On a superficial level, it is well known that the term "superfluous man" originated in Turgenev's The Diary of a Superfluous Man. However, the framework of the archetype/character type seems very similar to those existing in other literatures. Have a look at this definition from Wikipedia: "It r...

I'm curious if there have been other examples of formalized poetic duels in history? Or is this really something that just started in the 1980s? If not, where did it come from?

Just posed this question. Is rap battling and slam poetry a recent phenomenon? Before I get down-voted to oblivion, perhaps we can talk about it. I don't like the idea of separating poetry from its performance, but I can see how its kind of similar to "the movie of the book." With poetry it s...