Important literature points to remember
I. Literary Movements & Epochs Classical & Medieval Literature Classical Epic Foundations: Homer’s Iliad (focusing on kleos [glory] and mĂȘnis [wrath]) and Odyssey (focusing on nostos [homecoming]) established the conventions of the epic: in media res , epic similes, and invocation of the Muse. Greek Drama & Catharsis: Aristotle’s Poetics defines tragedy through hamartia (fatal flaw/tragic error), peripeteia (reversal of fortune), anagnorisis (critical recognition), and catharsis (purging of pity and fear). Virgilian Empire: Virgil’s Aeneid reframes Homeric epic to create a national foundation myth for Augustan Rome, contrasting duty ( pietas ) with personal passion ( furor ). Old English Alliterative Verse: Beowulf relies on alliterative meter, caesura (pauses), and kennings (metaphorical compound phrases like "whale-road" for sea) rather than end-rhyme. Medieval Allegory: Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy utilizes terza rima (ABA\ BCB\ ...