Backgrounds to English Literature
Lecture 1: Introduction
=The title of this course: Backgrounds to the English Literature -Two key words: Backgrounds and English Literature
-What is English Literature? In England, it is the body of literary works from the Anglo-Saxon period to the contemporary English society, and of the American literary works since the arrival of The Mayflower from Plymouth to the New World in 1620, transporting the first English Separatists, known today as the Pilgrims.
-The backgrounds means a kind of contexts in order to understand something better. For example, Confucianism in Korean culture and society which is dominated by hierarchical order.
-What are the backgrounds which will help us to understand the English Literature better? They are Hellenism and Hebraism. In fact, both Hellenism and Hebraism are the backgrounds not only for the English literature, but for the Western or European culture on the whole.
=Hellenism
-Hellenism is Greek culture and the diffusion of that culture -So, by extension it also includes Roman civilization
-The term, Hellenism, is quite complicated.
1. The earliest use of the verb ‘Hellenize’ is in a linguistic context:
Thucydides says the Amphilochian Argives were ‘Hellenized as to their present language’
2. The most famous use of ‘Hellenism’ is at 2 Maccabees 4:13, Acts of Apostles 6:1. “Godless wretch that he was and no true hight preist, Jason set no bounds to his impiety; indeed the hellenising process reached such a pitch” (2 Maccabees 4:13) / “About this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenists made a complaint against the Hebrews: in the daily distribution their own widows were being overlooked” (Acts of Apostles 6:1)
- Here it seems that more is meant than just speaking Greek.
3. In modern times the 19th century historian J. G. Droysen, taking his cue above all from the Maccabees and Acts of Apostles passages,
gave ‘Hellenismus’ a powerful and extended sense, not just correct Greek but fusion of Greek and non-Greek. Droysen associated the word with a particular period, that between Alexander the Great and the victory of Octavian (later Augustus) at Actium. It was this period, the ‘Hellenistic Age,’ that Greek culture was most intensely diffused 4. Conventionally, Hellenization has in modern times been associated with the post-Alexander period, 336-31 BC.
=Hebraism
-The Jewish religion, culture, or character (OED)
-Hebrews, Israelites, and Jews are close synonyms and are often used interchangeably. Each term emphasizes some aspect of this people's origin or background.
1. Hebrew is first used in the scriptures to refer to Abraham (Genesis 14:13). And his descendants were called Hebrews.
2. Abraham-Issac-Jacob. The name of Jacob was changed to Israel when he wrestled with a man of God (Genesis 32:28). The descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob (Israel) made up the nation of Israel and were sometimes called Israelites (Exodus 9:7).
3. Jews was first used to describe the inhabitants of Judah, the name taken by the two southern tribes of the nation of Israel during the division (2 Kings 6:6;25:25). After the Babylonian captivity, the meaning was extended to embrace all of Israel.
-By successive extension, it also includes the early Christianity in that it originates from Judaism.
=The significance of Hellenism and Hebraism beyond the English Literature
-First of all, let us see the European Union. In particular, the currency, Euros. The symbol of the Euros. Inspiration for the
€ symbol itself came from the Greek epsilon (ϵ). Epsilon is an "E" in English, representing the first letter of the word "Europe." The parallel lines across the epsilon are to certify the stability of the currency.
-The implication is that the European Union understands the ancient Greek as a kind of the root of their identity.
Greek as a reference to the cradle of European civilization
-Hellenism and Hebraism as a virtual founding myth of Western cultural and intellectual tradition through every important type of oppositions:
1. Athens / Jerusalem
2. The Greek and the Jew 3. Paganism / monotheism
4. Right-thinking / Right-doing 5. Philosophy / Revelation
➔Outline of the course (27 Hours)
=Introduction (1)
=Early advanced cultures (2) Mesopotamia / Egypt
=Greek traditions (8)
Greek history / Greek mythology / Homer / Greek tragedy & Theatre 1 / Greek tragedy & Theatre 2 / Greek philosophy 1 / Greek philosophy 2 / Arts
=Roman traditions (8)
Roman History / Roman mythology / Roman comedies 1 / Roman comedies 2 / Roman satire / Roman poetry / Roman philosophy / Art
=Hebrew traditions (4)
History / The Old Testament 1 / The Old Testament 2 / The Old Testament 3
=Early Christianity (3)
History / New Testament 1 / New Testament 2
=Conclusion (1)
➔Practicalities for the class
=Basic attitudes
▪ Absolute respect for different opinions and ideas in the classroom.
▪ Active and voluntary participation in discussion.
▪ Students are encouraged to express their ideas and questions as freely as possible; even though they are not confident of or sure about them.
▪ Responsibility towards the required reading materials.
▪ Attendance & FA: I encourage students to attend regularly, and make sure that you arrive on time for others’ sake as well as your own.
▪ Sometimes unexpected occasions happen. If you have any difficulties, please do not hesitate to contact the instructor.
=Assessment
▪ 5 categories of Grading:
1) Quizzes (20 points)
2) Presentation (15 points)
3) Participation (5 points) (if you miss the class 3 times, minus 2; 4 times, minus 4)
4) Mid-term exam (30 points) 5) Final exam (30 points)
=Materials
▪ Handouts and materials will be uploaded on the cyber campus in advance
=Seats and Groups
➔Origins of human and Notions of Civilization
=First humans
-Created by the God (the gods)
-Evolutionary theory: Scientific approaches: Hominid -> Hominin ->
Homo -> Homo Sapiens
Hominid: the group consisting of all modern and extinct Great Apes (that is, modern humans, chimpanzees, gorillas and orang-utans plus all their immediate ancestors). Hominid (apes and humans) evolved around 25 million years ago, also probably in Africa, although there is some evidence of an Asian origin.
Hominin: the group consisting of modern humans, extinct human species and all our immediate ancestors (including members of the genera Homo, Australopithecus, Paranthropus and Ardipithecus).
Homo: genus of the family Hominidae (order Primates) characterized by a relatively large cranial capacity, limb structure adapted to a habitual erect posture and a bipedal gait, well-developed and fully opposable thumbs, hands capable of power and precision grips, and the ability to make standardized precision tools, using one tool to make another. Together with modern humans, Homo sapiens, the genus includes the extinct species H. habilis, H. erectus, and H.
heidelbergensis as well as the Neanderthals (H. neanderthalensis), the early form of Homo sapiens called Cro-Magnon, and the enigmatic H. naledi, which may be the oldest known member of the genus.
Early human: 200,000-year-old specimen of Homo sapiens from Ethiopia
-Key point: Since the publication of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species, the Western idea of the first human is dived into two groups:
creation or evolution
-Is there any significance whether you believe creation or evolution?
-Since the Victorian Period, particularly one of the main concerns in the Victorian literature is the relationship between creation and evolution, causing the issue of uncertainty, doubt, or pessimism.
-How about now?
=Notion of Prehistory
-The period of time from the first appearance of Homo sapiens in Africa 200,000 years ago to the invention of writing and the beginning of history approximately 5,500 years ago.
-Paleolithic -> Mesolithic -> Neolithic -> Bronze Age
-Bronze Age (3200 BC): Writing is invented in Sumer, triggering the beginning of history.
=Terms
-BC: Before Christ, placed after a date. Ex. 3000 BC
-AD: Anno Domini, placed before a date. Ex. AD 300, but the third century AD
-BCE: before the Common Era (used by non-Christians). Ex. 200 BCE
-CE: Common Era. Ex. 200 CE
-Meaning of Common Era: The year numbering system used with Common Era notation was devised by the Christian monk Dionysius Exiguus in the year 525 to replace the Era of Martyrs system, because he did not wish to continue the memory of a tyrant who persecuted Christians.
=Notion of civilization: What is civilization?
-“an advanced stage or system of human social development” (OED) -“Civilization is a form of human culture in which many people live in urban centers, have mastered the art of smelting metals, and have developed a method of writing.”
-“The first civilizations began in cities, which were larger, more populated, and more complex in their political, economic and social structure than Neolithic villages.”
-“One definition of civilization requires that a civilized people have a sense of history -- meaning that the past counts in the present.”
-Main features: urban, productive, religious, and law abiding.
-Implications of civilization: relativity and imperialistic implication in the 18th Century
=Early Civilizations
-There are a number of major early civilizations, but we are going to look at two, Mesopotamia and Egypt, as mentioned before, which are the foundations of the Western culture