Literature is everywhere.

One idea i found particularly interesting in chapter two of 'The Educated Imagination' was the idea that literature is found in every human society, even if it hasn't been separated from other aspects of human life. This almost accidental literature is found particularly in religion, where stories are told about the gods and their heroic actions, creating myths and legends. These myths are then refined and edited until they are no longer one singular story about a god, but a whole host of fictional stories, based upon this original myth. This idea is particularly emphasised in the phrase 'but we can see literary expression taking shape in these things, and forming an imaginary framework, so to speak, that contains the literature descending from it.' This emphasises how literature evolved from everyday occurrences and practices, gradually becoming more and more refined. The metaphor of the 'imaginary framework' emphasises the way literature grew from these other aspects of life.

Another way literature was found in many aspects of human life was through the use of literature for a practical purpose, such as the need for a funeral lament or wedding song. This is shown in the phrase 'Poems used for certain occasions, war-songs, work-songs, funeral laments, lullabies, become traditional literary forms'. The use of asyndeton in this phrase emphasises the fact that literature came from almost anywhere, and was not confined to one aspect of life.