Epics (Fiction)

GSAFD, 2000 (Epic fiction: use for works that parallel traditional epics in range and magnitude, and are, or could be, characterized by grandiose treatment of individuals or national destiny. Examples include James Michener's Centennial and Leon Uris' Exodus. UF Epic literature; Fiction, Epic)
Cuddon, J. A dictionary of literary terms and literary theory, 1998: p. 264 (epic: An epic is a long narrative poem, on a grand scale, about the deeds of warriors and heroes; epics are often of national significance in the sense that they embody the history and aspirations of a nation in a lofty or grandiose manner) p. 272 (in the last hundred years or more the novel, the cinema, and to a lesser extent, the theatre have been much favoured media for narratives on an epic scale; novelists have found the novel an increasingly suitable vehicle for a grandiose treatment of individual and national destiny; there has been an impressive number of novels which can fairly be described as epic in their range and magnitude)
Henry, L. The fiction dictionary, c1995 (Epic fiction: while 'epic; occasionally is used simply to describe a very long novel, most epics also have certain elements in common, including a plot involving characters whose actions create national or international consequences and settings encompassing a variety of locations. Epic was originally used to describe poems such as Homer's Odyssey, which were passed on orally and involved the great deeds of celebrated historical figures. But there are marked differences between oral epic poetry and epic fiction. The fictional epic is often, although not always, humorous, and its characters and plot generally are invented, rather than based on mythology or history. Leo Tolstoy's War and peace is an example of a fictional epic.)

Fiction depicting action on a broad scale and often characterized by grandiose treatment of individual and/or national destiny.