الملحمة في األدب العربي

This study examines the epic in Arabic literature and explores the possibility of the epic as a literary genre within it. The research seeks to investigate the manifestations of the epic as a literary form in different periods of Arabic literature. For this reason, it was necessary to first trace the origins and development of the epic in ancient Eastern and Western literatures. The study then discusses the question of the epic's existence in Arabic literature from two perspectives: those who support its presence and those who deny it. Accordingly, it also explores the reasons behind the absence of this genre in early Arabic literature.In addition, the research addresses whether traditional Arabic narratives—such as popular tales and maqāmāt—can be regarded as a kind of Arabic epic. It then turns to the evolution of the epic concept in the modern era, as well as the causes and motives behind the emergence of the epic in modern Arabic literature.In order to address the problem of the epic and the "epic term" in modern Arabic literature, the study compares modern long poetic and prose works with ancient epics, examining the possibility of classifying these modern works as part of the epic tradition. For this purpose, epic characteristics in these texts were sought and analyzed. Thus, this research is significant for tracing the origins and development of the epic across ancient and modern times, by following its features and manifestations in both old and modern Arabic texts. In doing so, it sheds light on the issue of the epic's existence as a literary genre in Arabic literature—an issue that has sometimes been rejected and at other times affirmed