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Epic prose poem

Form
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A prose poem of extended length that employs epic themes and narrative sweep

Detailed Definition
An epic prose poem is a long, narrative work written in prose form yet imbued with poetic qualities such as heightened imagery, rhythm, and symbolic depth. It blends the expansiveness of epic storytelling with the sensibility of poetry, often exploring grand historical or mythic subjects without adhering to strict verse forms.
Example
Example in poetry:
Walt Whitman’s “Specimen Days” blends prose and poetic intensity in epic scope; James Agee’s “Let Us Now Praise Famous Men” uses prose-poetic passages to document Depression-era farmers; Claudia Rankine’s “Citizen” functions as epic prose poem on racial trauma; Anne Carson’s “Plainwater” includes epic prose poems on travel and loss; Maggie Nelson’s “Bluets” weaves philosophical inquiry into lyric-prose epic; Ocean Vuong’s “Time Is a Mother” includes prose poems that expand elegiac epic.
Additional Notes
Epic prose poem blends narrative scope of epic with prose form’s fluidity. Related to heroic paragraph poem and grand prose piece. Avoid mere description—maintain poetic density through rhythm, image, and elevated diction despite lack of lineation.
Also Known As
Epic prose-verse Prose epic poem Grand narrative prose Heroic prose poem
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