WORLD

LITERATURE
Through Time
Ms. Jaimerie S. Navaja
THE STUDY OF LITERATURE THROUGH THE AGES

ENCOMPASSES A BROAD EXPLORATION OF LITERARY WORKS,

STYLES, THEMES, AND MOVEMENTS THAT HAVE EVOLVED OVER
TIME. IT ALLOWS INDIVIDUALS TO UNDERSTAND THE CULTURAL,
SOCIAL, AND HISTORICAL CONTEXTS THAT INFLUENCED
LITERARY PRODUCTION AND TRACE THE DEVELOPMENT OF
LITERARY FORMS AND EXPRESSIONS.
 WHY IS ANCIENT LITERATURE
IMPORTANT?
IT INCLUDES WORKS THAT WERE SIGNIFICANT IN THEIR TIME
AND THAT CONTINUE TO BE READ TODAY. THESE WORKS LAID
THE FOUNDATIONS FOR THE LITERATURE THAT FOLLOWED
AND HAVE AFFECTED THE WAY THAT PEOPLE THINK AND LIVE
TODAY.

ANCIENT LITERATURE
CODE OF HAMMURABI
THE CODE OF HAMMURABI IS ONE OF THE
EARLIEST AND BEST-PRESERVED WRITTEN
LEGAL CODES. IT DATES BACK TO AROUND
1754 BCE AND IS ATTRIBUTED TO HAMMURABI,
THE SIXTH KING OF THE FIRST BABYLONIAN
DYNASTY. THE CODE CONSISTS OF 282 LAWS,
WRITTEN IN AKKADIAN, AND IT IS ENGRAVED
ON A STELE (A LARGE STONE PILLAR) THAT
WAS DISCOVERED IN 1901 IN PRESENT-DAY
IRAN.
THE CODE OF HAMMURABI
COVERS A WIDE RANGE OF
TOPICS, INCLUDING FAMILY
LAW, COMMERCE, AND
CRIMINAL JUSTICE.
INCLUDES EPIC POEMS LIKE THE ILIAD
AND THE ODYSSEY, CLASSICAL PLAYS
BY AUTHORS LIKE SOPHOCLES AND
EURIPIDES, AND PHILOSOPHICAL
WORKS BY PLATO AND ARISTOTLE.

Greek and Roman Literature

Courier PS Greek
 The Judgement of Paris
THE STORY BEGINS WITH THE JUDGMENT OF PARIS, WHERE
PARIS, A PRINCE OF TROY, WAS TASKED WITH DECIDING
WHICH OF THE GODDESSES—HERA, ATHENA, OR
APHRODITE—WAS THE FAIREST. AS A REWARD FOR
CHOOSING APHRODITE AS THE FAIREST, PARIS WAS
PROMISED THE LOVE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MORTAL
WOMAN, HELEN OF SPARTA.
SETTING

WEDDING OF PELEUS AND THETIS

Peleus - king of myrmidons; father of
THETIS
HERA - the wife of Zeus; The Goddess of Women, marriage and Childbirth
Aphrodite - Goddess of Love and Beauty
Athena - Goddess of Wisdom and War
Eris - the goddess of deluge ; The sister of Ares the Ancient Greek God of War ;
paris - prince of troy; the younger brother of hector; son of priam

CHARACTERS
 TROJAN WAR
HELENS ABDUCTION (THE FACE THAT COULD LUNCH A THOUSAND SHIPS)
PARIS V MENELAUS (PACT BETWEEN ROYALS)
AGAMEMNONS WRATH
PATROCLUS DEATH
ACHILLES’ WRATH
HECTOR’S DEATH
THE TROJAN HORSE AN OFFERING TO THE GODS
TROY’S DOWNFALL
Alliteration
Alliteration is the repeating of consonant sounds right
next to each other, which creates a memorable or melodic
effect.

Example: She sells seashells

by the seashore.
Antithesis
Antithesis is a literary technique that places opposite things
or ideas next to one another to draw out their contrast.

Example: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
. . .” —Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
Apostrophe
Apostrophe as a figure of speech is when a character addresses someone
or something that isn’t present or cannot respond. The character might
speak to someone deceased, an inanimate object, or a concept.

Example: “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” —

William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
SPANNING FROM THE 5TH TO THE 15TH CENTURY,
ENCOMPASSES DIVERSE WORKS LIKE EPIC POEMS,
CHIVALRIC ROMANCES, AND ALLEGORICAL
ALLEGORIES, REFLECTING THE VALUES AND
CULTURAL MILIEU OF THE MIDDLE AGES.

MEDIEVAL
 PREDOMINANTLY COMPOSED BETWEEN THE 7TH
AND 11TH CENTURIES, INCLUDES MASTERPIECES
SUCH AS THE EPIC POEM "BEOWULF,"
SHOWCASING THE POETIC RICHNESS AND HEROIC
THEMES OF EARLY GERMANIC CULTURES.

OLD ENGLISH
LITERATURE
Circumlocution
the use of a purposely wordy description. You can
think of it as talking in circles.

Example: In the Harry Potter series, most characters

don’t say Lord Voldemort’s name; instead, they use
this circumlocution: “He Who Must Not Be Named.”
Epigram

An epigram is a clever and memorable statement. You will find

epigrams in speeches, poetry, and at the front of a book.

Example: “No one can make you feel inferior without your
consent.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
Euphemism

A euphemism is a way to say something in an understated manner, often to avoid difficult

topics—like money, death, or sex.

Example: Death can be an uncomfortable subject, so we’ve developed many euphemisms to

avoid confronting it head-on. Rather than telling a friend that a relative died, you might
say they “kicked the bucket,” “passed away,” or are “no longer with us.”
Paradox
A paradox is a statement that appears to contradict itself
but contains some truth, theme, or humor.
Pleonasm
Example: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more
equal than others.” —George Orwell, Animal Farm
Understatement
Understatement is the intentional downplaying of a situation.
This can create a humorous or deadpan effect in writing.

Example: “I have to have this operation. It isn’t very serious. I

have this tiny little tumor on the brain.” —J.D. Salinger, The
Catcher in the Rye