Define the epic, mock epic, tragedy, novel.

Epic - a long narrative poem
that tells of the heroic deeds of a legendary hero. This comes from the oral tradition
of singing songs of the heroic deeds of the knights and heroes of medieval times.  A
good example would be The Odyssey, a poem which recounts the deeds
of Odysseus. The Illiad by Homer also recounts the deeds of the
heroes of Troy.

Mock epic -  a
long narrative satire or parody of the epic form. They make fun of the heroes by either
putting a fool into the role of the hero or exaggerating heroic qualities to the point
that they are absurd.  An example of this would be The Rape of the Lock
by Alexander Pope. 

Tragedy -
a work of literature - usually a play -which results in a catastrophe for
the main character. In ancient Greek times it was usually a king or heroic figure who
had a flaw in his character that led to disaster.  An example of this would be
Oedipus in which the main character kills his father and marries
his mother unbeknownst to
him.

Novel - long work of
prose either fictitious or partly so that tells a story.  It has all the elements of a
short story but, because of its length, can have one or more subplots or independent
stories and a greater development of character.  It may also have several themes.  An
example would be Great Expectations by Charles
Dickens,