Question

In ancient literature, the genre which most closely approximates the novel is the epic. Works such as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey as well as Virgil’s Aeneid, though poetry, are long narratives centered around certain key events and characters with heroic or cowardly actions that determine, not only their own fates, but also those of the nations which they led. The novel carries this tradition on, but in a reduced scope. The novel is much more localized, centering on characters in local settings, whose actions affect themselves and perhaps a few memebers of their local commmunity.

Answer 1

What is the main idea in the text?

Epic poems are greater in scope than novels.
Epic poetry was a precursor to the novel.
Epic poetry is poetry; novels are prose.