oxford classicists have finally unwrapped the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, discovering hundreds of lost Greek comedies, tragedies and epic poems.
- Scouring the Latvian woods and lakeside territories for the capercaillie is reminiscent of Lewis Carroll's epic poem ‘The Hunting of the Snark’.
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge said in the introduction to his epic poem Kubla Khan that he had ‘heard’ the whole thing in an opium-induced slumber.
- Biographers were ever the under-belly of the literary world, patronised because they weren't epic poets or triple-decker novelists, and demonised as gossips and sneaks.
- Milton formed the intention of writing a great epic poem, as he tells us, as early as 1639.
- The production is based on the epic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow about a Native American named Hiawatha, a real man who lived some 500 years ago.
- The most famous early bardic poets, Taliesin and Aneirin, wrote epic poems about Welsh events and legends around the seventh century.
- As he says in the introduction, ‘There is an attempt here to create an epic poem.’
- By the seventh century, scribes had written down Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and the oral epic poem, Beowulf.
- In these workshops, interactive in nature and aimed as an intercultural dialogue, he sets out ‘towards an exploration’ of the epic poem.
- The hero El Cid, who became the subject of an epic poem, modeled these qualities.
- To kill one, whether or not with a crossbow, as in Coleridge's epic poem, was considered the ultimate omen of bad luck.
- When he starts reciting epic poetry in gravelly French it is rather overwhelming.
- The editor in him couldn't resist trying to translate the great epic poem into English.
- He legitimated the cultivation of lyrical tropes, as the poet used them to enrich what is otherwise a lofty epic poem on the First Crusade.
Synonyms
heroic, long, grand, monumental, vast, Homeric, Miltonian
lofty, grandiloquent, high-flown, high-sounding, extravagant, bombastic
2Heroic or grand in scale or character.
his epic journey around the world
a tragedy of epic proportions
Example sentencesExamples
- My problem with this book is that while epic in scope it isn't in storytelling.
- Taken together - 1,174 pages in total - these books form an epic trilogy.
- Great epic adventures don't need a voice!
- At certain moments, their set achieved almost epic proportions.
- I did enjoy it but for a blockbuster I expected a more epic vision.
- IT has been a truly epic journey, some 10 years in the making.
- I'm trying to tell you about something of grand, epic proportions.
- The first movie in the epic trilogy will keep you glued to your seat.
- He says it was the most epic thing he had ever been involved in.
- And even though it will be a more epic tale, it will be done in the right way.
- We had some epic battles but we feel we have done ourselves justice.
- In fact it could represent a problem of almost epic proportions.
- The castaways in time begin an epic journey across a transformed world.
- The pictures tell a more epic tale than a million words could.
- Maybe I could tell you that our feat of alcohol consumption was of truly epic proportions.
- A few minutes after the race, we found out that it had been a truly epic battle.
- I know that as epic as the performances of the athletes were, there were similarly heroic contributions that are almost entirely overlooked.
- Both species can engage in river journeys of epic scale.
- The poem describes an epic battle between giants and the Greek gods and includes imagery of a great battle far out at sea.
- But, I should begin at the beginning, where all epic tales begin.
Synonyms
ambitious, heroic, grand, arduous, extraordinary, Herculean
very long, very great, very large, huge, monumental
1. 2.1informal Particularly impressive or remarkable.
  the gig last night was epic
  these CEOs are paid salaries and bonuses in the millions despite their epic failures
  Example sentencesExamples
  Mind you we still have some epic nights here as we have a beer garden which has a marquee for all weather events.
  If they want to call this "eco friendly", all I can say is "epic fail".
  Last night I went out with Saige and her friend Craig from Sydney, which meant a night of epic drinking.
  In stark contrast to last year's epic birthday bash, this year's celebrations will be deliberately low-key.
  It was epic, to say the least, and an absolutely perfect way to end the night.
  Connoisseurs of box office bombs will no doubt be aware of its epic failure at the box office ($500,000 gross versus a $40 million budget).
  They put in a cover of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's Power of Love, which was epic.
  Your review, though diplomatic, is completely off the mark - this film is an epic time waster.
  Celebrity guests from the worlds of hip-hop and Hollywood gathered for the epic party, which lasted long into the early hours of Friday morning.
  Look, I'm making an effort to snap out of the epic sulk brought on by all this.
  It was epic, there was even discussion of a fight on the basketball court.
  Dave's like me, he's not the kind of guy who turns down the chance of an epic night out.
  Am I just setting myself up for an epic failure?
  Is this a good thing, I wondered, or an epic waste of time?
  I got over my pain (which was epic) and am now deliriously happy.
  The riding was epic, the scenery was beautiful, and the resort was very accommodating.
  I spent the better part of this week studying for a Health Assessment lecture exam, which turned out to be an epic waste of time.
  It was epic just to surf down there with no one around.
  Besides my epic fail at writing lyrics tonight, it was a relaxing, fun and productive evening behind my six string.
  He was a part-time alcoholic, prone to epic drinking bouts, who buried scores of bottles of gin in the back garden for emergencies.

Derivatives

epical

adjective

Some have theorized that comic books serve the modern function of the epical myth.
Example sentencesExamples
- The climax, the Battle of Little Big Horn, could have been an exciting, even epical, scene, but it was poorly staged.
- The man's imagination may not be redemptive, but it can at least be epical.
- He proved that his seemingly limited minuet couplet could, in its own special way, undertake the epical.
- During their epical wanderings the dreaming ancestors placed spirits and humans in or on the land.

epically

adverb

In the first play of the Cuchulain cycle - On Baile's Strand - Yeats applies himself epically to the great characters and sagas of Irish mythology.
Example sentencesExamples
- It was epically cumbersome and technically demanding.
- I've noticed that whenever I read the bio of some successful novelist, they inevitably seem to have this epically dysfunctional childhood.
- Yet Chekhov's instinct was not misplaced: he had to extend himself physically, in an epically pedestrian manner, in order to win clarity for himself as a writer.
- There's a whole range of things that are popular and yet certainly could be seen as fundamentally not right - from the totally trivial to the most epically important.

Origin

Late 16th century (as an adjective): via Latin from Greek epikos, from epos 'word, song', related to eipein 'say'.

Definition of epic in US English:

epic

nounˈɛpɪkˈepik

1A long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation.
Example sentencesExamples
- These soundbites will then be taken even further out of context by rival spinners and talking heads until they are told an retold, like the great epics of oral tradition, or a game of Telephone!
- Homer not only composed the two epics that now bear his name, but he also composed numerous hymns.
- In taking the nationalistic, idealized and ancient form of the epic and combining it with a narrative of mercantile discovery, Camões embodies early modern epistemological anxiety.
- The book she was completing when she passed in 2000 is a collection of epics and shorter lyric poems that affirm her place as one of the most significant and masterful poets of the 20th century.
- Hitherto, male storytelling took place in the public space and was associated with the narration of epics or factual events, current or past.
- We are often expected to teach dance, religion, mythology, epics, folklore, history, culture, customs, traditions, language… and music.
- A welter of poems, plays, epics and narrative poetry came into existence all at once, altering the landscape of literary activity in Bengal forever.
- Traditional beliefs and views are subverted as a searching look is directed at figures and heroines from our epics, myths and legends.
- Some scholars have linked the introduction of narratives with oral epics current in the 8th century.
- The poem also creates an epic that centers on mortal characters rather than heroes or the gods.
- Happily did he write epics according to ancient rule; no one was impressed.
- Perhaps, Milton's England makes the author of the brief epic more severe towards the humanist tradition he has inherited than Elizabethan England does for Spenser.
- Through the centuries the Homeric epics have influenced writers and philosophers for many different countries.
- The suggestion appealed to him and he decided to compose an epic to extol the achievements of Abdullah Khan.
- The ancient epic had its counterpart in athletic contests just as the medieval romance had its counterpart in jousts and tournaments between knights.
- The poem is an epic of the First Crusade, with the addition of romantic and fabulous elements.
- I was pained to see that our very history and epics had barely created a ripple in the minds of most people.
- Still, in most such cultures it seems to be normal to repeat stories or sagas or epics of the past that to a limited extent explain, if not the present, then some aspect of custom or faith.
- Besides the Homeric epics, his works represent the best manuscript tradition from Classical antiquity.
- Maybe she was some sort of scribe, writing epics about their heroic journey?
Synonyms
heroic poem, long poem, long story
1. 1.1 The genre of epic poems.
  the romances display gentler emotions not found in Greek epic
  Example sentencesExamples
  Since he writes neither drama nor epic, he said, his poetry can only be lyrical.
  Before Cervantes, narrative could exhaust itself in a single reading of the past: the epic, or of the present: the picaresque.
  Likewise, in the Metamorphoses Ovid subverts the epic, the literary genre best suited to Augustus's program of cultural classicism.
  Walcott's metaphoric take on epic is so powerfully originative as to put the whole genre in a new light.
  He engages with an unprecedented range of Greek and Roman writing; every genre, not just epic, leaves its mark in the poem's idiom.
  In epic, there is oral recitation: a poet directly confronting the listening audience.
  It must be allowed that Dryden would have been hard-pressed to find another episode from ancient epic which so peculiarly recalled recent history.
  In this ambience the Pope, versed in classical epic, devised the programme for Michelangelo's Last Judgement, in which a warrior Christ thunderbolts the stunted damned.
2. 1.2 A long film, book, or other work portraying heroic deeds and adventures or covering an extended period of time.
  a Hollywood biblical epic
  Example sentencesExamples
  And historical epics don't have the power that they used to.
  Instead, it depicts a creature far more readily found in the collective imagination of the male contingent of its adolescent target audience, and tells a story almost as implausible as any sword and sorcery epic.
  And how large IS the audience demand for sand and sandals epics?
  Henry James is not a name that springs to mind when we think of adventure stories, prose epics or historical fiction.
  Oddly melancholy for a fantasy epic, the film overflows with sorrow for love lost, love unrequited, and the agony of lovers separated by the void of death.
  But this time I caved into temptation and went to see the latest war epic to spew out of Hollywood.
  Many fantasy epics give us colorful enemies with distinct personalities to confuse us.
  The tragedy of this conception, and the intelligence with which it is executed on screen, makes it unique among film epics.
  Instead it is an adequate film masquerading as an epic.
  "This is a sprawling historical epic, portraying Rio de Janeiro in the 19th century.
  What kind of biblical epic would you all like to see?
  But why create a fictional romance in a historical epic and then do very little to make viewers care anything about that story?
  Indoors there is, or was, a fabulous curved screen perfect for widescreen epics.
  During the silent era, Italian cinema became famous for its lavish historical epics.
  His next works could be seen as sweeping epics, describing the history and hopes of the people of Taiwan.
  Unfortunately, the creators also introduce an element that has killed many a fantasy adventure epic: comic relief.
  Too often the film comes across more like a tribute to old-fashioned swashbuckling epics than a solid story in its own right, and the result is diverting enough but lacks dramatic heft.
  Ibsen's sprawling epic is the kind of play it shouldn't be possible to stage.
  His script is unfocused, his direction uneasy; this film even lacks the visual splendor normally associated with epics and costume dramas.
  While it fails as an epic, the film does have many supernatural elements.
  Synonyms
  epic film, long film

adjectiveˈɛpɪkˈepik

1Relating to or characteristic of an epic or epics.
England's national epic poem Beowulf
Example sentencesExamples
- By the seventh century, scribes had written down Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and the oral epic poem, Beowulf.
- In these workshops, interactive in nature and aimed as an intercultural dialogue, he sets out ‘towards an exploration’ of the epic poem.
- The hero El Cid, who became the subject of an epic poem, modeled these qualities.
- Milton formed the intention of writing a great epic poem, as he tells us, as early as 1639.
- Christopher Marlowe's epic poem Hero and Leander, which is based on an ancient Greek myth, says more about the customs of contemporary England than of the ancient Greeks.
- The production is based on the epic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow about a Native American named Hiawatha, a real man who lived some 500 years ago.
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge said in the introduction to his epic poem Kubla Khan that he had ‘heard’ the whole thing in an opium-induced slumber.
- The epic poem ‘Beowulf’ will be performed on the night.
- The editor in him couldn't resist trying to translate the great epic poem into English.
- To kill one, whether or not with a crossbow, as in Coleridge's epic poem, was considered the ultimate omen of bad luck.
- Scouring the Latvian woods and lakeside territories for the capercaillie is reminiscent of Lewis Carroll's epic poem ‘The Hunting of the Snark’.
- As he says in the introduction, ‘There is an attempt here to create an epic poem.’
- That's because Oxford classicists have finally unwrapped the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, discovering hundreds of lost Greek comedies, tragedies and epic poems.
- He legitimated the cultivation of lyrical tropes, as the poet used them to enrich what is otherwise a lofty epic poem on the First Crusade.
- Biographers were ever the under-belly of the literary world, patronised because they weren't epic poets or triple-decker novelists, and demonised as gossips and sneaks.
- Seamus Heaney is one of the United Kingdom's most respected poets and Beowulf stands as one of the greatest epic poems in English literature.
- The heroes of most epic poems, in particular, can be seen as symbolic and fictitious figures invented and contrived by poets to convey religious and political ideals.
- The most famous early bardic poets, Taliesin and Aneirin, wrote epic poems about Welsh events and legends around the seventh century.
- JRR Tolkien, after all, was a pioneering scholar of Anglo-Saxon poetry and wrote a definitive reinterpretation of the epic poem.
- When he starts reciting epic poetry in gravelly French it is rather overwhelming.
Synonyms
heroic, long, grand, monumental, vast, homeric, miltonian
1. 1.1 Heroic or grand in scale or character.
  his epic journey around the world
  a tragedy of epic proportions
  Example sentencesExamples
  Maybe I could tell you that our feat of alcohol consumption was of truly epic proportions.
  At certain moments, their set achieved almost epic proportions.
  My problem with this book is that while epic in scope it isn't in storytelling.
  In fact it could represent a problem of almost epic proportions.
  And even though it will be a more epic tale, it will be done in the right way.
  The poem describes an epic battle between giants and the Greek gods and includes imagery of a great battle far out at sea.
  He says it was the most epic thing he had ever been involved in.
  The first movie in the epic trilogy will keep you glued to your seat.
  I know that as epic as the performances of the athletes were, there were similarly heroic contributions that are almost entirely overlooked.
  I'm trying to tell you about something of grand, epic proportions.
  A few minutes after the race, we found out that it had been a truly epic battle.
  I did enjoy it but for a blockbuster I expected a more epic vision.
  But, I should begin at the beginning, where all epic tales begin.
  Both species can engage in river journeys of epic scale.
  We had some epic battles but we feel we have done ourselves justice.
  IT has been a truly epic journey, some 10 years in the making.
  The castaways in time begin an epic journey across a transformed world.
  The pictures tell a more epic tale than a million words could.
  Great epic adventures don't need a voice!
  Taken together - 1,174 pages in total - these books form an epic trilogy.
  Synonyms
  ambitious, heroic, grand, arduous, extraordinary, herculean
2. 1.2informal Particularly impressive or remarkable.
  the gig last night was epic
  these CEOs are paid salaries and bonuses in the millions despite their epic failures
  Example sentencesExamples
  It was epic just to surf down there with no one around.
  Besides my epic fail at writing lyrics tonight, it was a relaxing, fun and productive evening behind my six string.
  If they want to call this "eco friendly", all I can say is "epic fail".
  Am I just setting myself up for an epic failure?
  Mind you we still have some epic nights here as we have a beer garden which has a marquee for all weather events.
  Dave's like me, he's not the kind of guy who turns down the chance of an epic night out.
  He was a part-time alcoholic, prone to epic drinking bouts, who buried scores of bottles of gin in the back garden for emergencies.
  Your review, though diplomatic, is completely off the mark - this film is an epic time waster.
  Look, I'm making an effort to snap out of the epic sulk brought on by all this.
  I got over my pain (which was epic) and am now deliriously happy.
  Connoisseurs of box office bombs will no doubt be aware of its epic failure at the box office ($500,000 gross versus a $40 million budget).
  It was epic, there was even discussion of a fight on the basketball court.
  They put in a cover of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's Power of Love, which was epic.
  Celebrity guests from the worlds of hip-hop and Hollywood gathered for the epic party, which lasted long into the early hours of Friday morning.
  Is this a good thing, I wondered, or an epic waste of time?
  In stark contrast to last year's epic birthday bash, this year's celebrations will be deliberately low-key.
  I spent the better part of this week studying for a Health Assessment lecture exam, which turned out to be an epic waste of time.
  Last night I went out with Saige and her friend Craig from Sydney, which meant a night of epic drinking.
  It was epic, to say the least, and an absolutely perfect way to end the night.
  The riding was epic, the scenery was beautiful, and the resort was very accommodating.

Origin

Late 16th century (as an adjective): via Latin from Greek epikos, from epos ‘word, song’, related to eipein ‘say’.

单词	epic
释义	Definition of epic in English: epic noun ˈɛpɪkˈɛpɪk 1A long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the past history of a nation. Example sentencesExamples Hitherto, male storytelling took place in the public space and was associated with the narration of epics or factual events, current or past. Perhaps, Milton's England makes the author of the brief epic more severe towards the humanist tradition he has inherited than Elizabethan England does for Spenser. Traditional beliefs and views are subverted as a searching look is directed at figures and heroines from our epics, myths and legends. Homer not only composed the two epics that now bear his name, but he also composed numerous hymns. We are often expected to teach dance, religion, mythology, epics, folklore, history, culture, customs, traditions, language… and music. A welter of poems, plays, epics and narrative poetry came into existence all at once, altering the landscape of literary activity in Bengal forever. The suggestion appealed to him and he decided to compose an epic to extol the achievements of Abdullah Khan. The book she was completing when she passed in 2000 is a collection of epics and shorter lyric poems that affirm her place as one of the most significant and masterful poets of the 20th century. Happily did he write epics according to ancient rule; no one was impressed. Through the centuries the Homeric epics have influenced writers and philosophers for many different countries. Some scholars have linked the introduction of narratives with oral epics current in the 8th century. The ancient epic had its counterpart in athletic contests just as the medieval romance had its counterpart in jousts and tournaments between knights. The poem also creates an epic that centers on mortal characters rather than heroes or the gods. Besides the Homeric epics, his works represent the best manuscript tradition from Classical antiquity. Maybe she was some sort of scribe, writing epics about their heroic journey? In taking the nationalistic, idealized and ancient form of the epic and combining it with a narrative of mercantile discovery, Camões embodies early modern epistemological anxiety. Still, in most such cultures it seems to be normal to repeat stories or sagas or epics of the past that to a limited extent explain, if not the present, then some aspect of custom or faith. These soundbites will then be taken even further out of context by rival spinners and talking heads until they are told an retold, like the great epics of oral tradition, or a game of Telephone! The poem is an epic of the First Crusade, with the addition of romantic and fabulous elements. I was pained to see that our very history and epics had barely created a ripple in the minds of most people. Synonyms heroic poem, long poem, long story saga, legend, romance, lay, history, chronicle, myth, fable, folk tale, folk story 1.1mass noun The genre of epics. the romances display gentler emotions not found in Greek epic Example sentencesExamples Before Cervantes, narrative could exhaust itself in a single reading of the past: the epic, or of the present: the picaresque. He engages with an unprecedented range of Greek and Roman writing; every genre, not just epic, leaves its mark in the poem's idiom. Likewise, in the Metamorphoses Ovid subverts the epic, the literary genre best suited to Augustus's program of cultural classicism. Walcott's metaphoric take on epic is so powerfully originative as to put the whole genre in a new light. In this ambience the Pope, versed in classical epic, devised the programme for Michelangelo's Last Judgement, in which a warrior Christ thunderbolts the stunted damned. It must be allowed that Dryden would have been hard-pressed to find another episode from ancient epic which so peculiarly recalled recent history. In epic, there is oral recitation: a poet directly confronting the listening audience. Since he writes neither drama nor epic, he said, his poetry can only be lyrical. 1.2 A long film, book, or other work portraying heroic deeds and adventures or covering an extended period of time. a Hollywood biblical epic Example sentencesExamples The tragedy of this conception, and the intelligence with which it is executed on screen, makes it unique among film epics. And how large IS the audience demand for sand and sandals epics? But why create a fictional romance in a historical epic and then do very little to make viewers care anything about that story? But this time I caved into temptation and went to see the latest war epic to spew out of Hollywood. During the silent era, Italian cinema became famous for its lavish historical epics. Many fantasy epics give us colorful enemies with distinct personalities to confuse us. Instead, it depicts a creature far more readily found in the collective imagination of the male contingent of its adolescent target audience, and tells a story almost as implausible as any sword and sorcery epic. His script is unfocused, his direction uneasy; this film even lacks the visual splendor normally associated with epics and costume dramas. While it fails as an epic, the film does have many supernatural elements. Indoors there is, or was, a fabulous curved screen perfect for widescreen epics. His next works could be seen as sweeping epics, describing the history and hopes of the people of Taiwan. And historical epics don't have the power that they used to. What kind of biblical epic would you all like to see? Unfortunately, the creators also introduce an element that has killed many a fantasy adventure epic: comic relief. "This is a sprawling historical epic, portraying Rio de Janeiro in the 19th century. Henry James is not a name that springs to mind when we think of adventure stories, prose epics or historical fiction. Instead it is an adequate film masquerading as an epic. Ibsen's sprawling epic is the kind of play it shouldn't be possible to stage. Too often the film comes across more like a tribute to old-fashioned swashbuckling epics than a solid story in its own right, and the result is diverting enough but lacks dramatic heft. Oddly melancholy for a fantasy epic, the film overflows with sorrow for love lost, love unrequited, and the agony of lovers separated by the void of death. Synonyms epic film, long film informal blockbuster 2informal An exceptionally long and arduous task or activity. the business of getting hospital treatment soon became an epic Example sentencesExamples I remember him appearing one morning, after his epic in sheeting rain where we'd all made the exception and accepted parental lifts. In the great epic of human activity, lunchtime is a relatively marginal interlude; but in the biography of a specific individual, what he thought and when is vital. adjective ˈɛpɪkˈɛpɪk 1Relating to or characteristic of an epic or epics. our national epic poem Beowulf Example sentencesExamples JRR Tolkien, after all, was a pioneering scholar of Anglo-Saxon poetry and wrote a definitive reinterpretation of the epic poem. The epic poem ‘Beowulf’ will be performed on the night. Christopher Marlowe's epic poem Hero and Leander, which is based on an ancient Greek myth, says more about the customs of contemporary England than of the ancient Greeks. The heroes of most epic poems, in particular, can be seen as symbolic and fictitious figures invented and contrived by poets to convey religious and political ideals. Seamus Heaney is one of the United Kingdom's most respected poets and Beowulf stands as one of the greatest epic poems in English literature. That's because Oxford classicists have finally unwrapped the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, discovering hundreds of lost Greek comedies, tragedies and epic poems. Scouring the Latvian woods and lakeside territories for the capercaillie is reminiscent of Lewis Carroll's epic poem ‘The Hunting of the Snark’. Samuel Taylor Coleridge said in the introduction to his epic poem Kubla Khan that he had ‘heard’ the whole thing in an opium-induced slumber. Biographers were ever the under-belly of the literary world, patronised because they weren't epic poets or triple-decker novelists, and demonised as gossips and sneaks. Milton formed the intention of writing a great epic poem, as he tells us, as early as 1639. The production is based on the epic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow about a Native American named Hiawatha, a real man who lived some 500 years ago. The most famous early bardic poets, Taliesin and Aneirin, wrote epic poems about Welsh events and legends around the seventh century. As he says in the introduction, ‘There is an attempt here to create an epic poem.’ By the seventh century, scribes had written down Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and the oral epic poem, Beowulf. In these workshops, interactive in nature and aimed as an intercultural dialogue, he sets out ‘towards an exploration’ of the epic poem. The hero El Cid, who became the subject of an epic poem, modeled these qualities. To kill one, whether or not with a crossbow, as in Coleridge's epic poem, was considered the ultimate omen of bad luck. When he starts reciting epic poetry in gravelly French it is rather overwhelming. The editor in him couldn't resist trying to translate the great epic poem into English. He legitimated the cultivation of lyrical tropes, as the poet used them to enrich what is otherwise a lofty epic poem on the First Crusade. Synonyms heroic, long, grand, monumental, vast, Homeric, Miltonian lofty, grandiloquent, high-flown, high-sounding, extravagant, bombastic 2Heroic or grand in scale or character. his epic journey around the world a tragedy of epic proportions Example sentencesExamples My problem with this book is that while epic in scope it isn't in storytelling. Taken together - 1,174 pages in total - these books form an epic trilogy. Great epic adventures don't need a voice! At certain moments, their set achieved almost epic proportions. I did enjoy it but for a blockbuster I expected a more epic vision. IT has been a truly epic journey, some 10 years in the making. I'm trying to tell you about something of grand, epic proportions. The first movie in the epic trilogy will keep you glued to your seat. He says it was the most epic thing he had ever been involved in. And even though it will be a more epic tale, it will be done in the right way. We had some epic battles but we feel we have done ourselves justice. In fact it could represent a problem of almost epic proportions. The castaways in time begin an epic journey across a transformed world. The pictures tell a more epic tale than a million words could. Maybe I could tell you that our feat of alcohol consumption was of truly epic proportions. A few minutes after the race, we found out that it had been a truly epic battle. I know that as epic as the performances of the athletes were, there were similarly heroic contributions that are almost entirely overlooked. Both species can engage in river journeys of epic scale. The poem describes an epic battle between giants and the Greek gods and includes imagery of a great battle far out at sea. But, I should begin at the beginning, where all epic tales begin. Synonyms ambitious, heroic, grand, arduous, extraordinary, Herculean very long, very great, very large, huge, monumental 2.1informal Particularly impressive or remarkable. the gig last night was epic these CEOs are paid salaries and bonuses in the millions despite their epic failures Example sentencesExamples Mind you we still have some epic nights here as we have a beer garden which has a marquee for all weather events. If they want to call this "eco friendly", all I can say is "epic fail". Last night I went out with Saige and her friend Craig from Sydney, which meant a night of epic drinking. In stark contrast to last year's epic birthday bash, this year's celebrations will be deliberately low-key. It was epic, to say the least, and an absolutely perfect way to end the night. Connoisseurs of box office bombs will no doubt be aware of its epic failure at the box office ($500,000 gross versus a $40 million budget). They put in a cover of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's Power of Love, which was epic. Your review, though diplomatic, is completely off the mark - this film is an epic time waster. Celebrity guests from the worlds of hip-hop and Hollywood gathered for the epic party, which lasted long into the early hours of Friday morning. Look, I'm making an effort to snap out of the epic sulk brought on by all this. It was epic, there was even discussion of a fight on the basketball court. Dave's like me, he's not the kind of guy who turns down the chance of an epic night out. Am I just setting myself up for an epic failure? Is this a good thing, I wondered, or an epic waste of time? I got over my pain (which was epic) and am now deliriously happy. The riding was epic, the scenery was beautiful, and the resort was very accommodating. I spent the better part of this week studying for a Health Assessment lecture exam, which turned out to be an epic waste of time. It was epic just to surf down there with no one around. Besides my epic fail at writing lyrics tonight, it was a relaxing, fun and productive evening behind my six string. He was a part-time alcoholic, prone to epic drinking bouts, who buried scores of bottles of gin in the back garden for emergencies. Derivatives epical adjective Some have theorized that comic books serve the modern function of the epical myth. Example sentencesExamples The climax, the Battle of Little Big Horn, could have been an exciting, even epical, scene, but it was poorly staged. The man's imagination may not be redemptive, but it can at least be epical. He proved that his seemingly limited minuet couplet could, in its own special way, undertake the epical. During their epical wanderings the dreaming ancestors placed spirits and humans in or on the land. epically adverb In the first play of the Cuchulain cycle - On Baile's Strand - Yeats applies himself epically to the great characters and sagas of Irish mythology. Example sentencesExamples It was epically cumbersome and technically demanding. I've noticed that whenever I read the bio of some successful novelist, they inevitably seem to have this epically dysfunctional childhood. Yet Chekhov's instinct was not misplaced: he had to extend himself physically, in an epically pedestrian manner, in order to win clarity for himself as a writer. There's a whole range of things that are popular and yet certainly could be seen as fundamentally not right - from the totally trivial to the most epically important. Origin Late 16th century (as an adjective): via Latin from Greek epikos, from epos 'word, song', related to eipein 'say'. Definition of epic in US English: epic nounˈɛpɪkˈepik 1A long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation. Example sentencesExamples These soundbites will then be taken even further out of context by rival spinners and talking heads until they are told an retold, like the great epics of oral tradition, or a game of Telephone! Homer not only composed the two epics that now bear his name, but he also composed numerous hymns. In taking the nationalistic, idealized and ancient form of the epic and combining it with a narrative of mercantile discovery, Camões embodies early modern epistemological anxiety. The book she was completing when she passed in 2000 is a collection of epics and shorter lyric poems that affirm her place as one of the most significant and masterful poets of the 20th century. Hitherto, male storytelling took place in the public space and was associated with the narration of epics or factual events, current or past. We are often expected to teach dance, religion, mythology, epics, folklore, history, culture, customs, traditions, language… and music. A welter of poems, plays, epics and narrative poetry came into existence all at once, altering the landscape of literary activity in Bengal forever. Traditional beliefs and views are subverted as a searching look is directed at figures and heroines from our epics, myths and legends. Some scholars have linked the introduction of narratives with oral epics current in the 8th century. The poem also creates an epic that centers on mortal characters rather than heroes or the gods. Happily did he write epics according to ancient rule; no one was impressed. Perhaps, Milton's England makes the author of the brief epic more severe towards the humanist tradition he has inherited than Elizabethan England does for Spenser. Through the centuries the Homeric epics have influenced writers and philosophers for many different countries. The suggestion appealed to him and he decided to compose an epic to extol the achievements of Abdullah Khan. The ancient epic had its counterpart in athletic contests just as the medieval romance had its counterpart in jousts and tournaments between knights. The poem is an epic of the First Crusade, with the addition of romantic and fabulous elements. I was pained to see that our very history and epics had barely created a ripple in the minds of most people. Still, in most such cultures it seems to be normal to repeat stories or sagas or epics of the past that to a limited extent explain, if not the present, then some aspect of custom or faith. Besides the Homeric epics, his works represent the best manuscript tradition from Classical antiquity. Maybe she was some sort of scribe, writing epics about their heroic journey? Synonyms heroic poem, long poem, long story 1.1 The genre of epic poems. the romances display gentler emotions not found in Greek epic Example sentencesExamples Since he writes neither drama nor epic, he said, his poetry can only be lyrical. Before Cervantes, narrative could exhaust itself in a single reading of the past: the epic, or of the present: the picaresque. Likewise, in the Metamorphoses Ovid subverts the epic, the literary genre best suited to Augustus's program of cultural classicism. Walcott's metaphoric take on epic is so powerfully originative as to put the whole genre in a new light. He engages with an unprecedented range of Greek and Roman writing; every genre, not just epic, leaves its mark in the poem's idiom. In epic, there is oral recitation: a poet directly confronting the listening audience. It must be allowed that Dryden would have been hard-pressed to find another episode from ancient epic which so peculiarly recalled recent history. In this ambience the Pope, versed in classical epic, devised the programme for Michelangelo's Last Judgement, in which a warrior Christ thunderbolts the stunted damned. 1.2 A long film, book, or other work portraying heroic deeds and adventures or covering an extended period of time. a Hollywood biblical epic Example sentencesExamples And historical epics don't have the power that they used to. Instead, it depicts a creature far more readily found in the collective imagination of the male contingent of its adolescent target audience, and tells a story almost as implausible as any sword and sorcery epic. And how large IS the audience demand for sand and sandals epics? Henry James is not a name that springs to mind when we think of adventure stories, prose epics or historical fiction. Oddly melancholy for a fantasy epic, the film overflows with sorrow for love lost, love unrequited, and the agony of lovers separated by the void of death. But this time I caved into temptation and went to see the latest war epic to spew out of Hollywood. Many fantasy epics give us colorful enemies with distinct personalities to confuse us. The tragedy of this conception, and the intelligence with which it is executed on screen, makes it unique among film epics. Instead it is an adequate film masquerading as an epic. "This is a sprawling historical epic, portraying Rio de Janeiro in the 19th century. What kind of biblical epic would you all like to see? But why create a fictional romance in a historical epic and then do very little to make viewers care anything about that story? Indoors there is, or was, a fabulous curved screen perfect for widescreen epics. During the silent era, Italian cinema became famous for its lavish historical epics. His next works could be seen as sweeping epics, describing the history and hopes of the people of Taiwan. Unfortunately, the creators also introduce an element that has killed many a fantasy adventure epic: comic relief. Too often the film comes across more like a tribute to old-fashioned swashbuckling epics than a solid story in its own right, and the result is diverting enough but lacks dramatic heft. Ibsen's sprawling epic is the kind of play it shouldn't be possible to stage. His script is unfocused, his direction uneasy; this film even lacks the visual splendor normally associated with epics and costume dramas. While it fails as an epic, the film does have many supernatural elements. Synonyms epic film, long film adjectiveˈɛpɪkˈepik 1Relating to or characteristic of an epic or epics. England's national epic poem Beowulf Example sentencesExamples By the seventh century, scribes had written down Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and the oral epic poem, Beowulf. In these workshops, interactive in nature and aimed as an intercultural dialogue, he sets out ‘towards an exploration’ of the epic poem. The hero El Cid, who became the subject of an epic poem, modeled these qualities. Milton formed the intention of writing a great epic poem, as he tells us, as early as 1639. Christopher Marlowe's epic poem Hero and Leander, which is based on an ancient Greek myth, says more about the customs of contemporary England than of the ancient Greeks. The production is based on the epic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow about a Native American named Hiawatha, a real man who lived some 500 years ago. Samuel Taylor Coleridge said in the introduction to his epic poem Kubla Khan that he had ‘heard’ the whole thing in an opium-induced slumber. The epic poem ‘Beowulf’ will be performed on the night. The editor in him couldn't resist trying to translate the great epic poem into English. To kill one, whether or not with a crossbow, as in Coleridge's epic poem, was considered the ultimate omen of bad luck. Scouring the Latvian woods and lakeside territories for the capercaillie is reminiscent of Lewis Carroll's epic poem ‘The Hunting of the Snark’. As he says in the introduction, ‘There is an attempt here to create an epic poem.’ That's because Oxford classicists have finally unwrapped the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, discovering hundreds of lost Greek comedies, tragedies and epic poems. He legitimated the cultivation of lyrical tropes, as the poet used them to enrich what is otherwise a lofty epic poem on the First Crusade. Biographers were ever the under-belly of the literary world, patronised because they weren't epic poets or triple-decker novelists, and demonised as gossips and sneaks. Seamus Heaney is one of the United Kingdom's most respected poets and Beowulf stands as one of the greatest epic poems in English literature. The heroes of most epic poems, in particular, can be seen as symbolic and fictitious figures invented and contrived by poets to convey religious and political ideals. The most famous early bardic poets, Taliesin and Aneirin, wrote epic poems about Welsh events and legends around the seventh century. JRR Tolkien, after all, was a pioneering scholar of Anglo-Saxon poetry and wrote a definitive reinterpretation of the epic poem. When he starts reciting epic poetry in gravelly French it is rather overwhelming. Synonyms heroic, long, grand, monumental, vast, homeric, miltonian 1.1 Heroic or grand in scale or character. his epic journey around the world a tragedy of epic proportions Example sentencesExamples Maybe I could tell you that our feat of alcohol consumption was of truly epic proportions. At certain moments, their set achieved almost epic proportions. My problem with this book is that while epic in scope it isn't in storytelling. In fact it could represent a problem of almost epic proportions. And even though it will be a more epic tale, it will be done in the right way. The poem describes an epic battle between giants and the Greek gods and includes imagery of a great battle far out at sea. He says it was the most epic thing he had ever been involved in. The first movie in the epic trilogy will keep you glued to your seat. I know that as epic as the performances of the athletes were, there were similarly heroic contributions that are almost entirely overlooked. I'm trying to tell you about something of grand, epic proportions. A few minutes after the race, we found out that it had been a truly epic battle. I did enjoy it but for a blockbuster I expected a more epic vision. But, I should begin at the beginning, where all epic tales begin. Both species can engage in river journeys of epic scale. We had some epic battles but we feel we have done ourselves justice. IT has been a truly epic journey, some 10 years in the making. The castaways in time begin an epic journey across a transformed world. The pictures tell a more epic tale than a million words could. Great epic adventures don't need a voice! Taken together - 1,174 pages in total - these books form an epic trilogy. Synonyms ambitious, heroic, grand, arduous, extraordinary, herculean 1.2informal Particularly impressive or remarkable. the gig last night was epic these CEOs are paid salaries and bonuses in the millions despite their epic failures Example sentencesExamples It was epic just to surf down there with no one around. Besides my epic fail at writing lyrics tonight, it was a relaxing, fun and productive evening behind my six string. If they want to call this "eco friendly", all I can say is "epic fail". Am I just setting myself up for an epic failure? Mind you we still have some epic nights here as we have a beer garden which has a marquee for all weather events. Dave's like me, he's not the kind of guy who turns down the chance of an epic night out. He was a part-time alcoholic, prone to epic drinking bouts, who buried scores of bottles of gin in the back garden for emergencies. Your review, though diplomatic, is completely off the mark - this film is an epic time waster. Look, I'm making an effort to snap out of the epic sulk brought on by all this. I got over my pain (which was epic) and am now deliriously happy. Connoisseurs of box office bombs will no doubt be aware of its epic failure at the box office ($500,000 gross versus a $40 million budget). It was epic, there was even discussion of a fight on the basketball court. They put in a cover of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's Power of Love, which was epic. Celebrity guests from the worlds of hip-hop and Hollywood gathered for the epic party, which lasted long into the early hours of Friday morning. Is this a good thing, I wondered, or an epic waste of time? In stark contrast to last year's epic birthday bash, this year's celebrations will be deliberately low-key. I spent the better part of this week studying for a Health Assessment lecture exam, which turned out to be an epic waste of time. Last night I went out with Saige and her friend Craig from Sydney, which meant a night of epic drinking. It was epic, to say the least, and an absolutely perfect way to end the night. The riding was epic, the scenery was beautiful, and the resort was very accommodating. Origin Late 16th century (as an adjective): via Latin from Greek epikos, from epos ‘word, song’, related to eipein ‘say’.
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