The written world : the power of stories to shape people, history, civilization
(Book)

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Published
New York, New York : Random House, [2017].
Status
Shirlington - Adult Nonfiction
809.9335 PUCHN
1 available

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LocationCall NumberStatusDue Date
Aurora Hills - Adult Nonfiction809.9335 PUCHNChecked OutApril 20, 2024
Shirlington - Adult Nonfiction809.9335 PUCHNAvailable

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Published
New York, New York : Random House, [2017].
Format
Book
Physical Desc
xxiii, 412 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of color plates : illustrations ; 25 cm
Language
English

Notes

Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 341-388) and index.
Description
The story of how literature shaped world history, in sixteen acts-from Alexander the Great and the Iliad to Don Quixote and Harry Potter In this groundbreaking book, Martin Puchner leads us on a remarkable journey through time and around the globe to reveal the powerful role stories and literature have played in creating the world we have today. Puchner introduces us to numerous visionaries as he explores sixteen foundational texts selected from more than four thousand years of world literature and reveals how writing has inspired the rise and fall of empires and nations, the spark of philosophical and political ideas, and the birth of religious beliefs. Indeed, literature has touched the lives of generations and changed the course of history. At the heart of this book are works, some long-lost and rediscovered, that have shaped civilization: the first written masterpiece, the Epic of Gilgamesh; Ezra's Hebrew Bible, created as scripture; the teachings of Buddha, Confucius, Socrates, and Jesus; and the first great novel in world literature, The Tale of Genji, written by a Japanese woman known as Murasaki. Visiting Baghdad, Puchner tells of Scheherazade and the stories of One Thousand and One Nights, and in the Americas we watch the astonishing survival of the Maya epic Popol Vuh. Cervantes, who invented the modern novel, battles pirates both real (when he is taken prisoner) and literary (when a fake sequel to Don Quixote is published). We learn of Benjamin Franklin's pioneering work as a media entrepreneur, watch Goethe discover world literature in Sicily, and follow the rise in influence of The Communist Manifesto. We visit Troy, Pergamum, and China, and we speak with Nobel laureates Derek Walcott in the Caribbean and Orhan Pamuk in Istanbul, as well as the wordsmiths of the oral epic Sunjata in West Africa.

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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Puchner, M. (2017). The written world: the power of stories to shape people, history, civilization (First edition.). Random House.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Puchner, Martin, 1969-. 2017. The Written World: The Power of Stories to Shape People, History, Civilization. Random House.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Puchner, Martin, 1969-. The Written World: The Power of Stories to Shape People, History, Civilization Random House, 2017.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Puchner, Martin. The Written World: The Power of Stories to Shape People, History, Civilization First edition., Random House, 2017.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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