western week 10 Division 6 - Enlightenment

1、Western CultureWestern CultureWeek 10Week 10Age of EnlightenmentAge of EnlightenmentIntroductionEnlightenment Intellectual movement originating in Franceefforts of certain European writers to use critical reason to free minds from prejudice, unexamined authority and oppression by Church or State.Als

2、o called Age of ReasonThose who signed and created the American Declaration of Independence, the United States Bill of Rights, and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen were influenced by the Age of EnlightenmentIn Art and literature, neo-classicism reigned harmony proportio

3、n, balance, and restraintVery secular (Church not involved as much as before in the philosophies)Historical Context American War of Independence in 1776 ended British rule with a powerful statement in the Declaration of Independence (authored by Thomas Jefferson) “We hold these truths to be self-evi

4、dent, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” American victory followed by French Revolution, 1st French Republic born in 1792 Declaration of the Rights of Man “Liberty co

5、nsists in the freedom to do everything which injures no on else; hence the exercise of the natural rights of each man has no limits except those which assure to the other members of the society the same rights. These limits can only be determined by law.”Montesquieu (1689 1755) French social comment

6、ator and political thinker who lived during the Era of the Enlightenment. He is famous for his articulation of the theory of separation of powers, taken for granted in modern discussions of government and implemented in many constitutions throughout the world achieved literary success with the publi

7、cation of his Lettres persanes (Persian Letters, 1721), a satire based on the imaginary correspondence of a Persian visitor to Paris, pointing out the absurdities of contemporary society Voltaire (1694 1778) French Enlightenment writer, essayist, and philosopher known for his wit, philosophical spor

8、t and defense of civil liberties, including both freedom of religion and free trade. Most famous work: Candide The novella begins with a young man, Candide, who is living a sheltered life in an Eden-like paradise and being indoctrinated a form of optimism by his tutor, Pangloss The work describes th

9、e abrupt cessation of this existence, followed by Candides slow, painful disillusionment as he witnesses and experiences great hardships in the world Candide is known for its sarcastic tone and its erratic, fantastical, and fast-moving plot Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 1778) was a major philosopher,

10、writer, and composer of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment, whose political philosophy influenced the French Revolution and the development of modern political and educational thought His novel, Emile: or, On Education, which he considered his most important work, is a seminal idea on the educatio

11、n of the whole person for citizenship During the French Revolution, Emile served as the inspiration for what became a new national system of education. Famous words: “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains”Denis Diderot (1713 1784) French philosopher and writer. He was a prominent figure d

12、uring the Enlightenment and is best known for serving as chief editor of and contributor to the Encyclopdie a general encyclopedia published in France author of the dialogue, Le Neveu de Rameau (Rameaus Nephew) upon which many articles and sermons about consumer desire have been based. his articles

13、included many topics of the Enlightenment “the first step towards philosophy is incredulity” similar to what the Greeks had saidEnglish LiteratureAlexander Pope (1688 1744)generally regarded as the greatest English poet of the eighteenth century, best known for his satirical verse and for his transl

14、ation of Homer (ancient Greek writer). He is the third most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson. The Essay on Man is a philosophical poem, written in heroic couplets and was published between 1732 and 1734. Pope intended for this poem to be

15、 a centerpiece of a proposed system of ethics that was to be put forth in poetic form, which is exactly what he did. It was a piece of work that Pope intended to make into a larger work however he did not live to complete it The Essay on Man is an attempt to justify the ways of God to Man, and that

16、man is not himself the centre of all thingsDaniel Defoe （1659/61 1731) was an English writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained enduring fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe: Robinson Crusoe (1719) tells of a mans shipwreck on a deserted island and his subsequent adventures. sometimes considered

17、 to be the first novel in English an English castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island near Venezuela, encountering Native Americans, captives, and mutineers before being rescued Jonathan Swift (1667 1745) was an Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer Foremost satirist

18、in the English language Most famous for his works Gullivers Travels and A Modest Proposal Gullivers Travels: a satire on human nature and a parody of the travelers tales literary sub-genre A Modest Proposal: suggest in his essay that the impoverished Irish might ease their economic troubles by selli

19、ng children as food for rich gentlemen and ladies.Henry Fielding (1707 1754) was an English novelist and dramatist known for his rich earthy humor and satirical prowess, and as the author of the novel Tom Jones Developed the modern novel: a new art form which is realistic, comic, not sentimental, an

20、d shows contemporary life and manners. Considering by some to be “Father of the English Novel”Journalism and the Periodical Essay The Tatler and The Spectator were two very important series of periodical essays: Dealt with almost all the aspects and types of character in the town life of the times,

21、in an attempt to reform the manners of the age. Written by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele The Spectator: Each paper, or number, was approximately 2,500 words long, and the original run consisted of 555 numbers. These were collected into seven volumes German literatureGotthold Ephraim Lessing (172

22、9 1781) German writer, philosopher, dramatist, publicist, and art critic, and one of the most outstanding representatives of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the development of German literature. Nathan the Wise: play published in 1779 It is a ferven

23、t plea for religious tolerance. Its performance was forbidden by the church during Lessings lifetime and along with another of his works, The Jews (German title: Die Juden) was also banned by the Nazis. Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 1832)was a German writer, but also the fields of poetry, drama, literat

24、ure, theology, philosophy, humanism and science. Goethe was one of the key figures of German literature and the movement of Weimar Classicism in the late 18th and early 19th centuries; this movement coincides with Enlightenment Goethes magnum opus, lauded as one of the peaks of world literature, is

25、the two-part drama Faust: Faust Part One is a complex story. It takes place in multiple settings, the first of which is heaven. Mephistopheles makes a bet with God: he says that he can deflect Gods favorite human being (Faust), who is striving to learn everything that can be known, away from righteo

26、us pursuitsFriedrich Schiller (1759 1805) was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. Along with Goethe, one of the chief representatives of German classicism Very famous work: Wilhelm Tell (1804): The story focuses on the legendary Swiss marksman William Tell as well as on the Swiss

27、struggle for independence from the Habsburg Empire in the early 14th century. Immanuel Kant (1724 1804) was an 18th-century German philosopher from the Prussian city of Knigsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia). He is regarded as one of the most influential thinkers of modern Europe and of the late Enligh

28、tenment. His most important work is the Critique of Pure Reason, an investigation into the limitations and structure of reason itself The other main works of his maturity are the Critique of Practical Reason, which concentrates on ethics, and the Critique of Judgment, which investigates aesthetics a

29、nd teleology (philosophical study of design and purpose)Rococo ArtDuring the reign of Louis XIV and Louis XV (1638-1714), this artistic style began to become popular in France.Rocaille & coquille rock and shellRococo rooms were designed as total works of art with elegant and ornate furniture, small

30、sculptures, ornamental mirrors, and tapestry complementing architecture, reliefs, and wall paintings. It was largely supplanted by the Neoclassic style. Musical Enlightenment By the end of the 18th century, the art of creating music had become almost rationalized due to philosophical thinkers Bach a

31、nd Handel showed much of Baroque musical composing Represented a trend toward a greater regularity in style in clearly defined types and forms: the suite, the sonata, the rondo, the opera, the oratorio, the cantata, the concerto, etc.Bach (1685 1750)German composer and organist whose sacred and secu

32、lar works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity Goal was “a well-regulated church music to the honor of God”“Music owes as much to Bach as Christianity does to its Founder God”Bachs works include the Branden

33、burg concertos, the Goldberg Variations, the Partitas, the Well-Tempered Clavier, the Mass in B Minor, the St. Matthew Passion, the St. John Passion, the Magnificat, The Musical Offering, The Art of Fugue, the English Suites, the French Suites, the Sonatas and Partitas for violin solo, the Cello Sui

34、tes, more than 200 surviving cantatas.George Frideric Handel (1685 1759) was a German-English Baroque composer, who is famous for his operas, oratorios, and concerti grossi His works include Messiah, Water Music, and Music for the Royal FireworksThe Classical Period Baroque Period followed by the Cl

35、assical Period between 1750 and 1820 During the 18th century the recognition of a faculty of the mind and a mode of perception which could not wholly be accounted for by reason gave rise to the “science of aesthetics” Joseph Haydn (1732 1809) was an Austrian composer. He was one of the most important, prolific and prominent composer