欧洲文化入门第一课wzl

1、European Culture: An IntroductionTextbookEuropean Culture: An Introduction欧洲文化入门主编：王佐良 祝珏 李品伟 高厚堃外语教学与研究出版社Contents1.Greek Culture and Roman Culture2.The Bible and Christianity3.The Middle Ages4.Renaissance and Reformation5.The Seventeenth Century6.The Age of Enlightenment7.Romanticism8.Marxism and

2、Darwinism9.Realism10.Modernism and Other Trends11.Review for Final TestchronologicalTerm ScheduleNo. of Classes/Week3No. of Weeks16Total No. of Classes48AssessmentlFinal ScorelCoursework 30% lFinal Test 70%IntroductionlUses of the SubjectlLanguage cannot be learned without the knowledge of the cultu

3、re behind it.lNecessary to the citizens of the world.lTwo Major Elements in European CulturelGreco-Roman elementlJudeo-Christian element Division 1Greek Culture & Roman CultureGreek CulturelThe Historical Context1200 B.C. War between Greece and Troy5th century B.C. Greek culture reached a high point

4、 -Failure of Persian invasion-Establishment of democracy and flourishing of S.P.L.A.& HWCivil war between Athens and Sparta 4th century B.C. All Greece ruled by Alexander, King of Macedon 146 B.C. Romans conquered Greece Greek CulturelSocial and Political StructurelAthens was a “democracy”.lThe econ

5、omy rested on an immense amount of slave labour.lThe Greeks loved sports.lOlympic GameslThe worlds foremost amateur sports competition (1896)Greek CulturelHomer 700B.C. Author of ancient Greeks epics (1200-1100 B.C.)lThe Iliad Trojan War Greek: Agamemnon, Achilles, Odysseus Trojan: HectorlThe Odysse

6、y Return of Odysseus after the Trojan War to his home island of Ithaca.Greek CultureGreek CulturelLyric PoetrylSappho (612-580 B.C.) woman poet - The most important lyric poet of ancient Greece - Noted for love poems of passionate intensitylPindar (518-438 B.C.) Best known for odes celebrating the v

7、ictories at the athletic games. (the 14 Olympian odes)Greek CulturelDrama - Developed in the 5th century B.C. - Performed in open-air theatres, actors wore masksWriterWorksTragedy/ComedyCharacteristicsNoted forAeschylus(525-456 B.C.)Prometheus Bound, Persians, AgamemnonTragedyOnly two actors and a c

8、horus;Written in verseVivid character portrayal and majestic poetrySophocles(496-406 B.C.)Oedipus the King, Electra, AntigoneTragedyAdd a third actor and decrease the size of the chorus.Strong impact on European literature. Some plots adopted by later writers. “the Oedipus complex”Euripides (484-406

9、 B.C.)Andromache, Medea, Trojan WomenTragedyMainly about women; more of a realist; characters less heroic, more like ordinary people.The first writer of “problem plays”Aristophanes (450-380 B.C.)Frogs, Clouds, Wasps, BirdsComedyLoose in plot, satirical in tone, full of clever parody and acute critic

10、ism.Contemporary events and direct attacks on well-known people of the dayGreek CulturelHistorylHerodotus (484-430 B.C.)lFather of HistorylWrote wars between Greeks and PersianslFull of anecdotes, digressions, and lively dialoguelThucydides (460-404 B.C.)lMore accurate as an historianlWrote wars bet

11、ween Athens and Sparta, between Athens and SyracuselTrace events to causes and bring out the effectsGreek CulturePhilosopherIdeasPythagoras (580-500 B.C.)Founder of scientific mathematicsAll things are numbers.Heracleitus (540-480 B.C.)Fire is the primary element of the universe.Everything else has

12、arisen out of it.All is flux, nothing is stationery.The strife between the opposites produce the harmony.Democritus (460-370 B.C.)One of earliest philosophical materialistsSpeculate about the atomic structure of matter.“For all men good and truth are the same, but pleasure is different for different

13、 men.It is repentance for what has been shamefully done that sets life right.He who does wrong is more unfortunate than he who is wrong.It is right, since we are human, that we should not laugh at human misfortunes but lament them.”lPhilosophy and ScienceGreek CulturelGreatest Names in European Phil

14、osophylSocrates (470-399 B.C.)lTeacher of PlatolThe dialectical method of argumentlPut on trial on a charge of “injuring the city”lCondemned to deathGreek CulturelGreatest Names in European PhilosophylPlato (428-348 B.C.)lStudent of Socrates and teacher of AristotlelWrote famous Dialogues to record

15、SocrateslIdealismOnly “ideas” like beauty, truth, goodness are completely realThe physical world is only relatively reallMany of his ideas were absorbed into Christian thoughtGreek CulturelGreatest Names in European PhilosophylAristotle (384-322 B.C.)lPlatos pupillThe great humanist and the great ma

16、n of science meetWrote epoch-making works on logic, moral philosophy, politics, metaphysics, psychology, physics, zoology, poetry, rhetoric.Did much to form the philosophical, scientific and cosmological outlook of an entire culture.lWorks that are still important nowEthics, Politics, Poetics, Rheto

17、riclDiffer from his teacher in many waysEmphasize direct observation of nature, theory should follow fact; Plato relied on subjective thinking.Idea and matter made up concrete individual realities; Plato held ideas had a higher reality than the physical world.lMans aim in life is happinessGreek Cult

18、ureSchoolsPhilosopherIdeasSophistsProtagoras(500 B.C.)Man is the measure of all things.CynicsDiogenes(412-323 B.C.)He decided to live like a dog and the word “cynic” means “dog” in Greek. Reject all conventions, advocate self-sufficiency and extreme simplicity in life.ScepticsPyrrhon(360-272 B.C.)No

19、t all knowledge was attainable.EpicureansEpicurus(341-270 B.C.)materialistPleasure is the highest good in life; not sensual enjoyment, but freedom from pain and emotional upheaval; could be attained by the practice of virtue.StoicsZeno(335-263 B.C.)materialistOpposed to the Epicureans. The most impo

20、rtant thing in life is not pleasure but duty. One should endure hardship and misfortune with courage. Virtue is the sole good in the life of a man. If he has to die, he should die nobly.lContending Schools of ThoughtGreek CulturelScienceDemocritus Put forward the first atomic theory.Plato A mathemat

21、ician.Archimedes Did important work not only in geometry, but also in arithmetic, mechanics, and hydrostatics.Mathematics, the purest of sciences, was applied in acoustics, optics, geography, Statics and astronomy.Aristotle Contributed to Zoology, started methodical research, laid massive foundation

22、s for modern science.Euclid Well-known for his Elements, a textbook of geometry and in use until the early years of the 20th century.Greek scientists deduce theories and build up systems.Greek CulturelArt, Architecture, Sculpture and PotterylArt Greek art is a visual proof of Greek civilization.lArc

23、hitecturelthe Doric style (masculine style): sturdy, powerful, severelooking and showing a good sense of proportions and numbers, monotonous and unadorned.lthe Ionic style (feminine style): graceful and elegant, shows a wealth of ornament.lthe Corinthian style: ornamental luxury.lFamous temples: the

24、 Acrpolis at Athens (437-432 B.C.); the Parthenon (447-432 B.C.).Greek CulturelArt, Architecture, Sculpture and PotterylSculptureThe earliest Gods, stiff, lifeless wood carving;7th century B.C. Size became bigger and life-size, stand stiff;5th century B.C. Beauty of the internal structure of human b

25、odies and mythological figures.Greek CulturelArt, Architecture, Sculpture and PotterylDiscus Thrower - relaxation and contraction of the muscle - sense of body movement - good sense of harmony and the balance of oppositesGreek CulturelArt, Architecture, Sculpture and PotterylVenus de Milo - the most

26、 famous - broken arms - symbol of beauty, grace and health, a personification of vitality and dignity.Greek CulturelArt, Architecture, Sculpture and PotterylLaocoon group about 125 B.C. - a priest of Troy - he was suffered a slow death and killed by serpents with his sons for he warned the Trojans a

27、gainst Greek attack - the expression of Laocoons face-fear, sympathy and terrorGreek CulturelArt, Architecture, Sculpture and PotterylPotteryla result of domestic needs and needs for foreign tradelVarying shapes (jars, utensils)lBeautiful paintings (everyday scenes, animals, figures in Iliad and Ody

28、ssey)lVases from AtticalBlack-figure paintings & Red-figure paintings Greek CulturelImpact played a vital part in the Renaissance in Italy and other European countrieslSpirit of Innovation - invented mathematics, science and philosophy - first write history - speculate the nature of the worldlSuprem

29、e Achievement philosophy, science, epic poetry, tragedy, comedy, lyric poetry, historical writing, architecture, sculpture, etc.lLasting Effect - the bold effort they made to understand the world had an enduring effect on later generations; - in literature, countless writers quoted, adapted, borrowe

30、d; - Byrons Isles of Greece - Shelleys Hellas and Prometheus Unbound - Keatss Ode on a Grecian UrnRoman CulturelRomans and Greeks-Burning of Corinth (146 B.C.) marked Roman conquest of Greece.-Greece was a province of the Roman Empire.-The language of western Roman Empire was Latin, the eastern was

31、Greek.CommonDifferenceRoman- Both traditions rooted in the idea of the citizen-assembly, hostile to monarchy and to servility.- Religions were alike.- Languages worked in similar ways, members of the Indo-European language.Built a vast empire.GreekDidnt build a vast empire.Roman CulturelRoman Histor

32、ylBefore the year 27 B.C., a republiclTwo centuries later after 27 B.C., the Roman Empire reached the greatest extent.lPax Romana (the Romans enjoyed a 200 years peace)lRoman law (the core of modern civil and commercial law in many Western countries)lIn the 3rd century, the empire decline (inroads o

33、f northern tribes)lIn the 4th century, move capital from Rome to Byzantium (renamed Constantinople)lAfter 395, the empire was divided into East (the Byzantine Empire) and WestlIn 476, the end of the West Roman EmpirelIn 1453, the East Roman Empire collapsedRoman CulturelLatin LiteratureThe writings

34、in Latin showed great originality, besides beingprofound, powerful and beautiful.lProselMarcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.) - Played an important role in the Roman senate. - His eloquent, oratorical manner of writing, described as Ciceronian, had an enormous influence on the development of European

35、prose. lJulius Caesar (102/100-44 B.C.) - A successful general and the dictator in Rome. - Commentaries, models of succinct Latin, use language with economy and ferocity.Roman CulturelLatin LiteraturelPoetrylLucretius (93-50 B.C.) Wrote the philosophical poem On the Nature of Things to expound the ideas of Epicurus the Greek atomist.lVirgil (70-19 B.C.) - The greatest of Latin poets - Wrote the great epic, the Aeneid. (Aeneas, a truly tragic hero)Roman CulturelArchitecture, Painting and SculpturelArchitecture Romans were great engineers.lThe Pantheon - The greatest and the best pr