An Introduction to
Western Literature (I)
梁 淑 芳 教授
正修科技大學應用外語系
Outline
I. Mythology: Olympus, Gods and Goddesses
II. Classical Period
A. Greece
1. Homer: Illiad & Odyssey (epics)
2. Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides (tragedies)
3. Aristophanes (comedy)
B. Rome
1. Terence, Plautus (comedies)
2. Seneca (tragedy)
3. Virgil (epic)
4. Ovid (poetry)
C. Hebrew
The Bible (Old Testament, New Testament)
III. The Middle Ages
1. St. Augustine
2. Dante (Divine Comedy)
3. Geoffrey Chaucer (Canterbury Tales)
4. Thomas Malory (Le Morte d’Arthur)
IV. Renaissance
1. Boccaccio (Decameron)
2. Cervantes (Don Quixote)
I.1 Mythology: the twelve Olympians
The twelve most important gods and goddesses
of ancient Greece, were called the Olympians.
They were part of the same family and lived
together in an enormous palace, set well above
the usual level of clouds at the top of Mount
Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece.
They met in the Council Hall from time to time to
discuss mortal affairs, such as which army
should win, whom to punish and who to reward.
But for the most part they were to busy bickering
among themselves to take much notice of mortal
affairs.
I.2 Mythology: the twelve Olympians
■
The twelve gods of Olympus were :
Zeus, Hera, Athena,
Poseidon, Demeter, Apollo,
Artemis, Hermes, Ares,
Aphrodite, Hephaestus and
Hestia.
pustakalaya.org
II.1 Classical Period (Greece)
A. Greece
1. Homer: Illiad & Odyssey (epics)
Idealized portrayal of Homer dating to the Hellenistic period. British Museum.
Lived
ca. 8th century BC
Influences
rhapsodic oral poetry
Influenced
Source
Classics (Western canon)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer
II.2 Classical Period (Greece)
Homer is believed to have been blind, because the poet
Demodokos in the Odyssey was blind. But Homer's
description of the Eastern coast of Greece is accurate,
leading some to believe that he lived in the area the
Greeks called Ionia. Any discussion of Homer
immediately reverts to a discussion of the epics,
because nothing is known about him, even whether such
a poet actually existed cannot be substantiated.
The Iliad and the Odyssey, however, do stand at the
beginning of the study of Western literature. In order to
understand and appreciate the important works of the
Western canon, it is necessary to have a fundamental
grounding in Homer's epics, because many subsequent
poems allude to these ancient epics.
www.suite101.com/article.cfm/american_poetry/108094
II.3 Classical Period (Greece)
The Iliad is, together with the Odyssey, one of two ancient Greek epic poems
traditionally attributed to Homer. However, the claim of a single author is disputed, as
the poems show evidence of a long oral tradition and hence, possible multiple authors.
Many scholars believe the poem to be the oldest extant work of literature in the ancient
Greek language, making it one of the first works of ancient Greek literature. For most
of the twentieth century, both the Iliad and the Odyssey have been commonly dated to
the late 9th or 8th century BC. Most still hold this view, notably Barry B. Powell (who
has proposed a link between the writing of the Iliad and the invention of the Greek
alphabet), G.S. Kirk, and Richard Janko. However a few others, such as Martin West
and Richard Seaford, now prefer a date in the 7th or even the 6th century BC.
The poem concerns events during the tenth and final year of the Trojan War, the siege
of the city of Ilion or Troy, by the Greeks. The plot centers on the Greek warrior Achilles
and his anger toward the king of Mycenae, Agamemnon, which proves disastrous for
the Greeks.[2] It provides many of the events that the later poems of the Epic Cycle
build on, including the death of the Trojan captain Hector.
Written in dactylic hexameter, the Iliad comprises 15,693 lines of verse. Later ancient
Greeks divided it into twenty-four books or scrolls, a convention that has lasted to the
present day with little change.
The word Iliad means "pertaining to Ilios", the city proper, as opposed to Troy, the state
centered around Ilium.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliad
II.4 Classical Period (Greece)
Background
In the tenth year of the Trojan War, the Greeks tricked the
enemy into bringing a colossal wooden horse within the
walls of Troy. The Trojans had no idea that Greek soldiers
were hidden inside, under the command of Odysseus. That
night they emerged and opened the city gates to the Greek
army. Troy was destroyed. Now it was time for Odysseus
and the other Greeks to return to their kingdoms across the
sea. Here begins the tale of the Odyssey, as sung by the
blind minstrel Homer.
II.5 Classical Period (Greece)
Aeschylus
The "Father of Tragedy," Aeschylus was born
in 525 B.C. in the city of Eleusis. Immersed
early in the mystic rites of the city and in the
worship of the Mother and Earth goddess
Demeter, he was once sent as a child to watch
grapes ripening in the countryside. According
to Aeschylus, when he dozed off, Dionysus
appeared to him in a dream and ordered him
to write tragedies. The obedient young
Aeschylus began a tragedy the next morning
and "succeeded very easily.“
www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc3.htm
II.6 Classical Period (Greece)
Sophocles
Born in 495 B.C. about a mile northwest of
Athens, Sophocles was to become one of
the great playwrights of the golden age.
The son of a wealthy merchant, he would
enjoy all the comforts of a thriving Greek
empire. He studied all of the arts. By the
age of sixteen, he was already known for
his beauty and grace and was chosen to
lead a choir of boys at a celebration of the
victory of Salamis. Twelve years later, his
studies complete, he was ready to compete
in the City Dionysia--a festival held every
year at the Theatre of Dionysus in which
new plays were presented.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophocles
II.7 Classical Period (Greece)
Euripides
幼里匹蒂斯(Euripides, 480B.C. - 406B.C.)是古希望三大悲劇家的最後一位。他出生時適
值雅典城邦的黃金時期，不過他獨立特行，厭世忌俗，很少參與政治活動，交往者多為品
趣相同的哲學家和詭辯家。他反映著當時最先進的思潮，懷疑甚至攻擊傳統的信仰。晚年
他更離開雅典，到馬其頓宮廷作客，並在那裡寫出了他晚年的曠世巨構。
據說他共寫了92個劇本，現存的共有17個悲劇和一個是撒特劇，其中包括：《愛爾塞斯提
斯》(Alcestis, 438B.C.)、《美狄亞》(Medea, 431B.C.)、《希波里特斯》 (Hippolytus,
438B.C.)、《愛恩》(Ion)、《伊蕾特拉》(Electra)、《特洛伊的婦人》(The Trojan
Women, 415B.C.)、《巴克哀》(Bacchae)及撒特劇《獨眼巨人》(The Cyclops)等。雖然
幼里匹蒂斯在後世享負盛名，但當時卻沒有受廣泛的激賞，他在悲劇競賽中一共只獲得5
次首獎(一說4次)。
幼里匹蒂斯將歌隊的重要性降低到與劇本本身只有模糊相關的程度。他主要關心的是在哲
學與心理方面，他的劇本常被以不完美的戲劇結構與不確定的焦點為人詬病，但另一方面
他又以描寫人物心理被受讚賞。索福克里斯(Sophocles)筆下的悲劇英雄都是「他們應當
如此」(they ought to be)，但在幼里匹蒂斯的劇本中，人物往往被描述成「他們本是如此」
(they really are)。他是懷疑論者，在他筆下的人物往往是卑小無能，顯出他們並無可敬之
處，甚至神祇也是不公正，祂拯救罪犯只是基於私人關係，這是對希臘傳統英雄的批評與
否定。
blog.roodo.com/mktheatre/archives/1099876.html
II.8 Classical Period (Greece)
Aristophanes
阿里斯多芬尼斯(古希臘詩人,喜劇作家,享有"喜劇之父"的美名)
Of Aristophanes, the greatest comedian of his age, and perhaps
of all the ages, history contains few notices, and these of
doubtful credit. Even the dates of his birth and death can only be
inferred from his works, the former being estimated at 456 B.C.
and the latter at 380. Many cities claimed the honor of giving him
birth, the most probable story making him the son of Philippus of
Ægina, and therefore only an adopted citizen of Athens. On this
point some confusion has arisen from an attempt of Cleon to
deprive Aristophanes of his civic rights, on the ground of
illegitimacy, in revenge for his frequent invectives. The charge
was disproved, thus pointing to the Athenian parentage of the
comic poet, though as to this there is no trustworthy evidence.
He was doubtless educated at Athens, and among other
advantages is said to have been a disciple of Prodicus, though
in his mention of that sophist he shows none of the respect due
to his reputed master.
www.theatrehistory.com/ancient/aristophanes001.htm
II.9 Classical Period (Rome)
1. Terence, (comedies)
Publius Terentius Afer (195/185–159 BC), better
known as Terence, was a playwright of the Roman
Republic. His comedies were performed for the first time
around 170–160 BCE, and he died young probably in
Greece or on his way back to Rome. Terentius Lucanus,
a Roman senator, brought Terence to Rome as a slave,
educated him and later on, impressed by his abilities,
freed him. All of the six plays Terence wrote have
survived.
One famous quote by Terence reads: "Homo sum,
humani nil a me alienum puto", or "I am a man, I consider
nothing that is human alien to me." This appeared in his
play Heauton Timorumenos.
En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence
II.10 Classical Period (Rome)
Plautus
From: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | Date: 2008 | Copyright
information
Plautus (Titus Maccius Plautus) , c.254-184 BC, Roman writer of comedies,
b. Umbria. His plays, adapted from those of Greek New Comedy, are
popular and vigorous representations of middle-class and lower-class life.
Written with a mastery of idiomatic spoken Latin and governed by a
genius for situation and coarse humor, Plautus' comedies achieved a
great reputation. Characteristic of his plays are the stock comic figures—
the knavish, resourceful slave, the young lover and his mistress, the
courtesan, the parasite, and the braggart soldier. His plots and characters
have had great influence upon later literature, with adaptations and
imitations by many writers, e.g., Molière, Corneille, Jonson, and
Shakespeare. The chronological order for Plautus' plays is unknown; 21,
more or less complete, survive: Amphitruo ( Amphitryon ), Asinaria,
Aulularia, Bacchides, Captivi, Casina, Cistellaria, Curculio, Epidicus,
Menaechmi, Mercator, Miles gloriosus, Mostellaria, Persa, Poenulus,
Pseudolus, Rudens, Stichus, Trinummus, Truculentus, and Vidularia (in
fragments).
II.11 Classical Period (Rome)
Seneca (tragedy)
「禁絕肉食就是遠離罪惡，重拾純真」
Lucius Annaeus Seneca (often
known simply as Seneca, or Seneca
the Younger in Ancient Greek
literature) (c. 4 BC – AD 65) was a
Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman,
dramatist, and in one work humorist,
of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He
was tutor and later advisor to emperor
Nero.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seneca_the_Younger
Ancient bust of Seneca, part
of a double herm
(Antikensammlung Berlin)
II.12 Classical Period (Rome)
Virgil (epic)
regarded as the greatest Roman
poet, known for his epic, the
Aeneid (written about 29 B.C.E),
which had taken its literary model
from Homer's epic poems Iliad
and Odyssey.
www.online-literature.com/virgil/
II.13 Classical Period (Rome)
Ovid (poetry)
Ovid's influence on Western art and literature cannot be
exaggerated. The Metamorphoses is our best classical
source of 250 myths. "The poem is the most
comprehensive, creative mythological work that has
come down to us from antiquity" (Galinsky). Based on its
influence, "European literature and art would be poorer
for the loss of the Metamorphoses than for the loss of
Homer" (Hadas). Ovid was a major inspiration for Dante,
Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton. If Virgil is Rome's
greatest poet, Ovid is the most popular (even in his own
time; Ovidian graffiti has been found on the walls of
Pompeii).
larryavisbrown.homestead.com/files/xeno.ovid1.htm
II.14 Classical Period (Hebrew)
C. Hebrew – The Bible
The Bible is the collection of religious writings of Judaism and
of Christianity.
The Christian Bible includes the same books as the Tanakh
(referred to in this context as the Old Testament), but usually in
a different order, together with twenty-seven specifically
Christian books collectively known as the New Testament.
Those were originally written in Greek. Among some traditions,
the Bible includes books that were not accepted in other
traditions, often referred to as apocryphal.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible
II.15 Classical Period (Hebrew)
The New Testament is the name given to the second major division of the
Christian Bible, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament.
The New Testament is sometimes called the Greek New Testament or Greek
Scriptures, or the New Covenant – which is the literal translation of the
original Greek. The original texts were written in Koine Greek by various
authors after c. AD 45. Its 27 books were gradually collected into a single
volume over a period of several centuries. Although certain Christian sects
differ as to which works are included in the New Testament, the vast majority of
denominations have settled on the same twenty-seven book canon: it consists
of the four narratives of Jesus Christ's ministry, called "Gospels"; a narrative of
the Apostles' ministries in the early church, which is also a sequel to the third
Gospel; twenty-one early letters, commonly called "epistles" in Biblical context,
written by various authors and consisting mostly of Christian counsel and
instruction; and an Apocalyptic prophecy, which is technically the twentysecond epistle. Although the traditional timeline of composition may have been
taken into account by the shapers of the current New Testament format, it is
not, nor was it meant to be, in strictly chronological order. Though Jesus
speaks Aramaic in it, the New Testament (including the Gospels) was written in
Greek because that was the lingua franca of the Roman Empire.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Testament
III.1 The Middle Ages
St. Augustine (354-433)is a fourth century
philosopher whose groundbreaking philosophy
infused Christian doctrine with Neoplatonism. He
is famous for being an inimitable Catholic
theologian and for his agnostic contributions to
Western philosophy.
www.iep.utm.edu/augustin/
III.2 The Middle Ages
Dante (Divine Comedy)
Dante Pilgrim has not been a good boy. His dead love
Beatrice asks the Virgin Mary to help him see the error of
his ways. Mary accepts and Dante is sent on a three-day
trip through Hell, and on up Mount Purgatory on the
other side of the world, and finally to Heaven in the sky.
He is spiritually lost at the beginning of the story, so he
needs guides to help him along the path. His first guide,
through Hell and Purgatory is Virgil (author of the
Aeneid). They encounter many interesting sinners on the
way. Dante learns to hate sin. His second guide is
Beatrice, the woman he adored while she lived. His final
guide is Saint Bernard (namesake of the loyal dog), who
takes him to see God.
www.angelfire.com/ak/Nyquil/Dante.html
III.3 The Middle Ages
Geoffrey Chaucer (1342 - 1400) wrote The Canterbury
Tales, a collection of stories in a frame story, between
1387 and 1400. It is the story of a group of thirty people
who travel as pilgrims to Canterbury (England). The
pilgrims, who come from all layers of society, tell stories
to each other to kill time while they travel to Canterbury.
If we trust the General Prologue, Chaucer intended that
each pilgrim should tell two tales on the way to
Canterbury and two tales on the way back. He never
finished his enormous project and even the completed
tales were not finally revised. Scholars are uncertain
about the order of the tales. As the printing press had yet
to be invented when Chaucer wrote his works, The
Canterbury Tales has been passed down in several
handwritten manuscripts.
www.librarius.com/cantales.htm
III.4 The Middle Ages
Sir Thomas Malory (c. 1405 – 14 March 1471)
was an English writer, the author or compiler of Le Morte d'Arthur.
Unknown English Artist: Sir Galahad
Presented to take his Place with the Knights
of the Round Table. From CGFA
III.5 The Middle Ages
Le Morte d'Arthur
Image: How Arthur
drew his sword Excalibur
for the first time (Arthur
Rackham).
by Thomas Malory
CliffsNotes on Le Morte d'Arthur
covers Thomas Malory's account of
the rise and fall of King Arthur. As a
young boy, pulling the sword
Excalibur from the stone destines
him to become the king of England.
As king, Arthur establishes the
Round Table, champions the tenets
of chivalry, and searches for the
Holy Grail. He rules wisely, but the
love between his wife Guinevere
and the knight Launcelot leads to
Arthur's death, and as Le Morte
d'Arthur ends, the Round Table
disbands.
IV.1 Renaissance
Boccaccio (Decameron)
Giovanni Boccaccio's 14th-century literary masterpiece
The Decameron may hold the recipe to defy these
troubled times. Boccaccio's collection of 100 stories told
over 10 days is set against the backdrop of a crisis that
puts today's credit problems in perspective: the black
death. He begins it with a harrowing piece of reportage
on the plague in his city, Florence, describing how the
disease spread across Europe in 1347-8, killing rich and
poor alike in such terrible numbers that bodies littered
the streets, the sick were shunned by their families, and
funeral rites were abandoned. He paints a picture of a
society on the brink of absolute disappearance - would
everyone in Florence die? Everyone in Europe?
www.guardian.co.uk/.../boccaccio-decameron-credit-crunch -
IV.2 Renaissance
The Legacy of Cervantes
Cervantes' Don Quixote de la Mancha is a work of universal appeal
and influence. It is currently celebrated in a decade- long 400th
anniversary with exhibitions, lectures, public readings, film
showings and conferences in many countries around the world.
Transcending all borders and cultures, it has had lasting impact on
literature, language, music, dance and cinema. It is widely
recognized as the first and greatest novel ever written; the
prototype for the modern novel. A recent survey of one hundred of
the best- known authors from 54 countries voted it "the most
meaningful book of all time."
Cervantes has been an inspiration to novelists for at least two
hundred years. In the U.S. he greatly influenced many writers such
as Mark Twain and William Faulkner. England is credited with Don
Quixote's first translation, the first critical edition, and the first
biography of Cervantes. Many English novelists acknowledge
Cervantes' influence, from Charles Dickens to Graham Greene.
According to Spanish author Camilo Jose Cela, "If you have read
Dickens, if you have read The Pickwick Papers, it is pure
Cervantes..." Many Spanish and Spanish American poets claim
Cervantes as their muse, but less well known is his inspiration to
Greek, Russian, Rumanian and Swedish poets.
libguides.usc.edu/don_quixote
Happy New Year!
西斯汀教堂天花板壁畫「創世紀」
fe.fhl.net/Art/3wen4.htm