The Iliad, The Prince And Don Quixote

World Literature has many things to offer as a college class. For instance, a student has the opportunity to obtain knowledge of different authors and their culture as well as the impact their works had on literature, however, some works has bigger impacts than others and therefore are critical to be taught in a World Literature course. If I were a World Literature instructor, The Iliad, The Prince and Don Quixote would be the three works that I would have to include into my curriculum. These three works provide insight into their respective culture and their impact on literature.
One piece of literature that we have learned about this semester that I would teach if I were a World Literature instructor is the Greek epic The Iliad by Homer. …show more content…
The Prince is important because it is a work focused on politics and also the controversial response readers have to the work. This work I feel is an important piece because of its focus on politics and its separation from ethics, traditionally politics were linked to a higher moral code. Machiavelli presents The Prince as a guide to help improve the governing of the states and how statesman can acquire and keep their power. The piece can be broken into three sections of political power: acquiring and preserving dominions, problems of military power, and attributes of the prince. He argued that actions that may be deemed immoral may be essential for the betterment of the state rather than ruled by one’s morals. Another reason I think that this work should be taught is not only its political guidance but also the reactions it produces from its readers. While many see Machiavelli’s work as cynical and heartless others see his reasoning as realistic and factual. This reading offers a great opportunity for discussion amongst students as they discuss their …show more content…
Don Quixote is an important literary piece because it is considered one of the novels that is the foundation of modern literature and gives an insight into the chivalric romances. One reason that Don Quixote is considered to be the foundation of modern literature is that it was the first work of fiction written in prose compared to other narratives such as The Iliad that are written in verse. Cervantes also provides one of the most loved characters in literature. Don Quixote was written as a satire of chivalric romances. In his writing, Cervantes criticizes the poorly written chivalric romances of the time which makes the story and the main character more