Ever read the Iliad? The catalog of ships was murder. I had to make myself remember that literature served a very purpose then, and existing in a very differe

Ever read the Iliad? The catalog of ships was murder. I had to make myself remember that literature served a very purpose then, and existing in a very different context, in much the same way that the crazy excess of detail (so it seems to me now) of 19th century literature came across very differently to people who didn't have TV, movies, or practically any visual media.