Egyptian literature has for the most part been inaccessible to modern readers. This has been especially true for high school students in English, world history, and religious studies classes. R.B. Parkinson has remedied this situation markedly by translating central texts from the Egyptian Middle Kingdom. The collection is introduced with a select bibliography that allows interested readers to find further sources and important critical analysis for every translation. Each literary piece is preceded by a very useful and erudite introduction that outlines the major themes and the literary structure of the work. Extensive notes after each piece give readers the meaning of subtle cultural allusions and word plays that might otherwise be missed. A map of Egypt and a clear and concise introduction leads readers through topics such as how to approach Egyptian literature, the historical and social context of the Middle Kingdom, the genres of the literature, the style and range of the literature, and the role of this literature in Egyptian life.

The collection is nicely divided into four types of literary genre. These are tales, discourses, teachings, and phrases and fragments. Two of the most important tales, and ones that are especially adaptable to the secondary classroom, are the "Tale of Sinhue," and the "Tale of the Eloquent Peasant." The "Tale of Sinhue" relates the story of the courtier Sinhue and his flight from Egypt into the desert and all his adventures there. Significantly, it relates his return to Egypt and returning to the good graces of the Pharaoh. "The Tale reassuringly presents the value of the Egyptian way of life, but the possibility of a world elsewhere lingers in the audience's mind, as does the question of motivation: how can the gods allow the heart of man to be so unstable that it can lead him astray so unintentionally (25-26) ?" The "Tale of the Eloquent Peasant is the story of a wronged man who seeks justice. We meet corruption, the misuse of words, and the power of words to reveal truth in this story. There is no attempt in the story to portray a perfect, glamorized Egypt. "The Tale is, however, very ambiguous as a whole: it is a treatise on the value of Truth, and yet also in part a satire on the difficulty of dealing with the Egyptian bureaucracy that was meant to uphold this value (55)." The real human natures involved in both these tales help students not make the world of Egypt so distant from theirs that is becomes intangible. Yet, the differences in basic thought and values can help them to see there are a wide variety of ways to be human.

The second section of the collection is taken up by four discourses. My favorite is "The Dialogue of a Man and his Soul." The basic theme of the discourse is a man's discomfort and uncertainty over how to face death. The man wants to believe for comfort reasons that death will be soothing and wonderful. Paradoxically, his soul says that it is life that is so wonderful, and that one should live fully and completely here and now The soul (ba) says too that death is awful and painful. The dialogue continues this way until there is a gradual synthesis of the two views and a desire that a person and his/her soul makes the journey through life and death together.

The next section is taken up with the genre of "teachings" and is an example of the middle eastern genre of wisdom literature. My two favorites here are "The Teachings of the Vizer Ptahhotep" and "The Teaching of Kety." "The Teachings of Vizer Ptahhotep" centers around the advice of a father to a son. It is practical advice about how to get along in the world. "He advocates not merely conformity but also a stoic quietist acceptance of 'what happens' and of one's social role, as well as self-improvement in terms of wisdom and patience (247)." "The Teachings of Kety" is an invaluable historical document. The staging of the teaching is again between a father and a son. The father is a scribe, and he wants his son to be a scribe also. In the process of trying to convince his son that he should be a scribe, the father describes all of what is wrong with the other professions. We are treated to a long list of Egyptian occupations from a very biased viewpoint. The contempt for the other professions is very informing and enlightening.

The last section is that of fragments. These are very tantalizing. Pieces of texts that at this point we will most likely never see the full body of.

"Do not neglect what I tell you!
Enact good character, with no transgressions!
A man of understanding cannot be negligent.
Be exact, silent, and respectful!
Be excellent of heart! Do what is said!
Deploy words before strength! (292)."

R.B. Parkinson's translation of and commentary on these selections of Middle Egyptian literature are a welcome addition to the arduous task of making the past come alive for our students. I heartily recommend this text for teachers of religion, English, and world history classes.

review © Tom Collins RSiSS 2000

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