western literature week2

Roman numerals

The numeric system represented by Roman numerals originated in ancient Rome and late middle ages remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the . Numbers in this system are represented by combinations of letters from the latin alphabet. Roman numerals, as used today, are based on seven symbols:

The use of Roman numerals continued long after the decline of the Roman Empire. From the 14th century on, Roman numerals began to be replaced in most contexts by the more convenient Hindu-Arabic numerals; however, this process was gradual, and the use of Roman numerals persists in some minor applications to this day.

Movie
Helen of Troy, 2003

narrative v.s. lyrical

Narrative – Simply put, a narrative poem tells a story. Plot is central to the narrative poem, and it should be possible to apply aspects of the plot diagram with little difficulty.

Lyrical – Lyrical poems “contain the germ of a story ... but the poem dwells less on the plot than on the [character’s] feelings”. In these poems characters, emotions, and other intrinsic (internal, or interior) qualities are more important than the extrinsic (external, or exterior) mechanics of plot development.