Reprint of the 1973 E. J. Brill edition, with an appendix on the In Clodium et Curionem

In his Preface, Robert Morse states that both Vergil and Tolkien present myth as an aspect of an historical continuum. For these authors, myth does not seem to represent a falsehood, but rather it seems to narrate a record of experience from which humanity learns. Thus, myth is...a form of memory.

Gilgamesh: A Reader provides 25 interpretive essays on the epic that stands at the dawn of literature. This collection is designed to enrich the reader's background with selections from experts on Near Eastern literature; to draw connections between Gilgamesh and other literature with interdisciplinary selections; to enliven interest in the world's oldest epic; and to stimulate thought and discussion. Influences of Gilgamesh on later literature, philological and literary studies since 1982, and Gilgamesh from other perspectives are the three broad areas covered.

Gilgamesh: A Reader provides 25 interpretive essays on the epic that stands at the dawn of literature. This collection is designed to enrich the reader's background with selections from experts on Near Eastern literature; to draw connections between Gilgamesh and other literature with interdisciplinary selections; to enliven interest in the world's oldest epic; and to stimulate thought and discussion. Influences of Gilgamesh on later literature, philological and literary studies since 1982, and Gilgamesh from other perspectives are the three broad areas covered.

Palaephatus, a contemporary of Aristotle, sought to reinforce belief in the historicity of ancient heroes by tracing the evolution of "actual" events into marvelously embellished myths.