#oldliterature

[manwhowaits]

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way — in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." Opening of "The Tales Of Two Cities; Charles Dickens". A right novel in the right hand, the beginning alone can make you feel like you’ve just fallen into a fast-flowing river, snatched away from reality, and hurtled downhill. It is hard to choose favorite openings between these astonishing novels, but mine favorite opening, maybe "1984 - Goerge Orwell", "A Frolic of His Own - William Gaddis", "The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien", "The Godfather - Mario Puzo", or "Waiting - Ha Jin". It's really hard to choose one. Which opening lines you find interesting? Click on the link in bio and find out. . . . .#opening #prologue #literature #best #classicliterature #modernliterature #moderclassic #oldliterature #wisdom #openings #openinglines (at Book Barn) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDPE9qxpCZU/?igshid=112v7mlrbb4vt

#opening #prologue #literature #best #classicliterature #modernliterature #moderclassic #oldliterature #wisdom #openings #openinglines

[novuslitera-blog]

The first book...ever found!

The Epic of Gilgamesh is the first written epic that humanity is aware of and yet, after all this time the content, theatricality, and morals that once inspired an ancient civilization, equally apply to a modern society. 

The epic is primarily concerning about Gilgamesh, a king that ruled Sumerian Uruk (which is modern day Iraq) back in 2700 BC. The epic does more than that though, it depicts an entire culture in between the lines of plot that revolve around the “hero” and his adventures. The source of the story’s origin is in debate for the lack of empirical information. The oldest existing versions of this literary piece dates 2000 BC in Sumerian cuneiform, so there is an obvious  gap of 700 years where this story was either told orally or written in cuneiform but lost to the trials of time.

Said to be the cradle of civilization, Mesopotamia (or the land between two rivers - Tigris and Euphrates) Sumeria (c. 4000 BC) is the result of one of the first city-states ever conceived in this area. Here, writing was invented (c. 3500 BC) and correspondingly, the first grand work of literature in history as well. To give a sense of chronology, Abraham, the first Jewish Prophet lived around 1900 - 1800 BC, and Moses is believed to have migrated his people out of Egypt between 1500 - 1200 BC. It is astounding to believe that such a grand artwork had been diminished and nearly forgotten. That forgetfulness though is solely corresponding to modern day, for even the Greeks and Romans refer to King Gilgamesh as late as 200 AD. Probably the rulers that came after Gilgamesh went to this story to remember how no amount of power can give you physical immortality, but actions for your people can give you eternal life in the memory of generations to come.

After almost three thousand years suddenly this inspiring story disappeared never to be found again until 1839 AD. The British, after many archaeological excavations, found countless amounts of clay tablets (the fact that it was clay is the reason why they were so well preserved).

They were indecipherable at first, but a man with hardly no education became the bridge between ancient history and future translations that would help us know about this incredible story. George Smith had been trained as an engraver when he was 14 years old, working for a printing firm that later became a publishing house. With this training at hand, 32 year old worker for the British Museum found himself drawn to these tablets to the point where he became the man who would assemble them in the correct order for archaeologists to decipher their meaning. 

To be continued....  More to come on the Epic of Gilgamesh... Stay tuned!

#history #writing #newliterature #oldliterature #Epic #Gilgamesh #first #book #lesson #the more you know

[cameronbooks-blog1]

Ahaa 😍😍 Sherlock v angličtine 💛 #sherlock #sherlockholmes #1 #2 #oldbookssmellgood #oldliterature #old #booksmell #boomerang #bookstagram #instaphotos #indtavideo #instagramstars #instalive #greennails #huge #lovebooks #love #follow #follow4like #like4like #muchlove❤ #cameron #blogger

#huge #booksmell #follow #like4like #lovebooks #old #2 #instaphotos #greennails #blogger #cameron #oldbookssmellgood #instalive #boomerang #bookstagram #follow4like #oldliterature #sherlock #sherlockholmes #love #1 #muchlove❤ #indtavideo #instagramstars

[daemonsdomain]

Lazy Sunday with Kit . . . #shadowofnight #christophermarlowe #marlowe #poetry #plays #bookstagram #books #university #artwork #bookart #library #librarybooks #universityreading #booklists #heroandleander #16thcenturyliterature #oldliterature #poems #poets photo by artemis__rex — view on Instagram http://ift.tt/2yNBpE0

#Instagram #IFTTT

[myparksoyoung-blog]

Image about love in the selection by oldliterature ❤ liked on Polyvore

#polyvore

[thehillcastle]

Jane Eyre - a newbie to add to my literary series. She's in the shop! Link in bio. Let me know if you'd prefer a print 🌟 #charlottebronte #bronteart #brontë #janeeyre #haworth #yorkshire #brontëparsonage #yorkshirelass #yorkshireart #England #northengland #upnorth #literature #bookworm #oldliterature #yorkshireliterature #womanwriter #art #artwork #literaryart #literarypainting #literaryillustration — view on Instagram http://ift.tt/2hTqR0z

#Instagram #IFTTT