Summary
Fiction is an art form that uses natural language words and constructions as its sole material. The specifics of fiction are revealed in comparison with the types of art that use different materials, such as music, visual art, theater, song, visual poetry, as well as with different types of verbal text. In addition, fiction, like other types of art, combines the author’s works, in contrast to the results of folklore that have no author in principle. The history of literature began in the Bronze Age with the invention of writing in Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. Although at first glance it seems that the literature of all countries is the same, there is still a significant difference in styles, goals, and prevailing genres.
Ancient Egyptian Literature
Throughout ancient Egyptian history, reading and writing were the main requirements for service in public institutions. However, government officials received assistance in their daily work from elite, literate social groups called scribes. Scribes were responsible for preserving, transmitting, and canonizing literary classics, as well as writing new pieces. Sometimes certain people outside the scribal profession were literate and had access to classical literature.
Literature also served religious purposes, for instance, the works of funerary literature written on the tomb walls, sarcophagi, and papyri were intended to protect and educate the soul in the afterlife. These inscriptions included magical incantations, chants, lyrical hymns, and many other types of literary works. There was a time when funeral texts were written only for the pharaohs, but then people realized that they would all end up in the afterlife, and such texts were written for everyone (Gala Tejal “The Egyptian Book of the Dead: A Guidebook for the Underworld”). Sometimes, the tombs also contained copies of literary texts not related to the funeral ritual and probably were intended for the entertainment of the dead in the afterlife.
Greek Literature
The Greeks created and developed almost all the literary forms of subsequent European literature, and thanks to their inherent sense of symmetry and proportion, they made perfect artistic forms. Most of the works of the classical period were intended for oral performance, so they convey the spirit of Greek life with a lively spontaneity that is lacking in other highly developed literature. The creative era in ancient Greek literature lasted from the XI century BC to the III century BC.
At this time, there were all kinds of prose, the dominant place among which was the epic. The epic, as a long narrative about heroes and gods, had a didactic function from its very beginning. It instructed and taught fellow citizens how to manage wisely and live with dignity. The basis for all the literature of ancient Greece was myths. The literature of Ancient Greece was able to develop many long-lasting images and ideas, to create a whole system of worldview. The originality and authenticity of such images and ideas were the reason for the enormous influence that the literature of Ancient Greece had on the formation of Western culture.
Comparison
Comparing the early literature of the two countries, one can see the striking differences between them. For example, the literature of ancient Egypt is more focused on hymns, funeral marches, and strict documents. The same cannot be said about the literature of Greece, which was aimed at praising its gods, heroes, and beauties. Pan claims that Greek literature reflects the attitude of the Greeks toward knowledge, and the world, emphasizing their philosophical wisdom (1437). Works of literature in Greece were created using the alphabet, which later became the basis of all European languages. In Egypt, hieroglyphs and the similarity of drawings were used for writing.
In conclusion, it is very important and exciting to know the features of the literature of different countries. After all, modern literature is a follower of an older one and takes its origins from there. It is also essential to know what literary works a particular country is famous for because, over time, these works have become classics that every intellectually developed person should know.
Works Cited
Gala, Tejal. “The Egyptian Book of the Dead: A guidebook for the underworld.” YouTube, uploaded by Ted-ed. 2016. Web.
Pan, Jie. “Research on the Influence of Greek Mythology on Anglo – American Language and Literature.” Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, vol. 119, 2017, pp. 1437-1440.