World Literature Lecture

What is World Literature?

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe introduced the concept of Weltliteratur—“world literature”—in 1827 to describe the growing availability of literary texts from other nations. Karl Marx used the term in his Communist Manifesto in 1847 to describe the “cosmopolitan character” character ” of bourg bo urgeois eois literary literary production.

“I am more and more convinced that poetry is the universal possession of mankind, revealing itself everywhere and at all times in hundreds and hundreds of men… I therefore like to look about me in foreign nations, and advise everyone to do the same. National literature is now a rather unmeaning term; the epoch of world literature is at hand, and everyone must strive to hasten its approach.” —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, speaking to his student, Johann Peter Eckermann, in 1827 (Germany)

A World Literature Timeline [Beginnings to 100 A.D.] 1. Invention of Writing and Earliest Literature (3000 BC –30 AD) 2. Ancient Greece and the Formation of the Western Mind (220 BC – 200 AD) 3. Poetry oetry and and Thou Though ghtt in in China China (1700 (1700 BC BC – 220 AD) 4. India’s Heroic Age (3000 BC–200 AD) 5. The Roman oman Empir Empire e (753 (753 BC –64 AD)

1. Invention of Writing and Earliest Literature Literature (3000 BC –30 AD) •

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Purpose: written documents – political, legal, Purpose: administrative ‘advanced’ civilizations Created by: the first ‘advanced’ oldest writing: writing: Pictographic 3300 – 2990 BC – oldest extant (cattle, foodstuff, textile By 2800 BC, began to make marks on script s cript Cuneiform ‘cuneus’ L. – ‘a wedge’ Hieroglyphic and cuneiform – to record more complicated information ex. Historical events

Gilgamesh •

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About 2000 BC – Gilgamesh (the first great heroic heroic narrative narrative of world litera li terature. ture. Nearly vanished when it was not translated from cuneiform into the new alphabets that replaced them. Reintroduced:: when it was discovered Reintroduced discovered in 1872 (Utnapishtim’s Story of the Flood) Other tablets found throughout the Middle East in various cuneiform languages Concern of Gilgamesh: Gilgamesh’s friendship with Enkidu, his h is quest for worldly renown and immortality and his death.

Hebrews •

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not an imperial people; They left a religious literature literature (bet. 8th and 2nd centuries BC) Monotheistic - Idea of one God; resistance: resistance: humankind itself; blamed humanity for disorder to harmonious universe; free will

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586 BC deported to Babylon; 539 BC return to Palestine Rebuilt the temple and created created Pentat Pentateuch euch

Greeks •

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Polytheistic - resistance: gods often battle among themselves for control over humankind Their gods: an expression of the disorder of  the world and its uncontrollable forces forces Morality is a human invention invention Mysterious power of fate: even Zeus must bow to it and he can be resisted by fellow fellow Olympians Added signs for vowels vowels – first real alphabet

2. Ancient Greece and the Formation of  the Western Mind (220 BC – 200 AD) •

Hellenic heritage – unknown

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Minoan civilization civilization (2nd millenium BC  – Crete) Named after Minos – mythical king

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Myceneans – Developed a wealthy and powerful civilization civilization on mainland Greece Last century of the millennium – palaces (burnt) together together with the arts, skills and language vanished vanished for the next next century (Dark Age of Greece)

Dark Age •

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Knowledge Knowledge in this age, became the raw material for for Homer’ Homer ’s epic poems – the Iliad and Odyssey Iliad and Odyssey – development of Greek civilization; civili zation; Torah – Palestine

Homer •

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The basis for Homer's Iliad and Odyssey was an immense poetic reserve created by generations of singers who lived before him. he made use of an intricate system of  metrical formulas, a repertoire of  standard scenes, and a known outline of  the story.

iliad •

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tells the story of the Achaeans and Trojans in war. Both genders—the men who do battle and the women who depend on them — are affected in this tale of war. Severely unsentimental, Homer's tale suggests that human beings must unreservedly deal with both destructive and creative impulses.

Odyssey •

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The Odyssey: Odyssey: deals with the peace that developed developed and places emphasis on the lives of the surviving heroes of the war. story of Odysseus on a quest to return to his homeland, Ithaca, and be reunited reunited with his son and wife. Along the way, way, he he has many adventures and must rely on his intellect, wit, and strength to free himself from perilous situations

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questions about the nature of  aggression and violence are left unanswered, questions about human suffering and the waste generated by war are left unresolved.”

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8th and 7th centuries centuries:: Greeks adapted Phoenician writing system : adding signs for vowels – consonantal – alphabetic system 5th century: century: Athens and Sparta became enemies culminating culminating in the Peloponnesian war: Athens left left defeated Athens: developed democratic institutions (freedom of individuals and the demands of the the state) state) Became empire at the time of Sophocles

Athens •

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Cities taxed and coerced Sophists – professional teachers (educated in subjects such as government, ethics, literary criticism and astronomy. astronomy. Sophist protagoras: ‘Man is the measure of all all things things’’ – where secular and humanist spirit is best expressed

Philosophers Philosophers Question Question Tradition •

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War caused Athenians to lose confidence in democratic gov government ernment and they begin to question their values Greek Philosophers base their thinking on: - The Universe is put in an orderly o rderly way way and subject to unchanging laws - People can understand these laws through logic and reason

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Sophists were people who questioned traditional ideas

Protagoras: Questioned existence of Greek Gods and said there was no universal standard of truth 7/17/2012

Socrates •

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proposed dialectic rather than didactic didact ic (instructive)method of teaching – unlike the sophists Exposed illogicality in old beliefs but did not provide new His ethics rested on intellectual basis - Said “the unexamined unexamined life is not worth living” living ” Due to his insistence that it is the duty of each

individual to to think through through to the ‘truth’

resentment against against Socrates built, culminating in a death for impiety.

Plato •

Literary and philosophical contributions often explored ethical and political problems of his time featuring his teacher Socrates as speaker.

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Founder of academy

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Student of Socrat Socrates es

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Wrote The Republic about an ideal society

Aristotle •

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Poetics – first systematic work of Western literary criticism

Invented scientific method and taught Alexander the Great Applied his beliefs in various fields

Classical Greek Literature Literature •

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Greek comedy and tragedy developed developed out of  choral performances in celebration of Dionysus, the god of wine and mystic ecstasy. Aeschylus’ plays reflect Athens’ heroic period Sophocles’ reflect a culture that was reevaluating critically its accepted standards and traditions

Aritophanes combines poetry, poetry, obscenity and an d wit to satirize institutions institutions and personalities of his time.

3. Poetry and Thought in Early China (1700 BC –220 AD) •

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“Chinese civilization first developed in the Yellow River basin.

Shang dynasty : First dynasty 1700 BC - Chinese writing based on characters characters - misruled and caused hardship to people Chou conquered the Shang Over the centuries, the idea of heaven changed: sometimes it was an anthropomorphic (the attribution of a human form to nonhuman things) deity, a natural and moral force, or a collection of ancestral spirits.”

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The Book of Documents – a collection of  statements statements and proclamations from the early Chou period The Classic of Poetry (lyric poetry) – collection that stands at the beginning of the Chinese literary tradition - Chou aristocracy aristocracy - heterogeneous heterogeneous text that includes many types of  songs, ranging from hymns, temple songs and hunting songs to love and marriage songs. - eventually became part of the canon of  Confucian classics

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Analects by Confucius  – fusion of  ethical thought and idealized Chou traditions associated associated with Confucius

Spring and Autumn Annals Period •

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Known as the Warring States – domains were gradually evolving into centralized centralized states during a period of political and intellectual upheaval. The Chuang Tzu – political mediations in a multiple of forms, ranging from jokes and parables to complex philosophical arguments; The ‘way’ ‘way’ is often immoral

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Historical Records by Ssu-ma Chi’ien  – recording the lives of ruling families and dynasties in a comprehensive history history of China – Emperor Wu’s reign.

Ch’ien’ss work reflected on on Ssu-ma Ch’ien’ the causes and effects of injustice on individuals.

Rule of Ch’in Shih-huang •

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Draconian (unjustly harsh) ruler Known for unifying the currency and the script, burning books that he deemed objectionable. The Legalists who believed that subjects of the state should adhere completely to the laws and policies, were exempted from Ch'in's book burning.

4. India’ India’ss Heroic Age (3000 BC–200 AD) •

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Sanskrit – language of literature, administration and intellectual endeavor (1500 BC) Hindu culture – Sanskrit; Buddhists and Jains – Pali and Prakrit dialects; South India  – Tamil Interchange between south and north led to the development of Tamil and Sanskrit literatures

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Mughals dynasty (12th century) – introduced Islam, Arabic and Persian literature literature to Indian Indian literature and civilization British colonization (17th century) positioned English in Indian letters Vedas – first known writing originating from the Aryans

Vedas - the primary scriptures scriptures of Hinduism and consist of four books of sacred hymns that are typically chanted by priests at ceremonies marking rites of  passage.

- considered divine revelations and are often recited in the form of mantras, or sacred utterances.

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The Upanishads or Mystic Doctrines are mystical and philosophical meditations by thinkers wishing to gain ultimate wisdom.

- offer a differ different ent worldview - de-emphasize de-emphasize the role of the ritualistic present in the Vedas - argue argue that that the the soul soul is a manif manifes esttat ation ion of a single divine essence;

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Release comes from understanding the basic unity between the self and the universe Upanishads - the only escape from the perpetual cycle of life and death is to identify with the pure self, thereby surpassing the limitations limitations of the human mind.

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Ramayana and Mahabharata - express the core values of Hinduism - Mythic in tone but believed that the poems are based on actual historical events in north India. In dia. Referred Referred to as itihasa,, or historical narrative (lay the itihasa foundation for Aryan rule in the Ganges River Valley.)

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the Mahabharata focuses on a civil war between battling Aryans - compiled by Vyasa Vyasa

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adventures in Ramayana describes the adventures exile of Prince Rama of Kosala. - by Valmiki

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The stories have been retold in all of the

major Indian languages and have have inspired works of art and literature literature in India as well well as in parts of Southeast Asia Asia—notably Java, Thailand, and Malaysia. •

Both epic poems emphasize emphasize dharma—the guiding principle of good human conduct and the force that holds the social, moral, and cosmic fabric of the universe together

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Dharma - refers to sacred duties and righteous conduct, and is related to three other spheres that collectively govern an ideal life.

- artha artha (weal (wealth, th, profi profit, t, and polit politic ical al power) power);; - kama ama (lov (love, e, sens sensua uali lity ty); ); - sudras (la (laborers) — are bound by a specific set of duties, or dharma, but only Brahmans, ksatriyas, and vaisyas vaisyas can work toward moksha.

Bhagavad gita - Krishna •

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priestly class) brahmanas (the intellectual, priestly determined determined by his birth ksatriyas (the martial class, the kings, rulers, leaders, military men) vaisvyas vaisvyas (the productive productive class, principally the farmers who produce and distribute the food and also the businessmen) Sudras (the worker class who have no ability to support themselves independently like like the other three classes so they need to serve the other three higher classes for their livelihood).

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many Hindu texts reflect ongoing power negotiations among the brahman, ksatriya, and vaishya classes the social position of Hindus is determined at birth, making for a markedly rigid and stratified stratified society, society, A woman's dharma is related to her position as a wife, wife, and she is thus given little space to define her own identity. identity.

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karma - The belief that all beings are responsible for for their own actions and their own suffering - the theory that that suggests suggests that all actions actions (good or bad) have consequences. - In Hindu thought, the doer must bear the burden of these actions, and the soul is thus trapped in a perpetual cycle of life and death.

- Buddhist thought rejects this idea, focusing instead on the ways that creatures can be freed from the cycle of suffering.

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Jataka - a popular Buddhist tale collection, suggests that by detaching oneself from desire and focusing on the well-being of  others, all persons can embark on the path toward toward enlightenment, thereby becoming a bodhisattva.

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Hindus also believe in a triad of gods — Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; Shiva the destroyer—who are responsible for the lives of all creatures on a cosmic scale.

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It is believed that worshiping Shiva or Vishnu eventually helps creatures escape from the cycle of karmic rebirth.” rebirth.”

“The heroic age of Indian literature encompasses a wide range of writings. writ ings. Ancient Ancie nt Tamil Tamil poetry valorizes love and war;

Arjuna and Rama appear heroic to many because they balance the violence of warrior ways with compassion and self-restrain s elf-restraint; t; Buddha's teachings of self-perfection elevated elevated him to status as a ‘superhuman hero-king’. --- In all, the idea that moral moral and spiritual conquest is superior to conquest by the sword s word is an enduring motif of the time and one that was publicly endorsed by Emperor Ashoka.