Brandon Scribner

5/22/18

Comp 201 World Literature

Dr. Victor Gomia

Module 1 Summary

The reading begins with the story of Evliya Celebri a Turkish nobleman and traveling writer.

Celebri recorded his journey from his homeland of Istanbul through the Ottoman Empire and his

destination of Vienna. Once in Vienna, Celebri mistakes a group of automatons for slaves that worked

along the road. Celebri was impressed with seeing something so new and different. Celebri’s real

excitement would begin once he stepped foot in Vienna’s prized cathedral. Although the outside of the

cathedral was of average architecture and design, the enormous amounts of literature stored inside

stunned our Celebri greatly. Celebri describes the amount as more than hundreds of thousands. Maps,

illustrations, books in all languages, and not only was the amount impressive but also the diversity of the

literature. Celebri asks some very interesting questions to himself that one could very easily apply to

their life. How should I orient myself in the unfamiliar custom? What am I not seeing that someone

raised in this culture would recognize right away? What can I learn here? How can I relate to the people

I meet?

Our text then states the mission statement of this edition of the book. To me the statement was

that the text is meant to expose students to the widest variety of text from around the world with clear

interpretations of the meanings behind the writing. Strong supporting analysis and imagery are provided

to help absorb as much content in the easiest and most pleasurable fashion.

Next, the book dives into historical contact and culture and the relationship it has with

literature. Forming new cultures through the fast spread of different types of literature. The differences

in societies, cultures and religion are all apparent through the literature of that era. Literature is used to
describe to those who were not around of the perils and tribulations that went on. Each region of the

world retells the story of the creation of the world. Before written word, the early concepts were only

told orally. The oral stories of long ago have long been lost. The text says that the connection or bond of

humans regardless of culture or location is through religion. Cultural exchange and conflict occur due to

the deep history of religion. As the twentieth century began, the cultural exchange had accelerated far

and beyond the previous centuries. Changing the form of literature from a modern movement to a

postcolonial movement.

After that, the text moves forward to the worlds of our imagination. Creating new worlds to

explore and suggesting answers to life’s great questions. The epics written discuss real world interaction

with elaborate explanations for the unknown. Focusing not only on the large but also the minute. Stories

all consist of a general theme and those themes are accompanied by a genre.

Genre, or rather the set of rules that follow the word are still used today. Authors use the rules

and convections to assemble what works well and what does not follow to correct storyline. Because of

the vastness of literature throughout the world the development of visual support for interpreting genre

has been created. The idea that you cannot understand a play without understanding the audience the

play was for, how it was performed, and how audiences watch it begs for additional separation between

genres into subgenres.

Oral Literature is described as the mother of all literature. The roots of the written word before

any such skill existed or was needed. Now the two are intertwined and cohesive, working

simultaneously every day.

The final section of the preface speaks about the large variety of literature included in the

anthology. Offering an expanded selection of creation myths, wisdom literature, religious texts,

philosophy, and fairy tales in addition to plays, poems, and narrative fiction. The authors then ask the
question of why we study the world through literature. It is because the written word is a direct link to

the deep thinking of the humanity. The evolved task used primarily for mundane purposes gives great

insight to the human consciousness. No other art form can capture word for word the thinking,

experience, or process. No matter the time, location, or person if the thought was captured by text then

the moment is preserved.

Chapter one, Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Literature, reviews the history of

literature in those areas. The very early phases of literature through spoken word date back as far as

history itself. Although all spoken word was lost due to the inability to document, the preliterate

societies had different values than we do today. Writing was not invented to preserve the spoken word,

but for political, religious, and cultural reasons. The Egyptians developed a hieroglyphic writing system

like early Sumerian script but was more elaborate and artistic. Jobs as scribes began to emerge to bridge

the intellectual gap of the masses and the scribes themselves. Early forms of writing had to be

transcribed by professionals of the field themselves. Phoenician script was traded vastly through the

Mediterranean and was later adopted by the Greeks themselves. The Romans who adopted the Greek’s

alphabet for their own carved into stone in the same capital letters we use today. Early civilizations did

not have any of the technology and machines that we take for granted in this century. People of then

did not abused natural minerals and create non-natural materials such as plastics or rubber. Even times

of war were vastly different. Soldiers that went off to battle went primarily on foot for miles upon miles.

Labor of slaves is comparable to the labor of less modernized counties of today. The less advanced you

are the less opportunities given to you. Those that are ahead, help those like them to stay ahead.

Civilizations of then could not be farm from water or fertile soil. Religion of today has also changed. Not

all the practices of old would be considered right if performed today. We do not stone women to death

because of pre-marital sex. We do not burn the wicked at the stake. The actions of the “heretics” may

not be so if reviewed by someone of today.