A comparative history of the practices, technologies, institutions, and people that created distinct literary traditions around the world, from ancient to modern timesLiterature is such a familiar and widespread form of imaginative expression today that its existence can seem inevitable. But in fact very few languages ever developed the full-fl
"Lande and Feeney's ambition for this handsome book is to provide a "global" survey of the origins of literatures. It succeeds in impressionistic, mosaic-like fashion."