The Odyssey, The Pillow Book, 1001 Nights

While reading these three pieces, I found both similarities and differences between them. Right at the beginning, I noticed each piece was written rather poetically—especially in The Odyssey where you could see the poem in the format without actually having to read. I found their styles of writing very intriguing, giving the stories an interesting edge. I liked that Shonagon split The Pillow Book up into shorter pieces labeled by numbers and specific headings—much like 1001 Nights was split up, but into longer sections. I think poetic devices are used to enhance the story where the author deems necessary, while broadening the boundaries of literature. The main difference that I noticed between the three was the actual stories being told; each story had a distinctly different culture that it had developed from. I specifically value this cultural aspect of literature because it allows you to embrace a little bit of all different cultures you are not exposed to in daily life, and hear stories you will never experience otherwise.