Editing Literary cycle

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A '''literary cycle''' is a group of stories focused on common figures, often (though not necessarily) based on mythical figures or loosely on historical ones. Cycles which deal with an entire country are sometimes referred to as '''matters'''. A fictional cycle is often referred to as a [[mythos]].

== Examples from folk and classical literature ==
* The [[Anansi]] tales, which center on the Ashanti  of Ghana trickster spider-spirit Anansi, and its variations in the Americas as [[Ti Malice and Bouki]] in Haiti, [[Br'er Rabbit]] or John and Old Master in the [[Southern United States]].
* The tales of the [[One Thousand and One Nights]], brought together by the [[frame story]] of the tale of [[Scheherazade]] and [[Shahryār]].
* The [[Mahabharata]], the world's longest epic poem, many of whose stories deal with the lives of Indian mythological characters, most notably [[Krishna]]
* [[Nasreddin]] (1208-1285) is a character in the folklore of the [[Muslim world]] from [[Balkans|the Balkans]] to [[China]], and a hero of humorous short stories and satirical anecdotes.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hunziker |first1=Sara |title=Myth, Symbol, and Ritual: Elucidatory Paths to the Fantastic Unreality |date=2019 |publisher=University of Bucharest |isbn=978-6-061-61037-2 |editor1-last=Ramona |editor1-first=Mihaila |pages=357–361}}</ref>
* The four [[troubadour]]s [[Bernart d'Auriac]], [[Pere Salvatge]], [[Roger Bernard III of Foix]], and [[Peter III of Aragon]] composed a cycle of four ''[[sirventes]]'' in the summer of 1285 concerning the [[Aragonese Crusade]].
* The [[Matter of Britain]] (or the "Arthurian cycle"), which centers on [[King Arthur]] and the [[Knights of the Round Table]]
** [[Lancelot-Grail|The Vulgate cycle]] (also known as the Lancelot-Grail)
** [[Post-Vulgate Cycle|The Post-Vulgate cycle]]
* The [[Matter of France]] (or the "Carolingian cycle"), which centers on [[Charlemagne]] and the [[Paladin|Twelve Peers]]
** [[Chanson de geste|Chanson de Geste]]
*** [[La Geste de Garin de Monglane]]
*** [[Doon de Mayence]]
*** [[Garin le Loherain]]
*** [[Crusade cycle]]
**** [[Knight of the Swan]]
* The [[Henriad]], the four plays of Shakespeare centered on Henry V.
* Two examples of Japanese cycles are: the Matter of Japan (''[[Kojiki]]'', ''[[Nihon Shoki]]'', etc.) and the Genji-Heike Cycle (''[[The Tale of the Heike]]'', ''[[Gikeiki]]'' about [[Minamoto no Yoshitsune]], etc.). Also popular are the [[Soga Monogatari|Soga Brothers]] and [[Forty-seven rōnin|Forty-Seven Ronin]] cycles.
* The [[Matter of Rome]] (or the "cycle of Rome"), which centers on [[Julius Caesar]] and [[Alexander the Great]]
* The [[Shahnameh]] (or “The Book of Kings” ) and the legend of [[Arash the Archer]] as well as [[Avesta]] that make up most of the [[Persian Mythology]], namely, tales of heroes like [[Rostam]] and [[Esfandyar]]
* The [[Mythological Cycle]], which centers on the [[Celtic pantheon]]
* The [[Fenian Cycle]], which centers on [[Fionn mac Cumhaill]] and the [[Fianna]]
* The [[Cycle of the Kings]], which centers on the [[monarchy of Ireland]]
* The [[Reynard cycle]], which centers on the fabular fox [[Reynard]]
* [[Der Ring des Nibelungen]] (or the "Ring cycle"), which centers on the Ring and the [[List of Germanic deities and heroes|Norse pantheon]]
* The voyages of [[Sinbad the sailor]], the hero of a cycle of tales of monsters, magical places, and supernatural phenomena met on his successive voyages.
* The [[Epic Cycle]] centering on the [[Trojan War]]
* The [[Ulster Cycle]], which centers on [[Cú Chulainn]] and the [[Ulster|Kingdom of Ulster]]
* The [[Mythological Cycle|Cycle of the Gods]], centering on the god-like [[Tuatha Dé Danann]]
* The [[Baal Cycle]], which centers on the battle of [[Hadad|Ba'al Hadad]] against [[Yam (god)|Yam]] and [[Mot (god)|Mawat]]
* The [[Epic of Gilgamesh]], centering upon the demigod king [[Gilgamesh]] and [[Enkidu]]
* [[Seven Wise Masters]]
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==See also==
*[[Book series]]
*[[Serial (literature)]]
*[[Series fiction]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Literary cycles}}
[[Category:Literature lists|Cycles]]