I get that, but unfortunately that’s not how it’s usually taken in now. It’s usually ‘read this as part of the syllabus’ in college and it’s a slog, which is just too bad because the actual tales are great and I’m sure they’re wonderful when read aloud by a skilled speaker (never been to a performance).
Many ancient texts (Iliad, Odyssey, Beowulf etc) started as an oral transmission and had a poetic meter to aid in memorisation.
Common misconception. They actually started as gangsta rap.
Well, gangsta rap is just bards with glocks and a microphone…
Which is also why they are full of repetition, making them, in my opinion, much more tedious reads for stories that should be more engaging.
That’s kind of the point.
They weren’t created for you and me to read.
They were created to be performed. Reading them out loud helps but audiobooks of them are best.
Same with Shakespeare’s plays. Reading them can be a slog for many people.
Watching them performed well is a joy.
I get that, but unfortunately that’s not how it’s usually taken in now. It’s usually ‘read this as part of the syllabus’ in college and it’s a slog, which is just too bad because the actual tales are great and I’m sure they’re wonderful when read aloud by a skilled speaker (never been to a performance).
I understand.
Studying an oral work without seeing a performance or at least a recorded one is pretty ridiculous.