1、欧洲文化入门欧洲文化入门TextbookEuropean 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 Darwinism9.Realism10.
2、Modernism and Other Trends11.Review for Final TestchronologicalTerm ScheduleNo. of Classes/Week2No. of Weeks18Total No. of Classes36AssessmentlFinal ScorelCoursework 20% lFinal Test 80%IntroductionlUses of the SubjectlLanguage cannot be learned without the knowledge of the culture behind it.lNecessa
3、ry 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 -Failure of Persian
4、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 economy rested on an imme
5、nse 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 Odyssey Return of Odysseus
6、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 victories at the athle
7、tic 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 chorus;Written in vers
8、eVivid 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 B.C.)Andromache, Med
9、ea, 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 criticism.Contemporary even
10、ts 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 between Athens and Spart
11、a, 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 arisen out of it.All
12、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 men.It is repentance
13、 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 PhilosophylSocrates (470-
14、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 SocrateslIdealismOnly
15、 “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 man of science meetWrot
16、e 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, RhetoriclDiffer from his t
17、eacher 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 CultureSchoolsPhilosopher
18、IdeasSophistsProtagoras(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.)Not all knowledge was a
19、ttainable.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 important thing in life i
20、s 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 mathematician.Archimedes Did
21、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 foundations for modern science.
22、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.lArchitecturelthe Doric s
23、tyle (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 Acrpolis at Athens (
24、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 bodies and mythologica
25、l 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 famous - broken arms
26、 - 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 against Greek attack -
27、 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 Odyssey)lVases from Atti
28、calBlack-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 worldlSupreme Achievement philoso
29、phy, 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, borrowed; - Byrons Isles of
30、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 Greek.CommonDifferenc
31、eRoman- 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 HistorylBefore the year 27
32、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 of northern tribes)lIn
33、 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 in Latin showed great
34、 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 prose. lJulius Caesar
35、 (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
36、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 preserved Roman temple. - It is in a
37、 round, domed form, has the worlds first vast interior space.Roman CulturelArchitecture, Painting and SculpturelArchitecturelPont du Gard An exceptionally well-preserved aqueduct that spans a wide valley in southern France.Roman CulturelArchitecture, Painting and SculpturelArchitecturelThe Colosseum
38、 An enormous amphitheatre built in the centre of Rome, a masterpiece of engineering, holding 5000 spectators, with interior 2/3 of a mile round.Roman CulturelArchitecture, Painting and SculpturelPainting - strongly influenced by the art of Greece - wall-paintings in every house in Pompeii, the Lady
39、Musician and Young Girl, the Maiden Gathering Flowers, the Landscape.Roman CulturelArchitecture, Painting and SculpturelSculpture glorify the rule of the emperors and events of the Roman EmpirelConstantine the Great head of the first Christian emperorRoman CulturelArchitecture, Painting and SculpturelSculpturelSpoils from the Temple in Jerusalem (81 A.D.) records of triumphant procession celebrating the Roman conquest of Judaea in A.D.70.
