noun
roman-fleuve; long novel; epic novel
A literary term for a long, multi-volume novel that follows the lives of several characters or families across generations, often set against a historical backdrop. The French term 'roman-fleuve' is commonly used in English literary criticism.
彼の代表作は、戦後を舞台にした大河小説だ。
His masterpiece is a roman-fleuve set in the postwar period.
この大河小説は三部作で、一族の百年の歴史を描いている。
This epic novel is a trilogy that depicts a hundred years of a family's history.