world literature

Week 9 Instructions

Shahnameh

Starts on page 197, Volume B

Choose one of the following for your reading response:

1. Working from this epic, and reflecting on the others we have read so far, how would you define the warrior ethos (or the heroic ideal) in Ferdowsi's Shanameh? How is the work different from the earlier texts with regard to that ideal?
2. Find one or two passages in the work that seem to crystallize the overall meaning or value of the work for you; or, that seem especially interesting for the imagery, wisdom, rhetorical power, or other memorable quality. Quote and defend your choice in a few sentences.
3. Browse one or more critical works in the library databases. Quote one passage from the critical work, and in a few sentences tell us why it is helpful in appreciating the primary work.

REMEMBER to write beyond the minimum required length of 1 page, not including any quotations you use from the primary works or from secondary, critical sources. Also, REMEMBER not to plagiarize, and CITE any sources you happen to use.