And at the other extreme of data preservation, I've often thought about the
Fahrenheit 451 approach and what the classics might sound like after having been "handed down" by word of mouth 10 or 20 times?
I wonder what John Cleese would do with the idea?
Anybody up to the task?
Pick up and read any Bible or Torah. Many of the books in the Pentateuch were handed down through oral tradition for millennia before writing was invented. Most of what is called the New or Greek testament was at least 80 to 100 years old before it was ever written down and it is highly unlikely those who wrote it down were alive at the time they were writing about.
Monty Pythons Flying Circus has done several sketches on the Bible and Bilblical stories.
Many major universities today have entire libraries dedicated to collecting oral stories and traditions, some dedicated to specific historical events such as WWII.
