RE: Re: Sagas and Literature

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From: donald_at_...
Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 01:05:44 GMT

In message <20050818230258.UTFA23288.aamta09-winn.ispmail.ntl.com_at_homemaster> "Jane Williams" writes:
>
>> Even in the Lunar Empire, the vast majority of the population is
>> illiterate and the vast majority of writers are clerks or priests.
>> I doubt there is anything resembling "popular literature".
>
>Yes, I was starting to wonder about that. I'm aware of the vastness
>of my ignorance when it comes to anything Western, but surely there
>aren't many literate Gloranthan societies to *have* "literature"?
>Oral story-telling, yes, but that's very different.

The whole society doesn't have to be literate for there to be literature. All you need is a wealthy literate class which has the time to read. That certainly exists in the Lunar Empire, probably Kralorea and maybe elsewhere. There won't be much because books have to be copied by hand or magic unless you can get hold of a Mostali printing press but we've got Mallory and Chaucer still extant from a similar period. Is that popular literature? depends on your definition I suppose.

-- 
Donald Oddy
http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/