Module 2

12 LITERARY COMPOSITIONS THAT INFLUENCED THE WORLD

AIDS TO THE STUDY OF LITERATURE

Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Identify the 12 literary compositions that influenced the world.
2. Explain the aids to the study of literature.

12 Literary Compositions that Influenced the World

There are many angles that can be pursued when
thinking about the Bible as literature, but two bedrock
questions underlie any discussion of the subject. Those two
questions are why we should read the Bible as literature
and how we should read it. These are the two questions
that I have set before me in this article.
The first reason to read the Bible as literature is that it is a work of literature.
Because the primary sphere in which the Bible has been read through the ages is the
religious sphere, it is easy to be misled into thinking that the Bible is a piece of doctrinal
exposition. This is a misconception. The form in which the Bible comes to us is primarily
(though not completely) a literary book.
According to conventional Islamic belief, the
Qurʾān was revealed by the angel Gabriel to the Prophet
Muhammad in the West Arabian towns Mecca and
Medina beginning in 610 and ending with Muhammad’s
death in 632 CE.

The Iliad tells the final chapter in the story of two

major Bronze Age “Greek” alliances battling each other.
It ends when the Achaeans (people mainly from what we
now call Greece) sack Troy/Ilium (located in modern day
Turkey). It's a long, meandering epic, but it primarily
revolves around the "godlike Achilles'" struggle to
confront his hubris and become humanized.
The Odyssey, in contrast, mainly takes place outside of that common culture and
describes contact with pre-Mycenaean Mediterranean cultures. The story focuses on
Odysseus and his family's struggle to recover from the Trojan war's after effects and,
primarily, with Odysseus struggle to make it back home. So The Iliad describes the
clash between two equally brilliant and beautiful groups of “Greeks”, and The Odyssey
describes contact with the “Other”, represented as monsters and witches.
The Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic where
the main story revolves around two branches of a family
- the Pandavas and Kauravas - who, in the Kurukshetra
War, battle for the throne of Hastinapura. Interwoven
into this narrative are several smaller stories about
people dead or living, and philosophical discourses.
Krishna-Dwaipayan Vyasa, himself a character in the
epic, composed it; as, according to tradition, he dictated the verses and Ganesha wrote
them down.
The Canterbury Tales consists of the General
Prologue, The Knight’s Tale, The Miller’s Tale, The
Reeve’s Tale, The Cook’s Tale, The Man of Law’s Tale,
The Wife of Bath’s Tale, The Friar’s Tale, The
Summoner’s Tale, The Clerk’s Tale, The Merchant’s
Tale, The Squire’s Tale, The Franklin’s Tale, The
Second Nun’s Tale, The Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale, The
Physician’s Tale, The Pardoner’s Tale, The Shipman’s Tale, The Prioress’s Tale, The
Tale of Sir Thopas, The Tale of Melibeus (in prose), The Monk’s Tale, The Nun’s
Priest’s Tale, The Manciple’s Tale, and The Parson’s Tale (in prose), and ends with
“Chaucer’s Retraction.” Not all the tales are complete; several contain their own
prologues or epilogues.
Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) published
more than 30 books, but it was her best-selling anti-
slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin that catapulted her to
international celebrity and secured her place in history.
In 1851, Stowe offered the publisher of the
abolitionist newspaper The National Era a piece that
would “paint a word picture of slavery.” Stowe expected to write three or four
installments, but Uncle Tom’s Cabin grew to more than 40.
At the age of thirty-five, on the night of Good
Friday in the year 1300, Dante finds himself lost in a
dark wood and full of fear. He sees a sun-drenched
mountain in the distance, and he tries to climb it, but
three beasts, a leopard, a lion, and a she-wolf, stand in
his way. Dante is forced to return to the forest where
he meets the spirit of Virgil, who promises to lead him
on a journey through Hell so that he may be able to enter Paradise. Dante agrees to the
journey and follows Virgil through the gates of Hell.
Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar was a Spanish knight born in the year 1043, and he is the
national hero of Spain. He is perhaps more widely
known as “El Cid Campeador,” (El Cid meaning The
Lord, or Master, and Campeador meaning The
Champion, an honorable title rarely given to a man
during his lifetime).
Once he became a knight, Rodrigo soon
distinguished himself in such a manner that he was appointed to be the commander of
the Castilian army under King Sancho II. Rodrigo proved himself in several battles in
which the Castilian army was always victorious under his capable leadership, and it was
during this time that he earned the title El Cid, as well as the honorific title of
Campeador.
Historically, Charlemagne (742-814), was king of
the Franks and a committed, militant Christian. A loyal
ally of the pope and a great conqueror, he forced
conversions as he expanded the boundaries of his
empire outward from his central territory, straddling
present-day France and Germany. In 800 he was
crowned emperor by the pope, legitimizing his rule over
the former Roman empire in western Europe. After his death, he became legendary; it is
this legendary Charlemagne, the most perfect Christian king, symbol of the spirit of the
Crusades, and favorite of heaven, who is presented in The Song of Roland as leader of
the Frankish troops and Roland's uncle and avenger. His name means literally, "Charles
the Great."
The Book of the Dead prevails in both popular
culture and current scholarship as one of the most
famous aspects of ancient Egyptian culture. This
funerary text provides some of the most vivid and
enduring images from the ancient world - there are few
who have not heard some version of the Book of the
Dead’s afterlife mythology. Familiar scenes - like a
scale weighing a heart of the deceased against a feather or the eternal destruction of a
soul by a deity composed of animal parts - originate from the Book of the Dead. With
such impressive narratives, it is clear why Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife are so
thoroughly ingrained in our collective memory.
Today is generally accepted to be the birthday
(551 BCE) of the Chinese philosopher known in
English as Confucius. Confucius is traditionally
credited with having written or edited numerous
Chinese classic texts, but modern scholars are
cautious about attributing specific works to Confucius
himself. Confucius’ stated principles have much in common with Chinese tradition and
belief. He championed strong family loyalty, ancestor veneration, and respect of elders
by their children and of husbands by their wives, recommending the family as a basis
for ideal government. His teaching and philosophy have influenced people around the
world. If you wish you can skip down below the biography which follows here and read
about Confucian philosophy and its application to cooking.
The primary story is about Shahryar and
Shahrazad. When Shahryar discovers that his queen at
the beginning of the tale is being unfaithful, he declares
that all women are the same and vows to take a new bride
each night and have her killed the next morning.