The Silence of Modern Literature

Image via Wikipedia‘The modern experience of literature is predominantly silent and solitary. This has not always been the case. The ancient bards did not write their poems down; they memorized and recited their narratives. In The Canterbury Tales, poems are shared stories to enliven a journey. The romance of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is set during a Christmas feast in order to pass away a long winter’s evening. George Herbert and William Blake sang their own poems.’ – Jonathan Bate, AVI English Literature, p94.

The picture is a Medieval illumination of
 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight