Part 4, Chapter 14

This section presents a selection of fragments of Middle Kingdom texts that Parkinson finds of interest. Some hint at lost tales: He translates an episode in which a water being tempts a herdsman with her beauty. A second fragment describes a rendezvous between lovers, a third an encounter between a king and a ghost. Parkinson then shares lines from other discourses and teachings that echo and reinforce “the etiquette and eternal principles” (291) upheld in the existing work. While the Middle Kingdom did not leave behind any <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Literary Device" href="https://www.supersummary.com/lyric/">lyric</a> poetry, a handful of fragments suggest there were other literary genres circulating besides those included in the book, many of them sharing the same images and thematic concerns.

Part 4, Chapter 14 Summary: “Phrases and Fragments”

Part 4

While the styles, structures, techniques, and subjects of the previous 13 pieces seem largely representative of a coherent and shared literary <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Literary Device" href="https://www.supersummary.com/style/">style</a> and philosophical worldview, the phrases and fragments hint at a larger corpus of literary compositions and oral literature. These fragments both underline the cultural concerns of these works and also hint at a broader cultural imagination that did indeed have room for magic, love and passion, and occasionally humor. These fragments gesture toward an impressively lively literary corpus circulating in the Middle Kingdom, reminding us not only of how astonishing it is that so much has survived for so many thousands of years, but also holding out hope that there is yet more to be discovered.

Part 4 Analysis

Values & Ideas

Books on Justice & Injustice

Challenging Authority

Society

Community

Order & Chaos

Power

Sinuhe

R.B. Parkinson (Translator)

Adult

Novel/Book in Verse

Fiction

Guide

Study Guide

Book Brief

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About The Tale of Sinuhe

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Background

The Tale of Sinuhe Background

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chapterType

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Introduction

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Part 1: “Tales”

Part 1, Chapter 1

The Tale of Sinuhe Part 1, Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

Part 1, Chapters 2-4

The Tale of Sinuhe Part 1, Chapters 2-4 Summary & Analysis

Part 2: “Discourses”

Part 2, Chapters 5-8

The Tale of Sinuhe Part 2, Chapters 5-8 Summary & Analysis

Part 3: “Teachings”

Part 3, Chapters 9-13

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Part 4: “Phrases and Fragments”

The Tale of Sinuhe Part 4, Chapter 14 Summary & Analysis

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Important Quotes

The Tale of Sinuhe Important Quotes with Page Numbers

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Essay Topics

The Tale of Sinuhe Essay Topics

The Tale of Sinuhe: and Other Ancient Egyptian Poems 1940-1640 B.C.

Part 4, Chapter 14Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 4: “Phrases and Fragments”

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