Sumerian Literature Flashcards
Is widely recognized as the first culture to have
invented writing, in the form of cuneiform.
Sumeria
Were known for
being prolific producers of
literary works
Sumerians
Most popular piece of the Sumarians.
a story of adventures based on the
eponymous King Gilgamesh of Uruk.
It is also the oldest written story known to exist in the
world and perhaps even one of the most influential.
The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Epic of Gilgamesh disappeared around ______ until British archeologist _______ rediscovered a complete version in 1839 in Nineveh.
500BC
Austen Layard
Where the ruins of the library of Ashurbanipal is located.
Nineveh
The text was in the Akkadian language,
attributed to Babylonian writer.
Shin-Leqi-Unninni
Story elements meant to inject something universally human into the reading, viewing, or listening experience.
Archetypes
The archetypal elements can often include any of the following:
Unique births
Mysteries
Extraordinary powers
Tragic flaws
Rites of passage
Nemeses
Common character archetypes
The Hero
The Villain
The Antihero
The Everyman
The Trickster or The Jester
comes from
an ordinary life, he or she is
typically called to go on an
adventure which ends with him or
her confronting his or her darkest
fear in order to transform and
overcome the conflict.
The Hero
is known for being evil. Throughout the story,
their reasons and motivations become clear, whether it’s a response to fear or a pursuit for power and control. Personality-wise, the villain’s main vice is parallel to the hero’s main virtue.
The Villain
A character who has several attributes of a hero but is not as conventionally “good” as a hero is considered an _______.
The Antihero
Is just a normal person facing extraordinary
circumstances except he does not feel morally obligated to make a great change or save the world;
Simply wants to survive a crisis, sometimes as
the main character of the story and sometimes as a supporting figure.
The Everyman
Most flexible character archetypes
Can either be good or evil
They are written as symbols of
how chaotic, complex, and confusing the world’s reality is, and
they show that by breaking ordinary rules of society –
sometimes even nature
The Trickster or Jester
Common Situational Archetypes
Journeys
Good vs. Evil
Natural vs. Mechanistic World
Death and Rebirth
Rags to Riches
