"The Odyssey," "1001 Nights," and "The Pillow Book"

While reading these 3 works, I could see the connection that each one had to one another as well as the connection they had to "Culture and Anarchy." As discussed in class, "Culture and Anarchy" was about how the Bible has and remains to be the literature that people turn to when they have questions and doubts. This was the case for the people in both "The Odyssey" and "1001 Nights." Both of the stories had characters asking their gods for help to guide them out of their peril and give them answers. It demonstrated how predominate religion was during those times and how much of their culture was based around it. Then in "The Pillow Book," we are given a journal of observations made by the author during her time as a court lady. She wrote about everything she witnessed at the time, including the memorable test that the ladies underwent because the emperor believed that the knowledge of literature was of the utmost importance in their society.