note to self: knowledge acquisition is a big topic.
It sounds obvious, but in my Roland-related research I’ve been returning again and again to the question of how knowledge has been historically passed down. This needs to be narrowed down: specifically, how and why have people learned and taught stories? A related question is: what role did art (theater, poetry, music, visual arts) play in the lives of the people who have told Roland stories? In the lives of their audiences? (Who were their audiences at any given stage?)
If anyone knows of good literature or other sources of information on the subject, I’d love to know. We’re talking any time period between, say, 750 A.D. and now, anywhere in Europe, Middle East or the Americas.