On the Verge of Lunacy

Most of the studies on folklore focus on European literature. But just as rich are Asian tales of deities, monsters and heroes. Let’s take a look at some of these. The most well-known are the Epic of Gilgamesh which has two versions in Sumerian and Akkadian; Mahabharata by Veda Vyasa; the Persian epic Shahnameh by Ferdowsi; and Ramayana by Valmiki. Ramayana has different versions in the region including the Burmese version Yama Zatdaw, the Malay Hikayat Seri Rama, the Javanese Kakawin Ramayana and the Cambodian version Reamker. To document all the epics of Asia would fill a book. I’ve picked some examples from each country below. The Book of Dede Korkut is an epic of the Oghuz Turks or Turkomans. It is made up of twelve legends. The first story is about Boghach Khan, while the twelfth narrates the rebellion of the Outer Oghuz. Dede Korkut is supposed to be the narrator of these tales. The Epic of King Gesar , is the epic cycle of the culture hero Gesar of the k...

Published in 1936, the book is divided into three parts. The first is about traditions wherein the author FitzRoy Somerset, 4th Baron Raglan discusses the differences and the validity of written accounts. There are accounts written at the time by persons present at the events they describe; accounts by eyewitnesses but not written down yet; archaeological evidences; accounts obtained from actors or spectators shortly after the event; and accounts obtained by questioning people what happened at the time before or those obtained at second or third hand. He then proceeds to cite examples in legends and myths such as Robin Hood, the Norse Sagas, King Arthur, Hengist and Horsa, Cuchulainn, and the Tale of Troy. The second part discusses what myths are about. According to Lord Raglan, most myths "are about gods, heroes, goddesses and heroines because they are accounts of the royal ritual... [r]itual religions aim to secure the well-being of the community by the due perf...

Note: This is my final paper for Adv. Literary Theory and Criticism, one of my classes in MA in Literature.  October 2015. I'm posting this here as a backup in case I lose my copy and I need a guide in the future. Literature is the soul of a civilization. It is the collection of dreams, ideas and experiences of a people. It is what separates us from animals. It is an examination of our aspirations, happiness, fears and sadness, ideas and opinions. As a student of literature, I have learned that to get the most out of a poem, short story, novel, play or film, I must go beyond simple reading and observation. To do this however, I have to answer first the question "how do we fully appreciate a literary piece?" This essay is divided into four sections, namely; what is literature for me; the literary theories and criticism; Heneral Luna: a film review using the poststructuralist approach; and what makes a good literature? In the first part, I will recall my experiences a...