World Literature Test 1 Eddleman – Flashcards
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Myth
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a local story that attempts to explain the past or attempts to explain natural mysteries and is passed down through generations finally becoming accepted as "fact" even if it is or is not imagination, historical truth, glorified history
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Epic
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a long serious, dramatic poem about a hero who founds a nation or at least illustrates its ideals originally spoken instead of written
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Characteristics of an epic
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1. simple action- simple plot 2. In medias res- begins in middle & in the action 3. Invocation to the muse- prayer to muse (god) 4. formal style or wording 5. God involved in the action- help & hurt people 6. catologues- long lists 7. long similes and metaphors 8. long sentences 9. trip to the underworld- hero is sent to make things right
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Oral Tradition
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how they kept history alive by telling stories and passing down oral stories repitition and rhythm was to help the story tellers with memory
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Cuneiform
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our earliest texts are from 3300 BC on clay tablets and the first ones were pictographs scribes used a wedge shaped stick this was only used by scholarly people Gilgamesh was written in Cuneiform
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Hieroglyphics
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Language that was written in pictures for a long time no one could read it until the Rosetta Stone which helped translate Egyptian language
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Phoenician Alphabet
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Earliest alphabet only containing consonants Greek adopted this alphabet
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Greek Alphabet
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First alphabetic script to include letters for vowels and consonants used by the Greeks and Romans
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The Story of Gilgamesh
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Predates Homer's works by 1500 years there are multiple version written in Sumeria Cuneiform The first written account of a snake as an enemy setting: Uruk
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Who was Gilgamesh?
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He was a real man in history the first tragic hero He was famous for building walls for protection 5th King of Uruk reigned for about 126 years he was the son of a goddess and a man His name means: offspring is a hero; also means old man
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Universality
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Dealing with concerns and experiences all human beings have in common like: work, love, sickness, death, etc.
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5 episodes of Gilgamesh
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1. Meeting of friends 2. A forest journey 3. The flouting of a fickle goddess 4. The death of the companion 5. The search for ancestral wisdom and immorality
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Hubris
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overwhelming pride; pride is a common fault for heroes
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Gilgamesh contains the oldest version of what story?
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The flood story
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What humbles Gilgamesh?
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Enkidu's death
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How did Gilgamesh show grief?
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He pulls his hair out
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What does Gilgamesh fear after Enkidu dies?
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Death
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Theme is a main idea. What are the themes in Gilgamesh?
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companionship: the deep power of friendship the struggle of being a god and human the search of knowledge fear of death: he must accept it to live fully fame: seeking for everyone to know his name; in the end he is content and stops searching for fame
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Values of Uruk
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loyalty, strength, idea that there is something greater than humans, the king is not allowed to take advantage of the people
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Homer
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a court poet in the 18th or 19th Century BC believed to have written Illiad and Odyssey he wrote about real people and events in his stories to make them a masterpiece
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Characteristics of an Epic
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1. A penchant for warfare and adventure 2. Powerful nobilty 3. Simple but adequate material culture devoid of much aestheitic refinement 4. Heroic virtues of honor and material courage dominates
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Homer's Contributions to Narrative Strategy
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Technical superiority Structural Unity Emotional Unity
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Homer's Contributions to Characterization
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knowledge and portrayal of human personality and behavior touches on all the most basic human emotions and motives he creates approximately 40 great characters
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Greek World View
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Express the dignity and joy of life but also the tragedy and sadness in life and the inevibility of death
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Greek Ethical Code: Sense of honor deters people from breaking unwritten laws
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Right to hospitality Right of burial Right of revenge Right of heroic glory and honor
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Odysseus portrays what two characteristics?
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hero and adventurer
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What were Odysseus's goals?
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to stay alive: this is an innate survival instinct to get himself and shipmates home to preserve and complete the heroic reputation he earned in Troy
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What are Odysseus's strengths?
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Mental strength, physical strength, skills in battle (shfiting and maneuvers), strength and courage in battle
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Odysseus and Penelope are both
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crafty and cunning
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Oracles
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person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. The eagles are oracles in the Odyssey
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Knowledge comes from
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Two poets: Homer and Hesiod One historian: Herodotus
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The Greeks' view and concepts of God
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Anthropomorphic: supernatural but having human attributes and characteristics Polytheistic: multiple gods Henotheistic: honor and worhsip a single god but do not deny the existence of other deities
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Greek idea of holy
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incorruptible beauty, unfailing strength and power they valued ceremonial tradition
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The Greeks were creedless
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no rules or laws had a weak concept of sin
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Greek concept of sin
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"made the god mad" is how they sinned but they did not have a relationship with the gods
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Qualities of a hero reflect religion
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courage, endurance, strength, and beauty heroes use the superior qualities to win and deserve applause and appraisal
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What is Odysseus's fault?
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pride
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Greek Theatre
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3 famous Tragedians (a writer of tragedies) Aeschylus, Euripides, Sophocles
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Authors of Comedies
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Aristophanes: 50 plays, 11 extant, Lysistrata is one famous comedy Menander wrote a few lengthy fragments
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Sources of Greek Theatre
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extant plays and fragments records of dramas commentaries archaelogical remains visual art
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4 Qualities of Greek Drama
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1. Performed for special occasions 2. Competitive 3. Choral 4. Closely associated with religion
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Describe what a chorus is?
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Usually made of men may have been the origin of Greek drama Purpose: underscored ideas of play; provided point of view; focus on issues of the play and implications of the action; established ethical system; participated in the action
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Greek drama had strict forms and rules
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1. Place: setting and action happens in one place 2. Time: 24 hr period 3. Action: no subplots, all action moves single plot forward
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Characteristics of a Greek Drama
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Mask: serious or sad masks, helped so an actor could play multiple roles Violence and death off stage: less realistic if on stage; more dramatic if audience uses imagination Frequent use of messengers to relay info Focus on psychological and ethical attributes of characters, rather than physical and sociological
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Riddle of Sphinx
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the literal translation of a man
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Tragic Hero
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Story of a hero of great proportions larger than life Hero goes on a journey with powerful struggles; he will fight against strong forces
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External and Internal forces
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External: outside of his control, spiritual or supernatural, political, social, things that are not his responsibility Internal: personal qualities, such as pride & temper **These forces usually destroy the hero
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Who wrote Medea
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Euripides
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Uniqueness of having a female protagonist
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status of women, their sorrows and their crimes She was a foreigner and a "barbarian" Violence: common theme, championed violence She represents a foreigner and a woman which is a group of people who did not have any rights She speaks truthfully of the plight of women at that time
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Madea is a ___________ hero
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tragic
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Characteristics of Madea
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Powerful (sorcerous), struggles, clever (wise), prideful (constantly reminds him that she saved him), strong, influencial, cunning, violent (killed her children, revengeful)
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Medea's tragic flaw
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temper leads to revenge and vengeance
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Exposition
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the background information; "once upon a time" history must occur naturally and be presented by a character
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Types of Characters
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round flat foils
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Round character
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fully developed; change and grow throughout the story; among the main characters; a personal growth happens; a character the audience identifies with Ex: Penelope in the Odyssey
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Flat character
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same character throughout the story with not any growth or change; not as affective; a necessary character in the story Ex: the nurse
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Foil characters
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bring out different sides of the characters; two characters who bring out the strengths and weaknesses in each other Ex: Gilgamesh and Enkidu
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Deus ex Machina
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what Madea is known for Translated: god in the machine a god is introduced by means of a crane in ancient Greek and Roman drama to decide the final outcome a person or thing that appears or is introduced suddenly and unexpectedly and provides a contrived solution to an apparently insoluble difficulty
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What is part of the heroic code?
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Revenge
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Types of Archetypal Journeys
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- The quest for identity - The epic journey to find the promised land/to find the good city - The quest for vengeance - The warrior's journey to save his people - The search for love (to rescue the princess/damsel in distress) - The journey in search of knowledge - The tragic quest: penance or self-denial - The fool's errand - The quest to rid the land of danger - The grail quest (the quest for human perfection)
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Stages of a Hero's Journey
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- Stage 1: *Departure* The hero is called to adventure, although he is reluctant to accept. - Stage 2: *Initiation* The hero crosses a threshold into a new, more dangerous world, gaining a more mature perspective. - Stage 3: *The Road of Trials* The hero is given supernatural aid, endures tests of strength, resourcefulness, and endurance. - Stage 4: *The Innermost Cave* The hero descends into the innermost cave, an underworld, or some other place of great trial. Through this experience, the hero changes internally. - Stage 5: *Return and Reintegration with Society* The hero uses his new wisdom to restore fertility and order to the land.
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Homer's Epic Traits
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Invocation to the muse Statement of theme In medias res technique Epic similes Catalogues Elaborate parallelisms Frequent repetitions Long speeches Digressions Supernatural events Trip to the underworld
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Aryans
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Nomadic tribe in central Asia, brought Sanskrit
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Sanskrit
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Principle language..., Indo-European family of languages; maintained central language until English took over the 19th Century
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Vedas
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Ancient scriptures of Hinduism, divinely inspired; 4 books of sacred hymns; these scriptures were memorized
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Upanishads
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"mystical doctrines," philosophical texts, search for wisdom
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Brahman
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Single divine essence, god
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Hinduism
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they believed there is only one god but since that is incomprehensible they see the different aspects of god as many gods belived in the connection between the spirit and nature
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Enduring Motifs in Indian Civilization
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- The personal spiritual quest toward salvation - The wise teacher (guru) - The transforming power of knowledge
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Mahabharata
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Epic poem, 900 years between it being an oral poem to being written; believe this is a living cultural force; teaches about a hero
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Hindu Religion 3 aspects of God
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Brahma- creates the world, art, etc. Vishnu- preserves Shiva- destroys; makes creation epic *these cycle throughout time
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Dharma
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"cosmic order"; an individual's duty fulfilled by observance of custom or law
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Karma
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view of causality in which good deeds, words, thoughts, and commands lead to beneficial effects for a person, and bad deeds, words, thoughts, and commands lead to harmful effects this concept is universal among many religions Budhist believe you can be liberated from Karma by doing good or becoming enlightened
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Bhagavad Gita
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- Literally means "Song of the Lord" - Thoreau and Gandhi reference it - 18 Chapters - 700 verses - The 6th book of the Mahabharata *It is the second most translated scripture* (Bible is the first)
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Concepts in the Bhagavad Gita
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-addresses fundamental human concerns -text is about civil war and a hero -the god in this text is Vishnu the preserver -being a souldier is his Darma -required to act justly and to do the righteous act
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"Self"
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we should identify with the bigger "self" "self" is major concept that they believed they are part of something greater than their human self
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Yoga
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control the mind and the body; "union with God"
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Panentheism
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Everything is sacred and holy "the belief or doctrine that God is greater than the universe and includes and interpenetrates it"
