2015-2016西方文化概论-复习提纲

1.WhatarethemajorfunctionsofGreekmythology?Thefirstoneisexplanation.Greekmythslentstructureandordertotheworldandexplainedhowthecurrentstateofthingshadoriginated.Oneofthecommonesttypesofexplanationgiveninmythsrelatestoritual.Mythshelpedworshipersmakesenseofareligiouspracticebytellinghowthepracticeoriginated.Aprimeexampleissacrifice,aritualthatinvolvedkillingadomesticatedanimalasanofferingtothegods.Thesecondoneisexploration.Mythschartedpathsthroughdifficultterritory,examiningcontradictionsandambiguities.Forinstance,oneofHomer’sIliads’sthemesexploresthelimitsofhonor.Thedramaticgenreoftragedyprovidestheclearestexampleofmythicalexploration.Thethirdoneislegitimation（合法化).Aclaim,anaction,orarelationshipacquiredextraauthorityifithadaprecedent（先例）inmyth.Thefinaloneisentertainment.Mythtellingwasasourceofenjoymentandentertainment.,whichwasseeninHomer’sepicsandsomeperformancesoftragicdramas.2.“Achilles’Heel”isanidiomcontributedtoEnglishlanguagebyHomerinhisepicofIliad.Whatarethemeaningandoriginofthisidiom?Itmeansaweakorvulnerablefactor.ThelegendofAchilleshasitthathewasdippedintotheriverStyxbyhismotherThetisinordertomakehiminvulnerable.Hisheelwasn'tcoveredbythewaterandhewaslaterkilledbyanarrowwoundtohisheel.3.WhyisHomerregardedasoneofthemostimportantfiguresinWesternhistory?HomerisbestknownastheauthoroftheIliadandtheOdyssey.HewasbelievedbytheancientGreekstohavebeenthefirstandgreatestoftheepicpoets.AuthorofthefirstknownliteratureofEurope,heiscentraltotheWesterncanon.HomerwastheearliestmolderoftheGreekoutlookandcharacter.Forcenturies,GreekyoungstersgrewuprecitingtheHomericepicsandadmiringtheHomericheroes,whostroveforhonorandfacedsufferinganddeathwithcourage.4.InwhatimportantwayswasAristotledifferentfromPlato?WhataresomeofAristotle’sworksthatarestillinfluentialtoday?1)AristotlewasdifferentfromPlatointheoriesofideas,forms,ethicalthoughtsandpoliticalthoughts.Aristotleemphasizeddirectobservationofnatureandinsistedthattheoryshouldfollowfact.ThisisdifferentfromPlato’srelianceonsubjectivethinking.2)Hethoughtthat“idea”andmattertogethermadeconcreteindividualrealitiesinwhichhedifferedfromPlatowhoheldthatideashadhigherrealitythanthepoliticalworld.Hissignificantworksincludes:Ethics,PoliticsandRhetoric.5.WhowasMoses?WhatdidhedofortheHebrews?MoseswasafamousHebrewleader.Around1300B.C.,MosesledtheHebrewstoleaveEgyptforthePromisedLand.ThiswascalledtheExoduswhichlastedfortyyears.WhenthewanderingHebrewsleftthedesertandenteredthemountainousSinai,Mosesclimbedtothetopofthemountaintoreceiveformgodmessage,whichcametobeknownastheTenCommandments.HediedshortlybeforetheHebrewsarrivedattheirhomeland.6.WhatisthechiefRomanachievementinarchitecture?Givesomeexamples.1)TheRomansweregreatengineers.Theycoveredtheirworldfromoneendtotheotherwithroads,bridges,aqueducts,theatresandarenas.2)Someexamples:A.ThePantheon:thegreatestthebestpreservedRomantemplebuiltin27B.C..B.PontduGard:itisanexceptionallywell-preservedaqueductthatspansawidevalleyinsouthernFrance.7.WhatcontributiondidtheRomansmaketothelawsofmanycontinentalEuropeancountries?RomansmadecontributionstothedevelopmentofRomanlawinformofJusCivile,JusGentiumCorpusandJurisCivilis.ThesystematicstudyofRomanlawspreadfromItalythroughoutEuropefromthe12thcenturyonward.WiththerevivalofEuropeancommerceandtheinadequacyofmedievallawtomeettherequirementsofthechangingeconomicandsocialconditions,RomanlawbecameincorporatedinthelegalsystemsofthemanycontinentalEuropeancountries.8.WhydowesaytheBiblehasshapedWesternculturemoredecisivelythananythingelseeverwritten?Judeo-ChristiantraditionconstitutesoneofthetwomajorcomponentsofEuropeanculture.TheBiblewhichisvirtuallyrelatedtoeveryphaseofhumanlifegreatlyinfluencespeople’sdailylife,especiallyintheMiddleAgeswhenalmosteveryonewasaChristian;TheBiblehasgreatimpactuponwesternliterature.Foralongperiodoftime,theLatinBiblewasacceptedastheauthorityandLatinwasofficiallanguageoftheRomanCatholicChurch,somostEuropeliteratureatthattimewasinLatin.BesidesitisgenerallyacceptedthattheEnglishBibleandShakespearearetwogreatreservoirsofModernEnglish.Furthermore,theuseofBiblicalthemeshasbeenaliterarytradition.InfactfewgreatEnglishandAmericanwritersofthe17th,18th,19thand20thcenturycanbereadandappreciatedwithsatisfactionwithoutasufficientknowledgeoftheBible;ThestudyoftheChristianteachingespeciallytheBiblehasbecomeanimportantbranchofknowledge—scholasticismwhichhasbeenprevalentforcenturies;TheBiblehasalsoinfluencedwesternphilosophiesandscience.ThustheBiblehasshapedwesternculturemoredecisivelythananythingelseeverwritten.9.WhydowesaytheBible,especiallytheOldTestament,hascloserelationswiththeMesopotamianculture?TheHebrewpatriarchs—Abraham(ancestorofmultitude),Isaac,andJacob(Israel),soprominentlydepicted(描述)intheOldTestament—werechieftains(头领)ofsemi-nomadic(游牧民族)clansthatroamed(流浪)Palestine(巴勒斯坦)andoccasionallyjourneyedtoMesopotamiancivilization.Forexample,thereareparallelsbetweenbiblicallawandtheMesopotamianlegaltradition.Severalbiblicalstories—theCreation,theFlood,theGardenofEden—derivefromMesopotamiansources.10.