Course 2—Lecture - 2

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LitCourse 2
The Novel: A mirror of the world

How the Novel Got Its Groove

The great stories of Western culture began in Mesopotamia. They took two forms, continuing as such up through the collapse of the Roman Empire.

Epic poems: long poetic tales of gods and mythical heroes, recited from memory by traveling bards, later taking written form. (Homer's The Odyssey.)

Drama: growing out of religious ritual (it is believed) also taking poetic and, eventually, written form. (Sophocles's Oedipus Rex.)

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