C100 Notes
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Western Governors University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
C100
Subject
Arts Humanities
Date
Jan 9, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
34
Uploaded by DrMeerkat3389
C100 – Introduction to Humanities – 1. Foundations of Humanities
Learning Outcomes
1.
Recognize key concepts of the study of humanities.
2.
Explain how the study of humanities answers questions about human development and culture.
3.
Describe the disciplines within the humanities.
4.
Recognize shared themes across the varied disciplines in humanities.
5.
Differentiate between perspectives throughout global cultures of the humanities.
6.
Analyze the connection between humanities and today’s world.
7.
Analyze a given subject or work through objective, subjective, and comparative methods.
What are the Humanities?
The word “humanities” is derived from the Latin term, humanitas
, which essentially refers to humans and their culture. Thus to study the Humanities is to learn what it is to be human, not from a biological sense but a cultural sense.
The study of Humanities seeks to understand what humans believe and why, along with what we have believed in the past and even what we might believe in the future.
By studying the Humanities we can understand the past as more than just a series of events, but as a pattern of human interactions within a rich context of beliefs, ideals, and experiences. Doing so allows us
to build better relationships, to better understand and thus communicate with one another, be it person-
to-person or nation-to-nation.
By taking measure of our past, and learning to appreciate it, we come to a better understanding of our own values as well as our biases. We can look at our own lives in context.
Why Study the Humanities?
A consideration of literature, art, music, dance, film and philosophy offers practical, social, and aesthetic benefits to students.
Exploring the continuing questions addressed by men and women throughout the ages through the vehicle of the arts should deepen and enrich our current existence.
Themes in the Humanities
Themes are unifying ideas that are repeated or developed throughout a literary or artistic work.
What you will see throughout this course is that there are themes that define a period, these themes anchor each creative work or sets of contexts addressed in the period.
As you will see, there are three themes that affected not just a single period, but are powerful enough that they have, historically required revisiting and re-imagining. These themes, individualism, revolution, and classicism, tell us something about the values central to the Western world.
Some Recurring Universal Themes
There are several recurring themes that exist across multiple disciplines within the Humanities, but no two feature more prominently than love and heroes.
Love
The ancient Greeks developed the distinction between eros (erotic love) and agape (platonic love).
Love also opened the Humanities to exploring other distinct forms of love that define our humanity:
love of God, of family, romantic love, and friendship.
As Western traditions for marriage have changed, so has the conception of love. When young adults
were supposed to choose their own spouse and remain with them for life, romantic love was celebrated for its ability to endure and sustain.
Heroes
The hero is an archetype found in virtually every culture and society because the “heart” of the hero’s journey is fundamentally the same everywhere.
The hero archetype satisfies a psychological need to see the individual (to see oneself) as capable of stupendous feats (physical, mental, or moral) against seemingly insurmountable and antagonistic forces.
The archetype of the hero is alive today, taking form as (for example) an exalted political candidate, sports superstar, or glamorous pop culture celebrity.
Central Concepts in Humanities
Humanism can be defined as the study of the creative and intellectual contributions made by all cultures
and as an ethical system that emphasizes human reason, values and the scientific method.
Myths are traditional stories of a people or culture that serve to explain some natural phenomenon, the origin of humanity, or customs or religious rites. These myths often offer practical and spiritual wisdom in addition to providing entertainment.
Beauty can be defined as those qualities that give pleasure to the senses. An aesthetic experience is an experience of beauty that inspires a feeling of pleasure that is its own justification. For example, the beauty of the moon may cause us to enjoy the experience of looking at the moon just for the sake of looking at it.
Archetypes are age-old models by which we comprehend human experience. The concepts of heroes, scapegoats, and heaven are examples of concepts that have been passed down through generations and have become part of our cultural subconscious.
Aesthetic Experience is an experience of beauty that inspires a feeling of pleasure, which is its own justification, and this experience is valued independently of others.
The Humanities and the Disciplines
Music is an artistic form of auditory expression that incorporates instruments or human voices in a structured and continuous manner.
Cinema is an artistic medium that uses the motion picture as a vehicle for storytelling and other creative expressions.
The visual arts entail creation of primarily visual works, which can be two or three-dimensional. These include painting, illustration, photography, printmaking, and sculpture.
Literature is an art form of the written word. It refers to an individual literary work or collectively to the creative writing of a people, nation, or culture. Major forms of literature include poetry, novels, plays, and short stories.
Theater is a storytelling art. It often combines speech, music, gesture, dance, stagecraft, and spectacle to
perform a drama or musical before a live audience.
Dance is an art form involving a sequence of rhythmic movements or steps usually performed to music. Historically, dance has often served ritualistic as well as entertainment purposes.
Architecture is the science and art of designing buildings and other structures and is concerned with the aesthetic effect of structures in their surrounding environment.
Philosophy is the systematic investigation of fundamental questions concerning such matters as existence, reality, consciousness, knowledge, truth, and justice. The main branches of philosophy are metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, aesthetics, logic, and the philosophy of the mind.
Some Functions of Art
What art achieves is its function. There are five broad functions of art:
Art provides aesthetic pleasure.
Art offers political and social commentary.
Art can assist in physical and emotional healing.
Art can create historical artifacts from a specific time or place.
Art can be used to enable commerce in advertising products and services.
Most often, a single artwork can have multiple functions and, over time, the functions of a single work can increase.
Humanities and Global Exchange
Western civilian is generally associated with humanism and the humanist tradition, but humanism was never an intellectual heritage or pattern exclusive to the West. History instructs us that a humanist tradition also emerged in the nonwestern world.
Throughout history, traditions and innovations from the East and West have intertwined. Cultural exchange has occurred since at least the beginning of recorded history and continues to this day across the globe.
The cultural exchanges highlighted throughout this course reflect the end products of the exchange but do not necessarily discuss how that exchange was made possible. You can, therefore, choose to look beyond the pages here and learn more about why these exchanges occurred (and continue to occur) and
how cultural exchange may impact the items and images with which you interact every day.
Humanities and Professional Life
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
In his groundbreaking book, Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge
biologist E. O. Wilson defined “consilience” as a “jumping together” of knowledge by the linking of facts and fact-based theory across disciplines to create a common groundwork of explanation.
These ideas are still being explored today for their powerful contribution to the world of Humanities study in universities and colleges around the world.
At WGU, you will be able to apply Wilson’s core principle and the study of Humanities to the following fields:
Teacher’s College
College of Information Technology
College of Business
College of Health Professions
C100 - Introduction to Humanities – 2. The Classical Period
Learning Outcomes
1.
Identify the major themes of the Classical Period.
2.
Recognize the major creative and philosophic contributions of the Classical Period.
3.
Analyze individual works of visual art, performing art, and literature from the Classical Period.
4.
Explain the impact of discipline-specific advancements and developments of the Classical Period.
5.
Describe the influence of cultural exchange and diversity of the Classical Period.
6.
Explain the ways in which works and themes from the Classical Period are exemplified in contemporary life.
Key Terms
Golden Mean – Aristotle’s term for the desirable middle between two extremes, between excess
and inadequacy
Democracy – government of direct rule by the people, a form developed by the Greeks
Hellenic – a synonym for Greek
Kouros – a type of statue featuring life-sized male nudes in a stance in which the left foot is placed in front of the right
Catharsis – the purging of a spectator’s strong emotions through experiencing tragedy; one of Aristotle’s concepts
Skepticism – a philosophy that maintains that there can be no certainty in human knowledge and
that mankind should continually be involved with finding the truth
Pediment – the triangular upper part of the front of a building in the classical style
Frieze – a broad horizontal band of sculpted or painted decoration, usually on a wall near the ceiling
Lyre – a string instrument like a U-shaped harp known for its use by the classical Greeks
Socratic Method – analytical method of reasoning developed by the Greek philosopher Socrates that asks a progression of questions in pursuit of the truth
Humanism – the study of the creative and intellectual contributions of all human cultures
Entablature – the horizontal layers of material of a building that are supported by columns or walls
Classicism – aesthetics attitudes and principles found in the art, architecture, and literature of ancient Greece and Rome
Capital – the top part of a column between the shaft of the column and the entablature
Polytheism – the belief in multiple gods; religion based on more than one god
Diction – Word-choice; can be classified as formal or informal, or denotative or connotative
Epic – a long poem recounting in elevated style the deeds of a legendary hero; any narrative work (novel, drama, film) dealing with epic themes
Philosopher King – a hypothetical ruler, or Guardian, of Plato’s ideal city-state
Muses – goddesses of inspiration for literature, art, and science
Doric Order – the simplest of the classical Greek architectural styles, featuring unadorned columns with no base
The Forms – Plato’s concept that there are ideal essences (the Forms) of objects or things
Canon – a set of rules developed by the Greek artist Polykleitos for creating perfect proportionality in the human figure
Allegory of the Cave – Plato’s extended metaphor in The Republic that contrasts the way in which most humans perceive reality and Plato’s idea of the true form of reality
Post and Lintel – Classical Greek architectural design that features two upright posts supporting a
crossbeam called a lintel
Hubris – Greek word for excessive pride, presumption or arrogance (originally toward the gods)
Republic – government where supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is
exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly
Introduction to the Classical Period
Western Civilization traces its origins to classical Greece and Rome, a period that lasted approximately from 500 BCE to 500 CE. Both civilizations broke new ground in various fields, such as art, literature, science, medicine, government, law, architecture, engineering, history and philosophy.
Between 480 BCE and 323 BCE, classical Greece made numerous advancements that would form the basis of Western Civilization. Some examples are the creation of the first democracy, the beginnings of Western philosophy, physical science, and drama and theater.
The ancient Romans, building upon the Greek foundation, added their cultural contributions such as the works of Virgil, Horace, Ovid, and Cicero. The Romans also developed new forms of architecture and infrastructure, creating miles of roads, aqueducts, and arches. They also pioneered new methods of governance and legal systems that would later be a model. Finally, due to their presence throughout Europe, the existence of today’s Romance languages (French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish) can all trace their roots back to Roman Latin.
Classical Greece and Rome influenced virtually every following era of Western Civilization, including the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and contemporary culture.
Major Themes of the Classical Period
The major themes that emerged from the Classical Period included balance, truth/reason, democracy/republic, polytheism, and humanism.
Classical artists and philosophers were concerned with harmony and balance in their works.
The great thinkers of the time – including Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle – engaged in pursuit of truth through logic and reason.
During the Classical Period, new forms of government known as democracy and republic were created that put the power of decision-making into the hands of the people.
The majority of ancient Greeks and Romans were polytheistic, believing in multiple gods who represented different facets of life.
At the core of almost every endeavor was humanism – simply a focus on humans.
Classical Context of Ancient Greece and Rome
Ancient Greece and Rome were incredibly revolutionary in their new forms of government, art, architecture, and design.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
In ancient Greece, the first democracy was founded in the city-state of Athens. This democracy consisted of the Assembly of all citizens, the Council of tribal representatives, and popular courts.
Ancient Greece and Rome are responsible for many innovations that changed history, such as the ideas that underlie the modern scientific method, a focus on balance and the body in art, significant advancements in geometry, and advancements in civil engineering.
Classical Religion
In the Classical Period, there were many different religions throughout the world. The most prevalent were polytheistic ideas, seen especially in Greek and Roman civilizations.
In Greece and Rome, polytheism, a belief in multiple gods, was the most common. In Greece, the primary gods included Zeus, Hera, and Poseidon. In Rome, religion and government were more deeply intertwined, wherein emperors became part of the pantheon of the deities.
Classical Philosophy
Early Greek philosophers, around 585 BCE, started to make inquiries about physical nature that did not rely on their culture’s mythologies for support. These philosophies dealt with ideas of existence, mathematics, change, and atoms.
Socrates was the first well-known philosopher to widely use the Socratic Method, where questions and ideas were shared to solve problems in an open discussion. One of his students was Plato, whose student Aristotle was also an important philosopher. Together, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle greatly pushed philosophy and thinking forward.
Classical Poetry
Classical poets addressed themes of heroism, reason, love, and fate.
Two of the most celebrated works of classical Greek epic poetry are Homer’s The Iliad
and The Odyssey
, which use exalted language and celebrate the cultural values of the heroic age.
Around the 6
th
century BCE, Greek epic poetry gave way to Greek lyric poetry, which explored everyday objects using more intimate language.
Classical Roman poetry follows much of the form and content of Greek poetry while exalting the Roman Empire.
The Greek poet Sappho explored human emotions, such as love and desire, in her poem “A Lament for Adonis.”
Classical Theater
The development of classical theater structure laid the foundations for theater as we know it today.
Classical theater addressed period themes such as humanism, truth, balance, and the essence of
life.
Classical theater included such literary devices as foreshadowing, tragic irony, reversal of fortune, double entendre, discovery, and use of a chorus.
Three common play genres were the tragedy, the commend, and the tragicomedy. Satyr was a form of comedy.
Sophocles and Aristophanes were two notable playwrights. Sophocles wrote the Theban Plays
, and Aristophanes commonly explored gender in society.
Oedipus Rex
discusses a person’s need to know the truth, using foreshadowing and irony.
Lysistrata
discusses gender relations and the woman’s role in society using comedy and double entendre.
Classical Art and Architecture
Ancient Greek art and architecture served to promote religion, present beauty, and glorify Athenian society. Ancient Roman art and architecture focused on themes of power, military victory, and heroism.
In sculpture, the Greeks invented contrapposto
, a life-like stance in which the figure’s weight rests on one leg. The resulting dip of a shoulder balances the rise of a hip to create a dynamic pose.
In architecture, the Greeks focused on balance and symmetry. Greek temples featured columns, topped with a capital, which supported the entablature, a decorative area that featured painted or carved friezes. The triangular shaped roof ends contained more sculptures called pediments. Perhaps the most notable Ancient Greek structure is the Parthenon, which features Doric order columns. The Parthenon once housed a large statue of Athena covered in gold.
Roman architects and engineers further developed the use of columns and arches and also pioneered the use of concrete. The Pantheon in Rome showcases the use of concrete faced with brick.
Music in the Classical Period
Music in the Classical Period typically consisted of simple four note successions played as a perfect fourth, drawing similarities to the Middle Eastern tradition of music.
The ancient Greeks and Romans played a variety of instruments, including the lyre, a stringed instrument similar to a harp.
The Greeks used music in everyday life and were interested in the relationship between music and mathematics.
Cultural Exchange and Diversity in the Classical Period
Classical works modeled a relationship of cultural exchange and diversity.
Greece and Rome’s proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, known as “the incubator of western civilization,” facilitated cultural exchange among the ancient civilizations in southern Europe, western Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
The Greeks borrowed the proportions of the three-dimensional sculptures of the ancient Egyptians in developing the life-like male, human figure known as the kouros.
The Greeks borrowed the alphabet of the Phoenicians and imitated Egyptian mythological creatures and artistic motifs in their artwork.
The Silk Road provided access to Asia and brought the valuable Chinese good of silk to the Romans. In return, the Romans sent their glass to the east.
The Silk Road also opened the door for Eastern religions – such as Buddhism, Manichaeism, and Daoism – to spread to Europe. Christianity also spread quickly along the same trade route.
Classical Influences on Contemporary Life
The Classical Period’s influences can be seen in the United States today in the political system, in architecture, and in the arts.
The American political system is a representative democracy in which people have the right to vote. This system has influences from the Classical Period, including the ancient Greek idea of democracy and the classical Roman concept of the republic.
In the United States, many monuments and national buildings echo architectural styles that were
developed in the Classical Period. Greek and Roman design elements, such as seen in the Greek Parthenon and Roman Pantheon, are present in the U.S. Capitol and Supreme Court buildings.
Contemporary theater and film works are often inspired by classical Greek comedies and tragedies. For example, the American film O Brother, Where Art Thou?
is a modern retelling of The Odyssey
.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
C100 – Introduction to Humanities – 3. The Renaissance
Learning Outcomes
1.
Identify the major themes of the Renaissance. 2.
Recognize the major creative and philosophic contributions of the Renaissance. 3.
Analyze individual works of visual art, performing art, and literature from the Renaissance.
4.
Explain the impact of discipline-specific advancements and developments of the Renaissance. 5.
Describe the influence of cultural exchange and diversity of the Renaissance.
6.
Explain the ways in which works and themes from the Renaissance are exemplified in contemporary life.
Key Terms
Classical Humanism – the cultural movement of the Renaissance, based on Greek and Roman classic literature, that emphasized the dignity, worth, and rationality of humankind
Reformation Art – art movement of the 16
th
century, largely in Northern Europe, that reflected religious views of Protestant Reformation
Humanism – the study of the creative and intellectual contributions of all human cultures
Renaissance – a period in Western history, from the 14
th
through the 16
th
centuries, marked by a revival of interest in the culture of Greco-Roman antiquity and a flourishing of artistic and intellectual achievement
Age of Exploration – time period between the early fifteenth to the early seventeenth centuries when Europeans sailed around the globe and transferred goods, food, plants, and people (in the form of slaves) transforming the countries they reached
Protestant Reformation – a religious movement of the 16
th
century to reform the Roman Catholic
Church that resulted in the creation of Protestant churches
Heresy – a challenge to or rejection of the orthodox doctrine of a religion or church
Silk Road – an overland route from Constantinople to Beijing used in the trade of silks and spices between Europe and the Far East; it was eventually blocked by the Ottoman Empire and travel by sea became more popular
Allegory – a work of art which represents some abstract quality or idea, often religious or political, by means of symbolic representation
Rationalism – a point of view that emphasizes the role of reason, over the senses, in gaining knowledge
Martin Luther – German theologian who initiated the Protestant Reformation; argued that salvation is granted on the basis of faith rather than deeds or works
Madrigal – a polyphonic vocal work, usually written for four or five voices, setting a pastoral poem to music, performed without instrumental accompaniment, and intended for secular use
Iconoclasm – the deliberate destruction of religious art, imagery, icons, and other symbols or monuments
Chiaroscuro – the creation of the illusion of depth through gradations of light and shade
Balance – the achievement of putting different areas of the body in dynamic tension with one another
Blank Verse – poetry written in a metered fashion, typically iambic pentameter, but which does not rhyme
In Praise of Folly – a satirical essay written by Desiderius Erasmus (1466 – 1536) in which he criticizes the abuses and corruption of Catholic doctrine in parts of the Catholic Church
Soliloquy – speech by character in a drama expressing his or her inmost thoughts, heard by the audience but not by any other character
Dialect – a form of language which is particular to a group of people, such as those belonging to a region or social class
Renaissance Man – a term describing an individual with broad knowledge and versatile talents spanning many intellectual and artistic disciplines
Individualism – that which separates one unique person from another, as well as the social and philosophical viewpoint that celebrates that difference
Symmetry – the pleasing or harmonious proportionate arrangement of corresponding parts of an artwork
Papal Infallibility – Roman Catholic doctrine that the Pope cannot err when he speaks about faith
or morality because of divine guidance
Epistemology – the study of thinking
Maritime – connected to the sea or seafaring
Linear Perspective – the creation of the illusion of depth based on the fact that parallel lines or edges appear to converge, and objects appear smaller as the distance between the and a viewer increases
Prose – language that flows naturally as opposed to language that conforms to the beat of a rhythm such as in poetry
Truth – the accurate and genuine reality of the world; that which is indisputably factual
The Prince – a political treatise written by Niccolo Machiavelli (1467 – 1527) in which he claims that the ends justify the means and that those with political power should use whatever advantage they have to keep it and control the populace
Self-Fashioning – the process of fashioning one’s individual sense of self and public persona according to a set of socially acceptable standards
Sonnet – a form of poem that commonly contains 14 lines
Introduction to the Renaissance Period
The Renaissance, French for “rebirth,” was characterized by a revival of classical art, literature, philosophy, architecture, and an emphasis on humanism. This cultural flourish overlapped the Age of Discovery and advancements in science, thus making science a legitimate source of knowledge. The overall atmosphere of change during the Renaissance proved conducive to artistic experimentation and innovation.
As a result of urbanization, cites accumulated wealth and channeled some of this newfound wealth into funding the arts. Artists applied scientific principles to solve problems of perspective and devised new techniques for representing light and shade.
Major Themes of the Renaissance
Rebirth of Classicism – During the Renaissance, there was a rebirth of classical ideals, mainly humanism, rationalism, and balance, based on the belief that classical literary, scientific, and philosophical works provided additional resources for learning and living.
Humanism – Humanism is an optimistic attitude that praises human abilities to be successful in their endeavors, whether in science, religion, art, politics, or behaviors. The focus on humanity, human culture, and the human form was the impetus for the classical revival.
Rationalism / Scientific Expansion – Many people in the Renaissance embodied a strong interest in rationalism and scientific inquiry, leading to deeper understanding of the world and technological developments in such areas as medicine, transportation, and warfare.
Expansion of the University System – The Renaissance approach to education produced the ideal
to the well-rounded individual who was not bound to any one discipline. As the university system spread across Europe, it represented a significant change in epistemology.
Individualism / Self-Fashioning – The notion of individualism became important during the Renaissance as artists sought public recognition and reputation. Artists and nobles represented their identity with choices in dress and behavior, a process known as self-fashioning.
Reformation – Reformation took place in the form of Protestantism, sparked by Martin Luther’s outspoken disagreement with many Church practices he believed were corrupt. Overall, reformation of the Roman Catholic Church was a very significant movement in the Renaissance that separated it from the Middle Ages.
Contexts: The Importance of the Renaissance
No appreciation of the Humanities is complete without understanding this era and its significance in the history of Western civilization.
The Renaissance:
Witnessed the revival of classical art, literature, philosophy, architecture, and learning
Spawned renewed study of the great works of ancient Greco-Roman civilizations, and
Produced among the finest artistic and intellectual achievements in the history of Western Humanities
The potential and talents of the individual became a significant focus in the Renaissance, including the idea of the well-rounded Renaissance Man.
One of the most significant ideas to emerge from the Renaissance is the value of education, particularly in the Humanities. The catalyst for the classical revival was the belief that one could realize his or her full humanity only through classical education. This rebirth reasserted the superiority of ancient Greco-
Roman creative and intellectual contributions.
Contexts: The Age of Exploration
From the early 15
th
to the early 17
th
century, Europeans embarked on maritime explorations around the world in order to satisfy their desire for foreign goods and to achieve geopolitical dominance over one another. Scientific innovations assisted this Renaissance Age of Exploration, such as improved ship design
and navigational charts and instruments.
Renaissance Religion
During the Renaissance Era, the Roman Catholic Church faced numerous dissenters to its authority, who were reacting to corrupting within the clergy.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
A series of popular heretical movements emerged, proposed to do away with the institutional church. There were also more moderate reformers, like Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus, who criticized clergy corruption and sought reform within the Church itself. The most notable dissent with the Church, however, was the Protestant movement.
The Protestant Reformation challenged the doctrine of papal infallibility and rejected the Catholic Church
as a necessary intermediary between the faithful and God. However, disagreements among Protestants caused multiple sects to form.
Renaissance Philosophy
The dominant Renaissance cultural and intellectual movement was Classical humanism, which emphasized the worth, dignity, and rationality of man.
Renaissance humanism:
Emphasized not only scholarly achievement but also moral and athletic development
Encouraged the individual to engage with the world (“The whole glory of man lies in activity”)
Rejected much of medieval thinking as irrelevant to a changing world
Renaissance thinkers, like Niccolò Machiavelli, began to account for politics with a nonreligious realism. In The Prince
, Machiavelli defended the principle that “the ends justify the means” in governance and statecraft.
Classical humanism also stressed the individual’s role in the social and political order by emphasizing general responsibilities of citizenship and respect for public duty. It held that participating in the political life of the community was an obligation.
Renaissance Literature
Renaissance literature experimented with a wide range of styles that reflected an emphasis on the individual’s psychological complexity in addition to the social and moral structures of society that were more often the focus of medieval literature.
Many Renaissance authors found themselves combining Christian and classical learning into Christian humanism in order to reconcile the many conflicts between the two.
Machiavelli’s The Prince
is one of the best-known political treatises. His treatise advanced the abandonment of conventional morality for the sake of power and authority. The Prince
is considered to represent the darker side of the Renaissance’s belief in human possibility and potential.
Castiglione’s The Courtier
explores the process of fashioning one’s individual sense of self according to a set of socially acceptable standards.
William Shakespeare would become the most famous writer in English by writing plays and poems that examine such human emotions as loyalty, ambition, love, hate, greed, and self-
sacrifice.
Renaissance Theater
Renaissance Theater slowly evolved from the informal roving troupes that were characteristic of the Medieval Period. Patronage of the arts allowed troupes to settle into a city, build a playhouse, and take up theater as a profession. As a result, works became longer, more complex,
and critically discussed period themes.
Playwrights used new literary techniques in their works.
o
Soliloquy was used to provide insight to a character’s thoughts
o
Allegory treated abstract themes very concretely
o
Language, including the difference between dialect, blank verse, and prose, was used to differentiate between social classes
Famous playwrights included:
o
Shakespeare, who was a master wordsmith and who used confusion and misunderstanding to create the major events of the plot. He wrote the tragedy Hamlet
.
o
Marlowe, whose treatment of religion directly references the Protestant Reformation and the eternal struggle between good and evil. He wrote the historical tragedy Doctor Faustus
.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was one of the most influential figures in English and Western literature and is credited with writing 38 plays and 154 sonnets. The inevitability of fate and the power of miscommunication are particularly common themes in Shakespeare’s plays.
Because women were forbidden to act during Shakespeare’s time, the female roles in his plays were performed by young men.
Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets. The first 126 are addressed to an unnamed young man, while the rest of the sonnets are addressed to a mysterious “dark lady”.
Shakespeare wrote 38 plays throughout his lifetime, which are continually performed all around the world.
Renaissance Art and Architecture
Renaissance painting, sculpture, and architecture departed from medieval traditions and reflected the merging of art and science.
Several social and cultural factors impacted the arts in the Renaissance:
Two of the innovations in Renaissance art were the widespread use of oil painting as a medium and the development of mathematical or linear perspective in painting.
Classical humanism and the rediscovery of classical forms and principles inspired Renaissance sculpture.
Renaissance architecture featured the revival of the dome and the fashioning of secular structures, including palaces, residences, theaters, and libraries.
Some of the most notable artists of the Renaissance Period were Leonardo da Vinci (
Mona Lisa, Vitruvian Man, The Last Supper
), Michelangelo (statue of David, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel), and Durer (realistic paintings).
Renaissance Music
Renaissance music was more secular than the music of the Middle Ages, and it was characterized by the classical principles of simplicity, balance, order, and clarity, as well as by the use of imitation.
One popular form of music during the Renaissance was the madrigal, a polyphonic vocal work that set a pastoral poem to music. It used a technique called “work painting,” in which notes would ascend or descend depending on the literal textual meaning.
Cultural Exchange and Diversity in the Renaissance Period
The Renaissance Period was a busy time of exploration and cultural exchange that resulted from vast improvements in trade and communication.
The expansion of trade routes on land and sea allowed spices, precious gems, and fine silk to arrive from Asia.
The beauty, color, and luster of Islamic glass and pottery inspired Italian glassmakers.
African culture made an impact throughout Europe, as African artists carved hunting scenes and motifs on ivory for European royalty. African servants and slaves became a larger presence in areas of Europe.
The Spanish “Golden Age” resulted from Spain’s acquisition of gold and silver from the Americas.
The discovery of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg revolutionized mass communication throughout Europe.
The Renaissance in Contemporary Life
The philosophy, arts, literature, and music of the Renaissance has influenced our modern concept of individual identity, our compassion for others, our sense of human rights, and even our way of solving problems with reason and science.
Today we refer to a person who has broad knowledge and versatile talents spanning many intellectual and artistic disciplines as a Renaissance man or woman.
The Renaissance Period’s focus on science and the human form has led to markedly more successful medical practices and other scientific advancements.
One modern-day focus on education, particularly in the Humanities, can be traced back to the Renaissance ideals.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
C100 – Introduction to Humanities – 4. The Neoclassical Period and the Enlightenment
Learning Outcomes
1.
Identify the major themes of the Enlightenment.
2.
Recognize the major creative and philosophic contributions of the Enlightenment.
3.
Analyze individual works of visual art, performing art, and literature from the Enlightenment.
4.
Explain the impact of discipline-specific advancements and developments of the Enlightenment.
5.
Describe the influence of cultural exchange and diversity of the Enlightenment.
6.
Explain the ways in which works and themes from the Enlightenment are exemplified in contemporary life.
Key Terms
Individualism – individualism is that which separates one unique person from another, as well as the social and philosophical viewpoint that celebrates that difference
Counterpoint – the simplest form of harmony features at least two melodic lines (referred to as voices or parts) of equal value played against one another
Fortepiano – an early form of the piano originating in the 18
th
and early 19
th
centuries and having
a smaller range and softer timbre than a modern piano
Progress – the steady march of advancements made in certain intellectual areas that allow the human race to develop and grow
Enlightenment – the period in Western history spanning the 17
th
and 18
th
centuries, during which
a notable shift toward rational thinking and advancement occurred in science, philosophy, society, and politics
Neoclassicism – art movement of 18
th
century that drew on Greek and Roman art for models of harmony, idealized realism, and reason
Deism – the belief that God created the natural laws that govern nature but does not directly intervene or interfere in any way
Skepticism – Greek philosophical school that maintained human knowledge was limited and uncertain, and probability of correct morality was enough for acting in a moral fashion. Skepticism also refers to a general attitude of questioning and doubting assertions, and maintaining that the accumulation of evidence is of fundamental importance
Philosophes – a term used to refer to French Enlightenment philosophers
Satire – genre is which human or individual weaknesses or shortcomings are shown by means of ridicule, derision, irony, or other methods, often with the intent to expose or correct
Doctrine – the body of beliefs, principles, and values in a knowledge or belief system such as religion
Empiricism – philosophical doctrine that says all knowledge is derived from our senses
Order – natural laws that Enlightenment thinkers believed should guide the structure of civilized life
Monophonic – music that contains only a single part
Rationalism – a point of view that emphasizes the role of reason, over the senses, in gaining knowledge
Opera – a fully-produced, multi-sectional work for the theater whose text (or libretto) is primarily sung by soloists and a chorus, and which is accompanied by instruments, usually a large orchestra
Chiaroscuro – the creation of the illusion of depth through gradations of light and shade
Introduction to the Enlightenment
Most historians date the start of the Age of Enlightenment in the West from the end of the 17
th
century. This “Age of Reason,” which lasted through much of the 18
th
century, saw advances in science, philosophy, government, and the arts. There was optimism about the benefits for humankind from rationalism. There was a new willingness to question authority in all arenas of life. Scientific discoveries increased rapidly, as thinkers moved beyond received wisdom in astronomy, biology, human anatomy, and chemistry.
Major Themes of the Neoclassical Period and the Enlightenment
Skepticism – the school of “rational skepticism” was prominent during the Enlightenment to ensure that philosophers reached conclusions based on reason, not prejudice
Rationalism – the philosophy of rationalism also put an emphasis on the role of reason as the key to knowledge
Empiricism – first developed in the Renaissance by scientists such as Francis Bacon, empiricism may be defined as basing ideas and theories on the direct experience of the senses, including experimentation, as opposed to knowledge gained from books
Order – Enlightenment thinkers and leaders sought to design political and social order that reflected natural laws and God’s will
Deism – a shift in religious thinking also took place with the growth of deism, a belief system that
credits God as the original architect of the universe’s natural laws but who does not currently oversee the events of the world
Classicism – in the arts, a resurgence of classical ideals like harmony, realism, and reason inspired
the neoclassical movement
Contexts: The Age of Enlightenment
The Enlightenment heralded a new willingness to question authority in all areas of life. Scientific discoveries increased rapidly, and the questioning of the monarchy led to political reform and revolution. In religion, skeptics increasingly challenged the authority of organized religion and attempted to find a basis for morality outside religion altogether.
The Enlightenment also saw the rise of deism, the belief that a God had created and designed the world but did not directly intervene in its affairs. This deist belief was also called the “watchmaker God,” a reference to a watchmaker’s role in creating a watch but relative neglect once completed and events set into action.
Disciplines such as natural history, modern science, and natural law were all born out of the Enlightenment. Such ideas as the separation of church and state, religious tolerance, and free speech were also fruits of the Enlightenment.
Thomas Jefferson drafted The Declaration of Independence
. He served as the third President of the United States and founded the University of Virginia.
The Declaration of Independence
captures in a succinct and powerful way the relationship among humanism, Enlightenment philosophy, and political governance. It established the idea of
a new nation that was a product of the philosophies of the era.
Religion of the Enlightenment
During the Enlightenment, there was a dramatic shift away from traditional Judeo-Christian religious thought.
Many intellectual philosophes, inspired by scientific discoveries in physics and biology, preferred deism, a belief system that credits God as the world’s creator who established the natural law and order but who otherwise does not interfere with humanity.
The philosophes embraced deism largely because it was a concept that appealed to the rational mind. Deism rejected the details of Christianity and believed in a deity who ordained the order in the universe and let that order operate.
Deists did not practice worship or ritual, since they did not believe in divine intervention, but instead strove to understand the order that God put into place.
Philosophy of the Enlightenment
During the Enlightenment, reason, rational thinking, and observation were key to uncovering philosophical truths. Enlightenment philosophers were concerned with abstract concepts pertaining to the social realm, such as justice, morality, law, government, and basic human rights. They developed prior to and during this period. Three prominent philosophical movements during the Enlightenment were rationalism, empiricism, and skepticism.
Rationalists believed that human reason is the key to knowledge.
Empiricists believed that all knowledge is derived through our senses and based on ideas and theories on testing, observation, and experience.
Skepticism departed from both rationalism and empiricism in that it criticized our ability to perceive and understand the world around us, acknowledging the limitations of human reasoning.
Key Enlightenment Philosophers
Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that the native peoples encountered through trade and colonization were, in some ways, morally superior, arguing that a person is at his or her best in wholly natural environments and is corrupted by the environments of society.
Denis Diderot helped create the greatest encyclopedia in the 18
th
century. He wrote philosophical dialogues that explored the theory and consequence of materialism: the idea that the universe is entirely composed of matter and without a God.
The Encyclopedie
represented a fundamental principle of the Enlightenment: to accumulate, codify, and preserve human knowledge by providing rational information on important topics to the general public.
John Locke was one of the most influential philosophers and political theorists in British history. Many current ideas about selfhood, identity, and the way the mind works come from Locke. Locke also wrote highly influential books on government, providing a basis for the American political experiment.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
Mary Wollstonecraft was an English writer, philosopher, and feminist who argued for the advancement of women, affirming that women were capable of rationality and that they should be educated.
Literature of the Enlightenment
Enlightenment literature focused on rational prose and social reform.
The Enlightenment cultivated the novel, a longer form of prose that allowed for more complex plot and character development. This genre was a perfect vehicle for the period’s theme of sympathy. In novel form, authors had the literal space to develop characters richly and to devise intricate plots.
Enlightenment literature often blended real life with philosophical or ethical reflection, making biographies, essays, and travel narratives very popular.
The printing press popularized literature and made it available to people of all social classes. For this reason, much of what was produced was geared toward the newly literate, whose intellectual appetites were fed in public meeting places like the café.
Popular authors and works of the Enlightenment included:
o
Jonathan Swift, whose narrative Gulliver’s Travels
uses satire to critique human nature and overreliance on reason and to support Classical knowledge over modern.
o
Voltaire, whose novel Candide
uses satire to criticize outmoded social and religious institutions.
Neoclassical Theater
Neoclassical playwrights turned to subjects based on classical myths.
Neoclassical theater featured “the comedy of manners.”
The use of female actors in Neoclassical plays was a new convention in England that allowed playwrights to focus on the tragic interplay between men and women.
Jean Batiste Poquelin, stage name Moliere, was a leading French playwright.
In his comedy Tartuffe
, Moliere uses satire to critique false religious piety and to highlight the contrasts between irrationality and reason.
Neoclassical Art and Architecture
Neoclassicism was an 18
th
century art and architecture movement that looked to Greek and Roman art for models of harmony, idealized realism, and reason. It shunned the ostentatious elements of the Baroque and Rococo styles and promoted the themes of order, progress, and civic virtue.
Some of the key figures of the Neoclassical movement were:
Jacques-Louis David, who painted scenes that emphasized civic virtue and civic morality;
Angelica Kauffmann, who was one of the most popular portraitists of her time;
John Singleton Copley, who created portraits and history paintings;
William Hunter and Jan van Rymsdyk, whose drawings contributed to the study of the female reproduction process
Examples of Neoclassical architecture include the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the Pantheon in Paris, and
Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s home in Virginia.
Classical Music
The classical music genre refers to European music that was composed from approximately 1730 to 1820. The music of this period embraced the Enlightenment focus on balance, order, and structural clarity. Composers heightened the contrast between musical lines and enjoyed a greater depth and variety in orchestral texture.
The period produced several of the most well-known composers in history.
The most celebrated composer of this era was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who composed sonatas, symphonies, masses, concertos, and operas. Some of his most well-known works are Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Symphony No. 40 in G minor, and the opera Le Nozze De Figaro
(“The Marriage of Figaro”).
Joseph Haydn was another prominent classical composer with such works as Symphony No. 101 (“The Clock Symphony”).
Cultural Exchange and Diversity in the Enlightenment
Cultural exchange and diversity were key aspects in the Enlightenment pursuit of reason and scientific thought and the suppression of tradition biases.
The rise of capitalism facilitated the exchange of ideas and cultural practices, which intellectuals used in shaping their philosophies.
Enlightenment thinking emphasized the role that individualized thought could play in crossing all
racial and religious lines.
Many Enlightenment thinkers rejected the tradition of slavery, looking to reason and individualized thought.
Slave narratives were published during this time, enriching the Enlightenment philosophies with a new viewpoint and experience.
The music of the time period was also diversified by the popularization of spirituals, or slave songs, which often featured religious themes and even hidden messages meant only for fellow slaves.
The Enlightenment’s Influences on Contemporary Life
The views of Enlightenment thinkers and writers have impacted our modern philosophy, particularly in the realm of politics.
Political satire, which was popularized by Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels
, has continued to this day in the form of political cartoons and television shows that poke fun at various aspects of government.
C100 – Introduction to Humanities – 5. The Romantic Period
Learning Outcomes
1.
Identify the major themes of the Romantic Period.
2.
Recognize the major creative and philosophic contributions of the Romantic Period.
3.
Analyze individual works of visual art, performing art, and literature from the Romantic Period.
4.
Explain the impact of discipline-specific advancements and developments of the Romantic Period.
5.
Describe the influence of cultural exchange and diversity of the Romantic Period.
6.
Explain the ways in which works and themes from the Romantic Period are exemplified in contemporary life.
Key Terms
Egalitarianism – a belief in promoting social and political equality
Chromaticism – the movement or displacement of notes by a half-step, as opposed to the tradition of whole-step movement in previous periods
Sublime – a quality of greatness of vastness that is beyond calculation, comparison, or imitation; often invoked with reference to nature
Transcendentalist Movement – philosophical movement during the Romantic era that emphasized feeling over reason and the role of the individual finding an intuitive relation to the universe through solitude amid nature
Gothic Literature – a literary style popular during the Romantic era that emphasized the flawed nature of man and his potential for destruction rather that progress, often through monstrous heroes and/or sympathetic villains
Idealism – theory that reality is a mental construction or that the object of external perception consists of ideas
Nationalism – a variant of patriotism characterized by intense loyalty to a particular nation and its defining values and features
Industrial Revolution – the 19
th
century transition in many countries from an agrarian economy to one dominated by machine manufacturing
Transcendentalism – philosophical movement during the Romantic era that emphasized feeling over reason and the role of the individual finding an intuitive relation to the universe through solitude amid nature
Passion – the evocation of strong, irrational emotion within an artistic or literary work
Slave Narratives – published accounts of American slaves who related the hardships and injustices of slavery
Individualism – individualism is that which separates one unique person from another, as well as the social and philosophical viewpoint that celebrates that difference
Revolution – a fundamental, dramatic shift in organizational structure that occurs over a short period of time
Exoticism – an artistic trend that took place in Europe in the 19
th
century, which borrowed and glorified cultural aspects from non-Western civilizations
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
Romantic / Byronic Hero – a stereotypical character of a Romantic novel; an exceptional and gifted loners, perhaps misunderstood, who was driven to follow personal passion rather than traditional societal expectations
Gothic Revival – romantic-era architectural movement that employed Gothic forms
Colonialism – the political, economic, and cultural domination by one country over another country or region
Major Themes of Romanticism
Nationalism – Due to key events like European colonialism, the French Revolution, and the establishment of the United States, many Western countries sought to distinguish their identifies, leading Romantic artists to express their national identities with pride through their works.
Exoticism – As cross-continental transportation became easier and colonialism became more widespread, Europeans became more exposed to nonwestern cultures that fascinated them. Exoticism was the artistic expression of that fascination, through often Europeans misrepresented the foreign and suppressed cultures they enjoyed.
Revolution – Romantics generally supported revolution against tradition, political reform that would grant rights to oppressed groups and equality for all.
Heroism – The Byronic hero, or Romantic hero, was the embodiment of the revolutionary thought and introspective concerns that Romantics faces in this era. Such heroes were gifted loners who challenged traditions and brooded on personal passions.
Passion – Romantic artists explored the full spectrum of uninhibited human emotion and generally favored the strong sentiments of affection, sorrow, and romantic longing over the rational and logical.
Individualism – Romantics celebrated and promoted the righteousness of human individually and developed a newfound respect for the figure of the imaginative genius.
Nature – Many Romantics found wisdom and solace in the natural world and sought to represent the strange emotions that occur when encountering the sublime.
Contexts: The Romantic Period
Romanticism was a break from the intellectual framework of the Enlightenment and was a shift to a more expressive mode that emphasized the boldly heroic, the individual, the imagination, and the irrational.
Romantic artists stressed passion, emotion, and exotic settings with dramatic action.
Three major events that took place during the Romantic Period were the Industrial Revolution, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution:
o
The Industrial Revolution - A time of tremendous industrial growth in Europe signaling a dramatic shift from an agriculture-based economy to one centered around industrialization, mechanized labor, and urbanization.
o
The American Revolution – The American Revolution, encompassing the American Revolutionary War, resulted in the Declaration of Independence
and established the United States as its own country.
o
The French Revolution – A revolutionary movement that gained momentum with the storming of the Bastille in Paris in the summer of 1789. The French Revolution was a
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
heated, bloody call for political change and an end to high taxes, food shortages, and the
rising cost of bread.
Because political change was pervasive during this time period, many of the Romantics embraced Prometheus, a figure from Greek mythology who defied the gods to give fire to humanity. For Romantic artists and writers, Prometheus was a symbol of freedom and autonomy.
Another important figure for Romantics was the Byronic hero. Lord Byron provided a living model for Romantic heroism. The Byronic hero possesses great talent, passion, and intelligence, but is at the same time flawed. Like Prometheus, the Byronic hero defies authority, rebelling against social constraints in pursuit of individual interests.
Philosophy of the Romantic Period
Romantic philosophers were significantly influenced by social, political, and philosophical trends that were popular during the Enlightenment. Some of the important philosophical movements of the Romantic Period include idealism, transcendentalism, and nationalism.
Idealism states that reality is a mental construct, and therefore, the only knowledge we have of the world is knowledge of our mental experiences. There is no objective reality but rather a subjective reality as perceived by a human being, existing only in relation to that person’s experience.
According to transcendentalists, society and social institutions ultimately corrupt individuals, stripping them of their natural freedom. Transcendentalists believe that people must become free and self-reliant by returning to nature.
According to nationalism, the political legitimacy of a state is derived from some inherent unity or cohesion among the people that live in the area governed by that state. This unity is the result
of some commonalities shared by the people, including things like race, culture, and language.
Key Romantic Philosophers:
Among the important Romantic philosophers are Friedrich Nietzsche and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Literature in the Romantic Period
Romantics sought new modes of representation and crafted innovative ways to signal their departure from previously held beliefs, traditions, and literary forms. As such, Romantic Literature is iconoclastic in nature; it sought to break down conventions and societal norms. Romantic literary themes included:
A movement away from rationalism to embrace the imagination
A focus on the superiority of nature
A contemplation of the divine or higher moral purpose
A focus on the self and introspection
English Romanticism
English Romantic poets expressed a love of nature, an interest in exoticism, a reveling in the senses, and an investigation into the darker side of human emotion and humanity in the works. Central figures of the
English Romantic literary period include:
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
William Wordsworth
o
He is one of the foundational English Romantic poets.
o
His work articulates the beauty of nature and explores the craft of writing.
o
He believed in writing in “common speech” to reach all members of society.
o
His autobiographical poem, The Prelude
, describes his own creative journey, demonstrating the introspection that characterizes Romanticism.
John Keats
o
He is considered one of the core Romantic poets and is best known for his poetry, including “Ode on a Grecian Urn.”
o
In his word, Keats often found exceptional beauty in the ordinary.
o
Keats drew heavily from historical themes and merged diverse concepts, such as love and death, in his poetry.
Lord Byron
o
Famous for his flamboyant style and numerous love affairs, Lord Byron helped create the
notion of the Byronic hero.
o
The Byronic hero first appeared in Byron’s epic narrative poem “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage” and is best exemplified in his poem “The Corsair.”
American Romanticism
American Romantic writers share their English counterparts’ investment in nature, introspection, and the
sublime. American Romantics, however, anchor their thought in distinctly American themes and American frames of reference.
Herman Melville
o
He was a prolific American novelist, short story writer, and poet.
o
His best known work is his epic novel Moby Dick
; or the White Whale
, in which Captain Ahab sacrifices all in a futile quest to dominate nature in the form of the elusive white whale, Moby Dick.
Walt Whitman
o
He is often considered the Father of American poetry and was a key figure in the Transcendentalist movement.
o
Whitman included Romantic themes in his work, such as a reverence for nature, an appreciation of the common man, and poetic expression that abandoned traditional forms. His work promoted egalitarianism.
o
His seminal work, Leaves of Grass
, contains “Song of Myself,” in which Whitman expressed his personal connection to diverse aspects of humanity.
The Gothic
Gothic literature sought to address larger Romantic themes in a darker way. While other Romantic writers celebrated the potential for harmony between nature and the human soul, Gothic writers explored what happens when there is disharmony.
Mary Shelley
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
o
She was an English writer who began her career editing for her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley.
o
She became a respected author with her novel Frankenstein
, or, The Modern Prometheus
.
o
In Shelley’s story, scientist Victor Frankenstein uses his mastery of the sciences to create a living being in pursuit of the meaning of life. By attempting to master nature and to take on a divine power (that of human creation), Victor has created something truly terrifying.
The Bronte sisters
o
The Bronte sisters were prolific English poets and novelists.
o
Emily Bronte wrote Wuthering Heights
, a Gothic novel about doomed love set on an English moor.
o
Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre
, in which the title character negotiates the limitations of class and gender.
Slave Narratives
Slave narratives combined reason, sympathy, and empathy to make a statement about the plight of slaves in the United States and to provide a narrative rallying cry for abolitionist action. Like their contemporaries, these writers appealed to emotion and logic to outline the importance of liberty, democracy, individualism, and the power of education, reform, and the imagination.
Frederick Douglass
o
He became the most visible African American abolitionist of the era through his eloquent speeches and the publication of his autobiography The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.
o
This autobiography detailed the abuse and inhumanity of slavery while accentuating the hypocrisy it represented in a nation that claimed freedom and Christianity as fundamental elements of its culture.
Harriet Jacobs
o
She was an African American writer and prominent abolitionist speaker.
o
She detailed the horrors of slavery in her narrative Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
in an attempt to inspire abolitionist actions.
o
In her narrative, she declared her dream to create a home for herself and her children, a desire that 19
th
century female readers would have connected with strongly.
Sojourner Truth
o
She was an abolitionist and former slave who advocated for African American women’s rights. o
She brought the plight of African American women to the mainstream women’s movement when she delivered her speech, “Ain’t I a Woman?” (1851), which demanded
that the rights of African Americans play a role in the political goals of the American women’s movement.
Art and Architecture in the Romantic Period
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
The artists of the Romantic Period mirrored the Romantic movement as a whole by celebrating the wild and irrational aspects of humanity.
Romantic artists stressed passion, emotion, and exotic settings with dramatic action. There was a
focus on heroic subject matters employing intense colors and loose brush strokes.
Romantic painters also addressed political matters. Examples of this include Eugene Delacroix and his painting Liberty Leading the People
.
Other prominent artists of the period include Theodore Gericault, Francisco de Goya, J.M.W. Turner, and Caspar David Friedrich.
The architecture of the Romantic Period demonstrated an embrace of Gothic Revival, a movement that celebrated the religiosity of older Gothic buildings. Romantic architects also experimented with different building materials, such as iron, steel, and glass.
Music in the Romantic Period
The music of the Romantic Period replaced the restrained style of classical music with more expressive and emotional music.
Romantic composers found inspiration in heroic and nationalistic themes.
They wrote pieces that demonstrated an appreciation of nature, a turn towards the mystic and the supernatural, and an embrace of strong, irrational emotions over logic and reason.
During the Romantic Period, orchestras expanded to include percussion and keyboard instruments in addition to woodwinds, brass, and strings.
Opera dealt with Romantic themes as well and emphasized more elaborate solos.
Key Romantic composes included Johannes Brahms, Frederic Chopin, Franz Liszt, Richard Strauss,
Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Richard Wagner.
Cultural Exchange and Diversity in the Romantic Period
Cultural exchange and diversity during the Romantic Period stemmed from the European interest in exoticism, the glorification of cultural aspects from nonwestern civilizations.
Due to improvements in transportation technology, Romantic writers, artists, and musicians traveled through the East in search of new inspiration.
In France, artists such as Antoine Jean Gros and Theodore Gericault made strong political statements and used exotic figures and locations in their paintings.
French artists Eugene Delacroix and Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres conjured exotic images drawn from the Middle East and Africa.
In England, John Nash designed the Royal Pavilion, which reflected a new exoticism in the use of Mughal and Islamic architectural elements.
In America, artists such as George Caleb Bingham and George Catlin depicted cultural aspects of the Native Americans.
American composers of hymns and church music looked abroad for inspiration, drawing from the works of the great classical composers of Europe.
Romantic Influences on Contemporary Life
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
Art, music, and literature of the Romantic Period have created a lasting impression on the contemporary creative mind.
The 1975 song “All By Myself”, written and recorded by Eric Carmen, is an example of the Romantic Period’s influence on contemporary music.
Like much Romantic music, the melody and inner voices of “All By Myself” feature chromaticism,
the movement or displacement of notes by a half-step.
Chromaticism can often result in music that sounds emotionally unsettled. This is typical of music of the Romantic Period. Many who have performed “All By Myself” have capitalized on this feature in their performances.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
C100 – Introduction to Humanities – 6. The Realist Period
Learning Outcomes
1.
Identify the major themes of the Relist Period.
2.
Recognize the major creative and philosophic contributions of the Realist Period.
3.
Analyze individual works of visual art, performing art, and literature from the Realist Period.
4.
Explain the impact of discipline-specific advancements and developments of the Realist Period.
5.
Describe the influence of cultural exchange and diversity of the Realist Period.
6.
Explain the ways in which works and themes from the Realist Period are exemplified in contemporary life.
Key Terms
Industrial Revolution – The 19
th
century transition in many countries from an agrarian economy to one dominated by machine manufacturing.
Natural Selection – The gradual process by which certain biological traits fade away or grow through the reproductive success or failure of the individuals that have that trait; a term coined by Charles Darwin to illustrate that certain traits are better suited for certain environments than others.
Nationalism – A variant of patriotism characterized by intense loyalty to a particular nation and its defining values and features.
Utilitarianism – The ethical approach that emphasizes pragmatic ethical decisions for the greater good.
Art Nouveau – Art movement of the late 19
th
century – early 20
th
century that favored sinuous lines, curves, and organic motifs, such as plants and flowers
Imperialism – The policy of extending the rule of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies.
Post-Impressionism – Art movement of the late 19
th
century that while influenced by impressionism emphasized a greater concern for expression, structure, form, and emotional response.
Industrialism – The emphasis on an industrialized economic system.
Utopian – Describes an ideal community or society; often used to describe a society that does not exist in reality.
Social Darwinism – The theory that individuals, groups, and communities are subject to the same
principle of natural selection as plants and animals.
Symbolism – The use of a symbol, object, or image to represent something else (that is, a concept or idea).
Materialism – Philosophical position that all processes, phenomena, and object/beings can be explained as manifestations or results of matter.
Exoticism – An artistic trend that took place in Europe in the 19
th
century, which borrowed and glorified cultural aspects from non-Western civilizations.
Colonialism – The political, economic, and cultural domination by one country over another country or region.
Darwinism – The theory of evolution by natural selection developed by biologist Charles Darwin.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
Scientific Materialism – The belief that physical reality, as seen through the natural sciences, is all
that truly exists.
Urbanization – The movement of diverse populations into urban areas.
Impressionism – Art movement of the late 19
th
century that emphasized simplified composition and the effect of light and color to capture a painter’s visual impression.
Idealism – Theory that reality is a mental construction or that the object of external perception consists of ideas.
Atonality – Describes music that is written in a way that avoids centering around a specific key.
Motifs – In music, a brief but recognizable recurring fragment of a melody.
Major Themes of Realism
Darwinism – Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution due to natural selection shed new light on the development of humans as a species; Realists valued Darwin’s empirical proof over religious faith.
o
Scientific materialism is the philosophical view that nothing exists but the physical reality
that can be seen through the natural sciences.
Industrialization – Realists wanted to portray the realistic consequences of the Industrial Revolution, which exposed the large differences between the wealthy and the working classes. Industrialism in England and the United States, especially, was a subject for Realist artists and writers, who were focused on the difficult working conditions brought about by industrialization.
Later in the period, Realists also tackled the issues of inequality and oppression caused by imperialism and colonialism.
Individualism – Realism sought to portray individuality with accurate, scientific detail. Realists attempted to recreate people and existence as realistically as possible, and their approach was more logical, more objective, and more fixated on minute detail.
Age of Doubt – The tension between the idealism of the past, the harsh new realities of the present, and the insecurity of the future helped shape a particular sensibility during the Realist Period that is characterized by both optimism and anxiety. In their most positive manifestations, social values among the middle classes during this time comprised an earnest sense of individual
responsibility, propriety, and productivity. However, underlying 19
th
century ideologies of progress is a competing attitude of foreboding regarding the dramatic effects of modernization.
Realist Social and Political Contexts
The Realists Period saw profound social, political and economic changes in Europe and the United States.
Rapid industrial growth modernized aspects of everyday life and polarized people and nations according to wealth, gender, class, and power.
The Industrial Revolution
o
The rapid economic growth in the West came with social consequences and led to a gap between rich and poor.
o
This gap fueled economic disparity and class consciousness, which in turn provoked uprisings in both cities and rural areas and eventually led to competing ideas for social and economic reform.
o
The dismal conditions of the poor were depicted in Realist art and literature of the time.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
Preoccupation with Physical Reality
o
Artists, writers, and thinkers were increasingly preoccupied with recording physical forms and realistic details of ordinary people and places.
o
Sympathetic and concrete portrayals of ordinary subjects contrasted distinctly with the exotic and heroic imagery of the Romantic Period.
o
Scientific materialism and the emergence of photography contributed to the desire and ability to accurately record the physical world with forthright objectivity.
Rapid Technological Change
o
While 19
th
century industrialization brought certain societal ills, it also provided extraordinary technological advanced that transformed artistic techniques, introduced new media, and provided greater audience access to art as a whole:
The availability of paint in tubes enabled artists to paint subjects in their natural settings rather than in the studio.
The invention of photography provided new forms of visual representation.
Electric lighting enhanced theatrical performances.
Advances in musical instruments enabled more expressive compositions.
Expansion of educational opportunities for a growing middle class meant a more
literate population reading the popular Realist novels and other works of the era.
Realist Philosophy
Realist art, literature, theater, and music explored Darwinism, utilitarianism, and Marxism, as the
artists, writers, actors, and musicians challenged the conventional forms and subject matter while exploring the role of the individual to society.
Darwinism, utilitarianism, and Marxism all deal with the relationship between society and the individual.
Darwinism is based in the idea that species have evolved through natural selection and the “struggle for survival.”
Utilitarianism believes in the rights of the individual as long as it does not interfere with the happiness and welfare of the society as a whole.
Marxism is a social, political, economic, and philosophical theory developed by Karl Marx that highlights the role class conflict plays in the development of different social systems over time. Marxists believe that social unrest will inevitably overthrow capitalist systems.
Realist Literature
Realist authors sought to describe life and human behavior as they were, without idealization or Romantic subjectivity. The transformation in everyday life was reflected in Realist literature, as authors sought to portray how life was lived during changing times.
French Realists – Honoré de Balzac, a well-known figure of the Realist fiction movement, examined themes of money, power, gender relations, social mores, and family life in his novel The Human Comedy
.
English Realists – In England, Realist authors, like Charles Dickens, dealt with the growing concern with the plight of the less fortunate, exhibiting extraordinary attention to detail and
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
observations in an effort to replicate the true nature of reality. Dickens’ novels included Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities
, and Hard Times.
Russian Realists – Russian writers set works in Russia and used straightforward but copious factual detail, placing emphasis on character and atmosphere rather than on plot and action. Leo
Tolstoy (
Anna Karenina, War and Peace
) examined damaging reality and consequence of conventional morality and war.
American Realists – American Realist authors provided an expression of moral and psychic exhaustion caused by urbanization, industrialization, and the Civil War. Mark Twain (
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
) challenged societal norms and prevalent racism; William Dean Howells (
A Modern Instance, The Rise of Silas Lapham
) divulged his concerns about race, labor issues, and women’s rights; and Kate Chopin (
The Awakening
) explored the importance of female independence.
Realist Theater
In the last half of the 19
th
century, Realist theater, like Realist literature, brought an emphasis on accurate
depiction of ordinary life to the stage. Actors wore ordinary clothing that represented the status of the character, and scenery faithfully reflected common, everyday living conditions and locales. Props included the furniture, possessions, and “knick-knacks” that an acquisitive middle class would own. Dialogue was written to sound like regular conversation, while the use of soliloquies and “asides” diminished.
Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House
explores themes of feminism, societal obligations, inner psychological motivation and shame, and the unreliability of appearances through the use of techniques such as letters, authentic dialogue, and intricate stage directions.
Themes included:
Likeness to life
Moral and social questioning
Compassion for the human condition
Realist Art
Realism
o
Represented the pendulum swing away from the emotionalism of Romanticism
o
Focused on producing accurate and objective portrayals of the ordinary, observable world, with a focus on the lower classes and with a critique of the established social and political order
o
Became popular just as photography was introduced as a new source of visual images
o
Important French Realist artists include Gustave Courbet, Honoré Daumier, Edouard Manet, and Rosa Bonheur
o
Important American Realist artists include Thomas Eakins and Henry Ossawa Tanner
Photography
o
Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre invented the daguerreotype – a unique, detailed photographic image on a highly polished silver-plated sheet of copper. After he
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
introduced his process to a fascinated public, photography emerged as both a medium of expression and as a powerful scientific tool.
After Realism: Impressionism and Other Art Movements
Impressionism
o
Impressionism was an art movement during the late 19
th
century that emphasized simplified composition and the effect of light and color to capture a painter’s visual impression. The movement took its name from Claude Monet’s piece titled Impression, Sunrise
.
o
Impressionists tried to capture their initial, fleeting reaction to whatever they observed at a given moment; they painted current subjects and landscapes; they used light and color; and they simplified their compositions, leaving out detail.
o
Many Impressionist artists focused on the interaction between colors and sunlight and the way light and color could be seen by the eye. The innovation of storing paint in tubes
allowed Impressionist artists to paint outside the studio, capturing the changes in natural light and its impact on the landscape.
o
Important Impressionist artists include Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
Post-Impressionism
o
Post-Impressionism was an art movement during the late 19
th
century that followed the Impressionist art movement that came before. While Post-Impressionist artists borrowed the Impressionists’ concern with color and light, they had a greater concern for expression, structure, form, line, and symbolic content than did the Impressionists.
o
Important Post-Impressionist artists include Paul Cezanne and Vincent van Gogh.
Art Nouveau
o
Art Nouveau was an art movement during the late 19
th
century and early 20
th
century that favored sinuous lines, curves, and organic motifs, such as plants and flowers. It often took inspiration from the unruly aspects of nature and represented a break with classical traditions.
o
Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898) was an English illustrator and prominent Art Nouveau artist. Beardsley’s clear and uncomplicated images are offset by an erotic sensuality with
creatures of fantasy and caricatures of decadence.
o
Art Nouveau architects turned to asymmetrical shapes, decorative surfaces, and curved forms. They favored mosaics, stained glass, and an organic look mimicking plants and nature. Leading architects included Antoni Gaudi, Otto Wagner, Louis Sullivan, and Louis Comfort Tiffany.
Architecture
o
American architect Louis Sullivan (1856-1924) was considered the “father of the modern
skyscraper.”
o
Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel was a bridge builder, architect, and metals expert whose company was chosen to build Paris’ most recognizable monument, the Eiffel Tower, for the 1889 World’s Fair.
19
th
Century Music
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
Music in the 19
th
century took on many forms, often experimenting with qualities like atonality, nationalism, and symbolism.
Romantic – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is representative of the classical Romantic style of music, well known for his ballets and symphonic works. He utilizes classical structure in order to fulfill the Romantic need for expression, using music to invoke symbolism of his personal life tormented by doubt and anxiety. His most famous ballets are Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker
, and he is also known for the dramatic 1812 Overture.
This style of music is characterized by symphonies with more woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments. Large orchestras, vocal soloists, and choruses contributed to large-scale dramatic works, such as ones composed by Gustav Mahler (
Symphony No. 5)
.
Impressionist – Musical impressionism is characterized by a more sensual experience, with tonal ambiguity that suggested a particular atmosphere rather than creating it. Notable composers of this style include Claude Debussy (
Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
) and Joseph-Maurice Ravel (
Bolero
).
Military March – American composer John Phillip Sousa spearheaded the style that came to be known as the “march,” employing a military and patriotic style to produce powerful, precise sounds that invoke a sense of order and might. His well-known compositions are “Semper Fidelis” and “The Stars & Stripes Forever.”
Cultural Exchange and Diversity in the Realist Period
During the Realist Period, European artists found inspiration from Japanese woodblock printing, which became popular with Japanese artists during the late 1600s and early 1700s.
As with many other forms of Japanese art, printmaking organized itself into stylistic movements or schools. The first two of these schools were the Torii School and the Kaigetsudo School, both active starting around 1700.
Perhaps the most famous Japanese woodblock print is Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa,” part of the artist’s Thirty-Six View of Mount Fuji
series. Hokusai’s creative influence was felt throughout the world, impacting the Art Nouveau style and Impressionist works of his European contemporaries and followers.
Following the gradual disintegration of the Katsukawa School, the Utagawa School came to prominence in the mid-19
th
century.
The term Japonisme was coined in the late 19
th
century to describe the influence of Japanese art on those of European or Western descent.
A long list of artists embraced Japonisme, including Vincent van Gogh, Renoir, and Monet. These artists were drawn to the fantastic colors, natural scenery, and simplicity of ukiyo-e (“pictures of the floating world”) prints.
Since the beginning of the 20
th
century, two new schools of printmaking have flourished in Japan. The sosaku hanga, or “creative prints,” movement was a shift away from traditional collaborative printmaking, while the shin hanga, or “new prints” movement refocused on it.
Realist Influences on Contemporary Life
The Realist Period was marked by the introduction of Marxism, Darwinism, and utilitarianism as systems of thought.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
Core Marxist ideas live in modern socialism in Northern Europe as well as in the remaining communist countries of China, Cuba, and North Korea (in theory).
Darwin’s theories of evolution are still prevalent in science today, as they form the foundation for new academic disciplines such as sociobiology.
The premises of evolutionary biology and sociobiology also get dragged into modern-day philosophical debates, and many religious communities refuse to accept evolution and natural selection as fact while science has embraced it.
The utilitarian emphasis on happiness for the greater good continues to be reflected in public policy which justifies the use of taxes as a form of distributive justice to contribute to the overall happiness of society.
The key points of utilitarianism can also be seen in movements to protect and improve the environment. Though most contemporary businesses are used to taking and using natural resources as if they were free and unlimited, this leads to overly wasteful consumption and the so-called “tragedy of the commons.”
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help