The Odyssey, 1001 Arabian Nights, The Pillow Book

After reading these three stories/excerpts I noticed a similarity between the three. Each of them either referenced a poem or, as in the case of The Odyssey, was written in a way which was almost lyrical like a poem. It was interesting realizing this, maybe it goes to show that poetry has been a staple in literature as time goes on. I really enjoyed all three of these stories. I especially like the chapter "Hateful Things" in The Pillow Book. Even though you can't really relate to everything that she was discussing it was still funny to read and try to relate it to things you observe everyday. I noticed, maybe an ob skewer, relation to modern television shows in 1001 Arabian Nights. In Monty Python, and the late HBO series Mr. Show they do sketches in such a way were one leads into the next. As I was reading it reminded me of that set up. For example, one of the first stories where the man was waiting to be executed and the man with the two dogs, the man with the mule, and the man with the gazelle, they all somewhat fed into each other and related to the first man's story. It's kind of a far off relation but it reminded of those two shows none the less.