Dec 18, 2009

The Epic of Gilgamesh | Topics for Further Study

Compare and contrast an episode in N. K. Sandars' narrative version of the Epic of Gilgamesh with David Ferry's poetic version or one of the versions that follow the original 12-tablet structure of the story. How do the versions differ in their use of language and their organization on the page. Do they differ in their symbolic or thematic emphases? Is one easier to read than the other? What other kind of differences occur when you read the Epic as poetry and as a story?

Locate the five independent myths of the Sumerian song-cycle featuring Gilgamesh ("Gilgamesh and...