History of the Written Word – Jan. 29, 2018

Perspective.

According to one author and scholar, literature, since it emerged 4,000 years ago, has shaped the lives of most humans on this planet. Literature has molded religion, politics and commerce, and turned our world into a written world. On today’s Perspective program a look at how the advance of storytelling through written technology gave humans a powerful political force that includes everything from the Iliad to the Communist Manifesto to the Bible to the Koran, and so much more.

Guest: Martin Puchner, the Byron and Anita Wien professor of English and Comparative Literature at Harvard University.

Perspective is a weekly public affairs program hosted by Richard Baker, communications professor at Kansas State University. Perspective has been continuously produced for radio stations across the nation by K-State for well over six decades.

The program has included interviews with dignitaries, authors and thought leaders from around the world. Send comments, questions or requests for copies of past programs to [e-mail].

K‑State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well‑being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K‑State campus in Manhattan.