Chinese Literature
speak about them because
• Chinese civilization is one of
the oldest civilizations in the
world
• There is documented evidence
of the Shang dynasty, which
goes all the way back to 1765
BC and China’s legendary
history goes back even further
• The basis of Chinese classical
civilization was established
solidly during the Chou, Ch’in
and Han dynasties, and nearly
all that came after that until
about the 19th century fits
neatly into the pattern of
dynastic rise, expansion,
disintegration and fall
• The unity of this pattern was
firmly based on Confucianism
• Confucianism is not exactly a
religion, although it seems to
answer all the basic needs of
men, which in the West have
been answered by religious
thought
• It provides the Chinese with
both a moral order and an order
for the universe
• It makes the individual aware of
his place in the world and the
behaviour appropriate to it
• It provides and social
philosophy
• Confucius actually did believe
in gods and ancestral spirits as
did most Chinese of his time,
but he generally refused to
other revolution in world history
nothing could be
• Taoist beliefs and influences
are an important part of
classical Chinese culture
• The “Tao” is usually translated
“The Way” – the way in which a
flower grows from a seed,
according to its natural inborn
potential
• Just for the Buddhist, suffering
comes from grasping and trying
to stop the inevitable flux of the
universe
• For the Taoist, unhappiness
comes from parting from the
Tao or from trying to flout it
• To follow the Tao, or to “go with
the flow”, is both wisdom and
happiness: the analogy here is
that of a flower petal flowing
along
• Twentieth century China was
marked by wide class division,
warlordism, appalling poverty
among the masses and
government corruption
• The dynastic rule of China was
brought to an end with the
revolution of 1911, led by Sun
Yat-sen, which overthrew the
Manchus, but this revolution did
not usher in democratic rule as
had been hoped
• The Chines revolution probably
changed the lives of more
people drastically that any
• It changed the economic
structure, the very basis of
society and all relationships
that grew out of the structure
• China is rich, but she has now
solved the problems of poverty
and starvation
• There are no more idle, opium-
smoking landlords or rickshaw
drivers who might be beaten to
death or babies eaten by rats.
• Chinese are still practical and they
are still humanistic.
• For 3500 years, the Chinese have
woven a variety of genres and
forms encompassing poetry,
essays, fiction and drama; each in
its own way reflecting the social
climate of its day through the high
spirit of art.
• Chinese literature has its own
values and tastes, its own reigning
cultural tradition and its own critical
system of theory.
• The sayings of Confucius were
remembered by his followers and
were later compiled in a book of
Analects (sayings), perhaps having
been expanded on in the meantime
• Through them, we discover
Confucius’ notions of the virtues
• i.e., the positive character traits, to
which we should aspire
• Foremost among these is Filial
Piety, the respect which children
 owe to parents-and by extension,
wives owe to husbands, sisters to
brothers, and everyone to
ancestors
• When such virtue is cultivated in the
home, it is supposed to carry over
into one’s relations in affairs of state
as well
Reading Chinese Literature
• The main disadvantage of written
Chinese is the great number of
characters it contains: Even basic
reading and writing require a
knowledge of more than 1,000
characters. This has often made it
difficult to spread the skills of
reading and writing into certain
areas of the country. But even with
this disadvantage, Chinese has
been a potent factor in shaping and
maintaining a cultural continuity for
millions of people.
The Splendor of Chinese Literature
• Chinese literature can be used as
an escape into a beautiful world and
time, a guide to virtuous living, and
a historical map through images
and philosophy.
• The analects was written and
compiled within a century after
Confucius' death (d. 473) by
Confucius first and second
generation pupils.
• During Warring state period (476
BC - 221 BC) the text was
completed
• Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) the
book was widely known and
transmitted throughout China in a
mostly complete form.
• Some scholars have proposed
dates as late as 140 BC for the
text's compilation.
• Liu Xiang (Han Dynasty Scholar)
two versions of the Analects:
o Lu version contains 20
chapters
o Qi version contains 22
chapters, including
chapters that are not found
in the Lu version
• Both versions had in common; the
Lu version had more passages.
Each version had its own masters,
scholars, and transmitters
Analects Of Confucius
ANALECTS (Lunyu)
simplified Chinese:
traditional Chinese:
• Do not do unto others what you
don't want others do to you.
• Men are born pretty much alike, but
through their habits they gradually
grow further and further apart from
each other.
• To know what you know and know
what you don't know is the
characteristics of one who knows.
• It is easy to be rich and not haughty;
it is difficult to be poor and not
grumble.
• Do not worry people about not
knowing you, but strive so that you
may be worth knowing.
• If a man would be severe towards
himself and generous toward
others, he would never arouse
resentment.
• A man who does not think a plan
long ahead will find trouble right by
his door.
• To repay evil with kindness is the
sign of a generous character. To
repay kindness with evil is a sign of
criminal.
 • When you see good man, try to
emulate his example, and when you
see bad man, search yourself for
his faults.
• Don't criticize other people's fault;
criticize your own.
• The superior man is always candid
and at ease (with himself or others):
the inferior man is always worried
about something.
• A gentleman is ashamed that his
words are better than his deeds.
• Reading without thinking gives one
a disorderly mind, and thinking
without reading makes one flighty.
• That type of scholarship which is
bent on remembering things in
order to answer people's questions
does not qualify one to be a teacher.
Japanese Literature
• Japanese literature spans a period
of almost two millennia and
comprises one of the major
literatures in the world, comparable
to English literature in age and
scope. It comprises a number of
genres, including novels, poetry,
and drama, travelogues, personal
diaries and collections of random
thoughts and impressions.
• From the early seventh century until
the present there has never been a
period when literature was not
being produced by Japanese
authors.
• Japan adopted its writing system
from China, often using Chinese
characters to represent Japanese
words with similar phonetic sounds.
Early works were heavily influenced
by cultural contact with China and
Chinese literature, and was often
written in Classical Chinese.
Japanese Writing System The modern
Japanese writing system uses :
• Kanji, ideographs from Chinese
characters,
• Kana, a pair of syllabaries,
consisting of
➔ Hiragana, used for native
Japanese words, and
➔ Katakana, used for foreign
loanwords and sometimes to
replace kanji or hiragana for
emphasis.
The Period of Japanese Literature
• Ancient Literature
• Classical Literature
• Medieval Literature
• Modern Literature
➔ Edo Period
➔ Meiji Period
➔ Post-War Japan
➔ Contemporary Literature
Ancient Literature Two of the oldest
Japanese literature:
• Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matter)
relates to the creation of the world,
describes the gods and goddess of
the mythological period, and
contains facts about ancient Japan
• Nihongi (Chronicles of Japan) tells
the history of Japan in poetry and
shows the profound influence of
Chinese.
Classical Literature
The Heian Period, referred to as the golden
era of Japanese art and literature.
• Man'yoshu (Collection of Myriad
Leaves) The oldest collection of
Japanese poetry collected in the
year 800
• Genji Monogatari(The Tale of Genji)
written by a court lady named
Murasaki Shikibu is considered the
pre-eminent masterpiece of Heian
fiction and the first example of a
work of fiction in the form of a novel.
Medieval Literature
• Japan experienced many civil wars
which led to the development of a
warrior class, and subsequent war
tales, histories, and related stories.
• Work from this period is notable for
its insights into life and death,
simple lifestyles, and Seppuku
• Tale of the Heike, an epic account
of the struggle between two clans
for control of Japan at the end of the
twelfth century.
Edo Period
• The Tokugawa Period is commonly
referred to as the Edo Period. The
capital of Japan moved from Kyoto
to Edo (modern Tokyo)
• Scholarly work continued to be
published in Chinese, which was
the language of the learned much
as Latin was in Europe
• Chikamatsu Monzaemon, a kabuki
dramatist, known as the Japan's
Shakespeare
• Many genres of literature made
their début during the Edo Period,
helped by a rising literacy rate
among the growing population of
townspeople, as well as the World
Literature development of lending
libraries
• The importation of Chinese
vernacular fiction proved the
greatest outside influence on the
development of Early Modern
Japanese fiction.
• Genres included horror, crime
stories, morality stories, comedy,
and pornography-often
accompanied by colorful woodcut
prints.
Meiji Period
• The Meiji period marks the re-
opening of Japan to the West, and
a period of rapid industrialization.
• The introduction of European
literature brought free verse into the
poetic repertoire. It became widely
used for longer works embodying
new intellectual themes.
• Young Japanese prose writers and
dramatists struggled with a whole
galaxy of new ideas and artistic
schools, but novelists were the first
to assimilate some of these
concepts successfully
Post-War and Contemporary Literature
• World War II, and Japan's defeat,
deeply influenced Japanese
literature. Many authors wrote
stories of disaffection, loss of
purpose, and coping with defeat.
• Prominent writers of the 1970s and
1980s were identified with
intellectual and moral issues in their
attempts to raise social and political
consciousness.
• Modern Japanese writers covered a
wide variety of subjects, one
particularly Japanese approach
stressed their subjects' inner lives,
widening the earlier novel's
preoccupation with the narrator's
consciousness
• In Japanese fiction, plot
development and action have often
been of secondary interest to
emotional issues. In keeping with
the general trend toward reaffirming
national characteristics, many old
themes re-emerged, and some
authors turned consciously to the
past.
Japanese Drama
• Noh play the national theatre of
Japan, which was originally
reserved for the nobility. Legend
says that the Noh dance was
invented by the gods.
• Joruri play a puppet play or doll
theatre wherein the dolls are
beautifully made and life-like in
size.
• Kabuki the play for the masses. It
is less intellectual and more
realistic, even sensational.
Japanese Poetry Tanka (5-7-5-7-7)
• It is a five line poem. The first and
third lines have five syllables each
and the others seven, making a
total of thirty- one syllables per
poem.
Haiku (5-7-5)
• It is a seventeen-syllable poem of
three lines arranged in lines of five-
seven-five.
➔ HAIKU is a short Japanese
poem that presents the world
objectively and contrasts two
different images.
Haiku
• A form of minimalist Japanese
poetry
• Theme: Nature or Seasons
• Attempts to be deep or compare
two unlike things
 • Consists of 3 lines and a certain
number of syllables per line
• Haiku has 5-7-5 syllabic structure.
Kabuki
• Developed around 1600's
• Stories based on folklore, history
• Highly stylized make up
• Appeals to middle class audience
that often yells during performance
• Bountiful and exaggerated
Contemporary Influence of Kabuki & Noh
• Japanese anime (cartoons) and
manga (comic books)
• Costume / make up design for
modern movies (such as Star Wars)
Bunraku
• A Japanese traditional puppet
theatre in which half-life-size dolls
act out a chanted dramatic
narrative, called jōruri, to the
accompaniment of a small samisen
(three- stringed Japanese lute). The
term Bunraku derives from the
name of a troupe organized by
puppet master Uemura Bunrakuken
in the early 19th century; the term
for puppetry is ayatsuri and
puppetry theatre is more accurately
rendered ayatsuri joruri.
INDIAN LITERATURE
• India, officially known as the
Republic of India, is a sovereign
country in South Asia
• It is the 7th largest country by
geographical area, the second most
populous country, and the most
populous liberal democracy in the
world
• Bounded by the Indian Ocean on
the south, the Arabian Sea on the
west, and the Bay of Bengal on the
east
• India has a coastline of over 7,000
kilometer,
• It borders Pakistan to the west;
China, Nepal and Bhutan to the
north-east; and Bangladesh and
Myanmar to the east
• In the Indian Ocean, India is in the
vicinity of Sri Lanka, Maldives and
Indonesia
• Home to the Indus Valley civilization
and a region of historic trade routes
and vast empires, the Indian
subcontinent was identified with its
commercial and cultural wealth for
much of its long history
• Four major world religions,
Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainisn and
Sikhism originated here, while
Islam, Christianity, Judaism and
Zoroastrianism arrived in the first
millenium CE and shaped the
region’s variegated culture.
• Gradually annexed by the British
East India Company from the early
18th century and colonized by the
United Kingdom from the mid-19th
century, India became a modern
nation-state in 1947 after a struggle
for independence that was marked
by widespread use of nonviolent
resistance as a means of social
protest
• Historically, South Asia was always
famous as the richest region of the
globe
• Currently with the world’s 12th
largest economy by market
exchange rates and the 3rd largest
in purchasing power, India has
made rapid economic progress in
the last decade
• Although the country’s standard of
living is projected to rise sharply in
the next half-century
• It currently battles high levels of
poverty, illiteracy, persistent
malnutrition, and environmental
degradation
• A pluralistic, multi-lingual, and multi-
ethnic society, India is also home a
diversity of wildlife in a variety of
protected habitats
• Indians believe in many and
different gods
• Three most powerful gods are
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva
• Brahma is the creator-god
• Vishnu, the preserver-god
• Shiva, the destroyer-god
FACTS
 • Early settlers called their land
"Bharat Varsha" or "Bharat".
• During medieval times, it was
known as "Hind."
• Earliest Indian civilization grew up
in the Indus Valley from 4000 to
2500 BC.
• 1500 BC. India. Aryan invaders
entered India
• Hinduism and the Caste system
were the foundations of the Indian
society You sent
• Mostly written in Sanskrit (oldest
extant Aryan language)
• A small portion was written in
Prakrit (vernacular form of Sanskrit)
PERIODS OF LITERATURE
VEDIC SANSKRIT
1500 BC - 200 BC 200 BC - present
Principally Many types of
religious and lyric literature achieved
distinction
RELIGIOUS WORKS
Oldest sacred literature is found in the four
Vedas.
➔ RIG VEDA - an anthology of 1028 hymns
to various gods
➔ SAMA VEDA - (Book of Chants) liturgies,
mostly repetitions of hymns in the Rig Veda
➔ ATHARVA VEDA - (Prayer Book) 111
additional many prose formulas
➔ YAJUR VEDA - (Book of Spells)
incantations, notions about demonology
and witchcraft
PROSE BRAHMANAS
➔ Commentaries on the Vedic hymns
UPANISHADS
➔ Collection of 108 discourses on the
Brahman religion
SUTRAS
➔ Often unintelligible treatises concerning
rituals
EPICS
Mahabharata
• written by Vyasa
• Longest poem in the world
• About 200,000 lines, nearly 8 times
as long as the Iliad and the Odyssey
• Greatest epic of India
• Circa 500 BC
Ramayana
• written by Valmiki
• Circa 500 BC to 200 AD About
96,000 lines, in seven books
DRAMAS
• The Toy Clay Cart - attributed to
King Sundra; has three acts; a
courtesan saves the life of a
merchant because of his former
kindness and generosity
• Sakuntala or the Fatal Ring -
attributed to Kalidasa (the Hindu
Shakespeare)
TALES
• The Jatakas - imaginative legends
concerning the 550 births of
Buddha and his early life The
Panchanatantra - (Five Books);
probably - intended as a manual of
instruction for kings' sons
• The Hitopdesa - (Book of Good
Counsels), forty-three tales
• The Sukasaptati - (Seventy Stories
of a Parrot) fairy tales
POETS
• Kalidasa - leading lyricist famous
for a large number of poems of
sentiment; India's foremost Sanskrit
dramatist and poet
• Javadeva - author of the
Gitagovinda (love-making of
Krishna)
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
• Harper Lee, in full Nelle Harper
Lee, (born April 28, 1926,
Monroeville, Alabama, U.S.
• Died February 19, 2016,
Monroeville), American writer
nationally acclaimed for her novel
To Kill a Mockingbird (1960).
• Harper Lee’s father was Amasa
Coleman Lee, a lawyer who by all
accounts resembled the hero of her
novel in his sound citizenship and
warm heartedness.
• The plot of To Kill a Mockingbird is
based in part on his unsuccessful
 youthful defense of two African
American men convicted of murder.
• Lee studied law at the University of
Alabama (spending a summer as
an exchange student at the
University of Oxford), but she left for
New York City without earning a
degree.
• In New York she worked as an
airline reservationist but soon
received financial aid from friends
that allowed her to write full-time.
With the help of an editor, she
transformed a series of short stories
into To Kill a Mockingbird.
Overview of the Novel
• To Kill a Mockingbird is the story of
Scout and Jem during the Great
Depression, when racism and
segregation were common,
especially in the South where the
story takes place. As white children,
Scout and Jem have yet to
understand the challenge of the
black community.
• However, during this story they
learn about innocent black men
accused of crimes, while
experiencing the kindness and
acceptance of black people in their
town.
• By the end of the novel, the children
understand they need to be more
open-minded and see people as
individuals.
• Great Depression, worldwide • The Need for Compassion
economic downturn that began in • The Need for Conscience
1929 and lasted until about 1939. It
was the longest and most severe Symbolism
depression ever experienced by the • The Mockingbird: Symbolizes
industrialized Western world, Everything That is Good and
sparking fundamental changes in Harmless in This World
economic institutions, • The mockingbird only sings to
macroeconomic policy, and please others and therefore it is
economic theory. Although it considered a sin to shoot a
originated in the United States, the mockingbird. They are considered
Great Depression caused drastic harmless creatures who give joy
declines in output, severe with their song.
unemployment, and acute deflation • The mockingbird image or symbol
in almost every country of the world. appears four times in the novel.
Its social and cultural effects were • Two characters in the novel
no less staggering, especially in the symbolize the mockingbird: Tom
United States, where the Great Robinson & Boo Radley.
Depression represented the
harshest adversity faced by Jean Louis Finch - "Scout"
Americans since the Civil War.
• The story's narrator
SETTING • Although now an adult, Scout looks
back at her childhood and tells of
• Maycomb, Alabama (fictional city) the momentous events and
• 1933 - 1935 influential people of those years.
• Although slavery has long been • Scout is six when the story begins.
abolished, the Southerners in • She is naturally curious about life.
Maycomb continue to believe in
white supremacy Scout's Character Traits
THEMES • Tomboy
• Impulsive
• Racial Prejudice • Emotional
• Social Snobbery • Warm & Friendly
• Morality • Sensitive
• Tolerance • Adorable
• Patience
• Equality
 • Gains in Maturity throughout the confinement to their house because Honest Lazy
Novel of some mischief he got into when
he was a teenager. Proud Good-for-nothing
Atticus Finch • Has a reputation of being a lunatic
Basically a harmless, well-meaning Survive on very little Never done a
• Father of Scout and Jem A widower day's work
• An attorney by profession person
• Highly respected Good citizen • Sometimes childlike in behavior
Always pay back Foul-mouthed
• Instills good values and morals in • Starving for love and affection their debts - even if it
his children. His children call him Saves Jem and Scout from certain is with hickory nuts,
"Atticus" danger turnips, or holly.
• Honest Tom Robinson
• Typical southern gentleman Dishonest
• Brave • A young, harmless, innocent,
• Courteous Soft-spoken hardworking black man Immoral
• Has a crippled left hand
Jem Finch • Married with three children. Works
• Scout's older brother on a farm belonging to Mr. Link The Black Community
• Looks up to his father Atticus Deas, a white man Will be falsely
• Usually looks out for Scout accused of raping a white girl, • Simple
• Typical older brother at times Mayella Ewell • Honest
• Smart • . Clean
Dill • Hard-working
• Compassionate
• Matures as the story progresses • A close friend of Jem and Scout • God fearing
• Usually lives in Maycomb only • Proud
Calpumia during the summer (stays with a • Would never take anything with
relative) Tells "big stories" paying it back
• The Finch's black • Respectful
• housekeeper • Has been deprived of love and
affection • Had stronger character than most
• Has watched the children since of the whites
their mother's death Two Poor White Families: • Oppressed
• Has been a positive • Uneducated
• influence on the children. The Cunninghams The Ewells • Discriminated against Talked about
Arthur "Boo" Radley badly
Poor white family Poor white trash • Deserve better than what is dished
• An enigma out to them by society
Hard-working Dirty
• An adult man, whose father has
"sentenced" him to a lifetime
Language
• Sometimes the language of Scout
will be that of her as a child; other
times, she will be speaking in the
voice of an adult
• Atticus uses formal speech
• Calpurnia uses "white language" in
the Finch house and switches to
"black jargon" when amidst blacks
• The Ewells use foul words and
obscenities
• Jem, Scout, and Dill will use slang
words, typical of their age
• Tom Robinson uses language
typical of the southern black such
as "suh" for "sir" and "chillun" for
"children"
• Various derogatory terms for blacks
will be used such as "nigger,"
"darky," "Negroes," and "colored
folk" – Lee uses such language to
keep her novel naturally in sync
with common language of the times
Tone
• Somber
• Serious
• Humorous (at times)
Harper Lee
• She was born in 1926 in
Monroeville, Alabama (the fictional
"Maycomb, Alabama")
• Her father Amasa" was a lawyer
whom she deeply admired Her
mother's maiden name was "Finch"
• Her own childhood mirrors that of
the character "Scout"
• In 1960 she published her only
novel -To Kill a Mockingbird"
• It received the Pulitzer Prize for
Literature in 1961
• Since 1960. "To Kill a Mockingbird"
has never been out of print At age
81, she is alive and resides in New
York
• She rarely makes public
appearances or gives interviews
The road not taken
Robert Frost
• Robert Frost, in full Robert Lee
Frost, (born March 26, 1874, San
Francisco, California, U.S.—died
January 29, 1963, Boston,
Massachusetts)
• American poet who was much
admired for his depictions of the
rural life of New England, his
command of American colloquial
speech, and his realistic verse
portraying ordinary people in
everyday situations.
• By 1911 Frost was fighting against
discouragement.
• Poetry had always been considered
a young person’s game, but Frost,
who was nearly 40 years old, had
not published a single book of
poems and had seen just a handful
appear in magazines.
• Frost demonstrated an enviable
versatility of theme, but he most
commonly investigated human
contacts with the natural world in
small encounters that serve as
metaphors for larger aspects of the
human condition.
• He often portrayed the human
ability to turn even the slightest
incident or natural detail to
emotional profit, seen at its most
economical form in “Dust of Snow”:
Writings of Robert Frost
• A Boy's Will (1913)
• North of Boston (1914)
• Mountain Interval (1916)
• New Hampshire (1923)
• West-Running Brook (1928)
• A Further Range (1937)
• A Witness Tree (1942)
• In the Clearing (1962)
1. Two roads diverged in a yellow
wood,
2. And sorry I could not travel both
3. And be one traveler, long I stood
4. And looked down one as far as I
could
5. To where it bent in the undergrowth;
6. Then took the other, as just as fair,
7. And having perhaps the better
claim,
8. Because it was grassy and wanted
wear;
9. Though as for that the passing
there
10. Had worn them really about the
same,
11. And both that morning equally lay
12. In leaves no step had trodden
black.
13. Oh, I kept the first for another day!
14. Yet knowing how way leads on to
way,
15. I doubted if I should ever come
back.
16. I shall be telling this with a sigh
17. Somewhere ages and ages hence:
18. Two roads diverged in a wood, and
I—
19. I took the one less traveled by,
20. And that has made all the
difference.
• The speaker, walking through a
forest whose leaves have turned
yellow in autumn, comes to a fork in
the road.
• The speaker, regretting that he or
she is unable to travel by both roads
(since he or she is, after all, just one
person), stands at the fork in the
road for a long time and tries to see
where one of the paths leads.
• However, the speaker can't see
very far because the forest is dense
and the road is not straight.
• The speaker takes the other path,
judging it to be just as good a choice
as the first, and supposing that it
may even be the better option of the
two, since it is grassy and looks less
worn than the other path.
• Though, now that the speaker has
actually walked on the second road,
he or she thinks that in reality the
two roads must have been more or
less equally worn-in.
• Reinforcing this statement, the
speaker recalls that both roads
were covered in leaves, which had
not yet been turned black by foot
traffic.
• The speaker exclaims that he or
she is in fact just saving the first
road, and will travel it at a later date,
but then immediately contradicts
him or herself with the
acknowledgement that, in life, one
road tends to lead onward to
another, so it's therefore unlikely
that he or she will ever actually get
a chance to return to that first road.
• The speaker imagines him or
herself in the distant future,
recounting, with a sigh, the story of
making the choice of which road to
take.
• Speaking as though looking back
on his or her life from the future, the
speaker states that he or she was
faced with a choice between two
roads and chose to take the road
that was less traveled, and the
consequences of that decision have
made all the difference in his or her
life.
• Robert Frost wrote this poem to
highlight a trait of, and poke fun at,
his friend Edward Thomas, an
English- Welsh poet, who, when out
walking with Frost in England,
would often regret not having taken
a different path.
• Thomas would sigh over what they
might have seen and done, and
Frost thought this quaintly romantic.
• In other words, Frost's friend
regretted not taking the road that
might have offered the best
opportunities, despite it being an
unknown.
• 'The Road Not Taken' is all about
what did not happen: This person,
faced with an important conscious
decision, chose the least popular,
the path of most resistance.
• He was destined to go down one
and regretted not being able to take
both, so he sacrificed one for the
other.
THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO
Edgar Allan Poe
• Author, not the narrator, of the story
"The Cask...”
• Developed characters whose sanity
is questionable.
• Father of the genre "the short story”
• Father abandoned family & mother
died when he was 2
• He was adopted after their death
• While in college he became an avid
gambler
• He then married his biological
cousin, Virginia Clemm- age 13
 • His brother died of TB
• His wife died of TB
• Most of his stories deal with death,
murder, and even cannibalism!
• His poem "The Raven" is his most
highly acclaimed work ●
• It is rumored that he died of an
opium overdose or alcoholism
• Recent DNA tests show Poe died
from Rabies!
• "The Cask of Amontillado" "...but
when he ventured upon insult, I
vowed revenge."
• "The Cask of Amontillado" is the
narrator's account of his ability to
carry out a chilling plot of revenge
against his offender.
• Time, place, and setting contribute
to the macabre setting of this story
and add suspense as Montressor
seeks revenge on Fortunato.
Carnival
• Carnival is a secular holiday, but it
Setting of "Cask..."
evolved from the Christian
observance known as Lent.
• Lent is a solemn forty-day period of
fasting prior to Easter.
• Traditionally, the fasting during Lent
involves abstaining from eating
meat.
• Modern interpretations of fasting
may involve abstaining from
anything one enjoys.
Carn + Val
• FLESH (Meat) + FAREWELL • a large, imposing building (as a
• In anticipation of the solemnity of museum or place of residence) esp.
Lent, the celebration of Carnival in Italy Plazzos (mansions) Fine
evolved. Wine (Vintages) Cask of Wine.
• Participants engage in excessive • An ancient vault of catawomb Nitre
and extreme behavior to bid is a potassium nitrate salt formerly
farewell to meat- eating (and known as saltpeter. Saltpeter is
merriment). composed of the names "Sal" or
salt, and "Petrae" or rock. Literally,
What happens during Carnival? salt of the rock. "...but observe the
white webwork which gleams from
• Carnival is a time of EXCESS and
INDULGENCE. the these cavern walls." Nitre
encrusted on an ancient jar
• BINGEING upon food and alcohol
is common. MASONS
• Partying in the Streets &
Masquerading are enjoyed Two definitions:
• The combination of alcohol and
• A member of the fraternity of
costumes creates an atmosphere
Freemasons, a worldwide fraternal
where people tend to let down their
organization
inhibitions.
OR
• European Carnival traditions
• One whose occupation is to build
survive in the United States in the
with stone or brick; also, one who
form of Mardi Gras.
prepares stone for building
purposes.
• "The Cask of Amontillado" is set THE FAMILY ARMS
during the "supreme madness" of
• "A huge foot d'or, in a field azure;
Carnival.
the foot crushes a serpent rampant
• In such a riotous atmosphere, it is whose fangs are imbedded in the
easy to see how a crime could go heal."
unnoticed.
• References in "Cask of FAMILY MOTTO
Amontillado"
• Nemo me impune lacessit"
Palazzo Translation: "No one provokes me
with impunity” /A more colloquial
 translation into English would be
"No one attacks me and gets away
with it."
In "Cask...
• The narrator plans for his revenge
to take place in the catacombs
beneath his estate. What are
catacombs?
Paris Catacombs
• It lies far beneath the city
• In it, there are the bones of 5 to 6
million people.
• Starting from the late 18th century,
lacking in space to put corpses,
bodies of people who could not
afford proper burials were moved
from the overflowing cemeteries
and dumped there.
• The bones are piled around in
heaps that line the walls. Some of
the bones are in gigantic stacks.
• Some bones are fashioned into
macabre configurations: Across
made from femurs
• Why Catacombs?
• At the end of the 18th century, Paris
was greatly overcrowded, flooded
with far too many people who had
come seeking work or adventure
• But there was also a great deal of
filth, disease and death, and the
influx of new people, often bringing
new diseases, filled the city
cemeteries to overflowing.
• Proper burial became impossible.
• People stacked corpses in
cemeteries with only a thin layer of
dirt over them
• The stench of decaying bodies was
unbearable and also spreading
disease ● It was then ordered to
find an alternative- thus, catacombs
Catacombs & the Wealthy
• It was not unusual for wealthy to
have catacombs under their estates
• They could place the remains of
their own family members here
Visiting the Catacombs
• It is possible for one to take a tour
of the catacombs today.
• First, you walk down a long tunnel...
• And then you see. . The narrator of
"The Cask of Amontillado" carries
out his revenge within the
catacombs beneath his palazzo.
• In "The Cask. . ." Montressor lures
Fortunato to his catacombs to
sample rare amontillado, a type of
wine.
• Wine was often stored in
catacombs because it does well in
places where the temperature stays
a constant cool year round.
Questions for the Reader...
• Do you think anyone celebrating
outside will be able to hear anything
occurring in Montressor's
catacombs?
• Would you ever dare go to
someone's personal catacombs?
The major theme of "The Cask of
Amontillado" is revenge.
Montressor is motivated by his hate
to take revenge on Fortunato, after
Fortunato greatly insulted his family
and caused him “a thousand
injuries”
• The story features revenge and
secret murder as a way to avoid
using legal channels for retribution.
• Edgar Allan Poe's, The Cask of
Amontillado as Description of Poe's
Life; it was written by Allan Poe at a
time when he felt he was being
unjustly attacked. ...
• It can be believe the cask of
Amontillado is a story of Revenge
and Hatred against some friends
whom be believed had wrongfully
accused him.
LESSON 7: THE BIBLE
What Is the Bible?
• The Bible Course Bible (English)
Biblia (Greek) "Books" (Literal
Meaning) The Bible is a Library of
Books What are the main sections
of the Bible?
• The old Testament ● The New
Testament
TESTAMENT
• Old Testament (God's relationship
with the Hebrews/Israelites)
 Synonym for Covenant Covenant
(is solemn vow) New Testament
(The original covenant is fulfilled0
Old and New Testaments (Our
covenant relationship to God)
OLD TESTAMENT
Books of Law
• The first five books of the Bible, the
heart of the Old Testament
Prophetic Books
• Eighteen books recording the
warnings and promises of Israel's
prophets
Historical Books
• Sixteen books of religious history
and a few "historical novellas"
Wisdom Books
• Seven books of poetry and wise
sayings
Gospels
• The story of Jesus' life and ministry
and the start of the Church, told
from four complementary faith
perspectives
Acts
• This books tells about the early
Christian community
Non-Pauline Letters
• Seven letters written by Christ's • The New Testament can also be
Apostles or their disciples to divided into four sections.
provide teaching and to correct
abuses in the early churches
Pauline Letters (Epistles)
• Fourteen letters by Saint Paul or his
disciples written to provide teaching
and to correct abuses in the early
churches
Revelation
• A book written as apocalyptic
literature, during a time when
Christians were being persecuted
Points to Remember
• The Bible is a library of seventy-
three books.
• The Bible has two main sections:
the Old Testament and the New
Testament.
• Testament is another word for
covenant. A covenant is a sacred
vow.
• The Old Testament covenants are • In the Bible God reveals his plan for
between God and his Chosen our salvation.
People, who are called Hebrews,
Israelites, or Jews. Bible Facts
• The New Covenant (New
• Whole Bible 66 books
Testament) shows how the former
• 1,189 chapters
covenants are fulfilled by the life,
• 31,173 verses
death, and Resurrection of Jesus
• 774,746 words (3,566,480 letters)
Christ.
• Longest book: Psalms
• The Old Testament is divided into
four sections of books. • Shortest book: 3 John
• Oldest book: Job (1500 BC) 1382 by John Wycliffe, completed
• Youngest book: Revelation (95 AD) 1388 by John Purvey)
• Middle verse: Psalm 118:8 Shakespeare (considered as the
master writer) has only been
Old Testament translated into 50 languages, Quran
also about 50, others much less.
• 39 books
• First ever translation was in 270BC.
• 929 chapters
OT was translated into Greek in
• 23,214 verses
Alexandria, Egypt.
New Testament • By far the best-selling book of all
time. (168,000 bibles sold or given
• 27 books away in the USA daily). Recent
• 260 chapters statistics show there are between 5
• 7,959 verses & 6 hundred million bibles
• 593,493 words distributed each year (578,029,863
• 181,253 words in 2002). These distributions
• Psalms include book, cassette, video, etc.
• Acts Still the best seller!!
• Obadiah (3rd shortest book 3 John) • The word "God" appears 3,358
• (2 John has less in the bible) Job times in the bible (Is in every book
(1500 BC) except for Esther & Song of
• Malachi (400 BC) Solomon).
• 2 Chronicles 20:13 • The word "Lord" appears 7,736
• Canonized: Before Jesus verses times in the bible.
but more words) • Middle books are Micah & Nahum.
• James (45 AD) Revelation (95 AD) • Longest chapter: Psalm 119
• Acts 17:17 Canonized: 375 AD • Shortest chapter: Psalm 117
• Written over 1600 years (1450 BC - Longest verse: Esther 8:9
100 AD) 40 different authors • Shortest verse: John 11:35
(shepherds, farmers, tent-makers, • Oldest man: Methuselah - 969
kings, philosophers, poets, years old
statesmen, scholars, etc) • Split into chapters in AD 1228 by
(continents, mood • 3 languages Cardinal Hugo
(Hebrew, Aramaic, Koine Greek) • Verses were added to the OT in AD
• Translated into over 2,500 (out of 1488 by R.Nathan and to the NT in
6500 in the world) languages AD 1551 by Robertus Stephanus
already. (First English version -
• The bible holds the distinction of
| being the first ever printed book!
• The bible can be read aloud in
about 70 hours.
• The 2 robbers crucified with Jesus
were Dismas & Gestas.
• Voltaire, the famous French
philosopher...
• The only domestic animal not
mentioned in the bible is the cat!
• There are 1260 promises in the
bible, 6468 commands, over 8000
predictions, and 3294 questions.
Canon
• The word canon means "a straight
rod" or "a carpenter's rule".
• It came to be applied to the
Scriptures, to denote that they
contained the authoritative rule of
faith and practice, the standard of
doctrine and duty.
• The bible is not God, but rather, it
reveals and leads us to the Living
God, which is ultimately the goal.
• God gave us the bible to reveal who
He is FULLY, and what His purpose
is FULLY. He didn't forget anything!
• Not included: Apocrypha, the
shepherd of Hermas, the epistle of
Barnabas, etc.
• One of the world's greatest
authorities on the Greek New
Testament, Bruce Metzger, pointed
out:
• 'You have to understand that the
canon was not the result of a series
of contests involving church
politics..
• You see, the canon is a list of
authoritative books mor than it is an
authoritative list of books. These
documents didn't derive their
authority from being selected; each
one was authoritative before
anyone gathered them together.
Old Testament
• The Pentateuch (5 Books of Moses
and the law): Genesis, Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
• 12 History books: Joshua to Esther
• 5 Wisdom books: Job to Song of
Solomon
• 5 Major prophets: Isaiah to Daniel
• 12 Minor prophets: Hosea to
Malachi
• 1500 BC till about 400 BC
• Written in Hebrew.
• Genesis had 11 different authors
from God Himself, Adam, etc
(eyewitnesses). They were written
on clay tablets called cuneiform
(discovered in Middle East, dating
to 3500BC) with the author's
signatures on the bottom. Source
for other ancient writings.
Old Testament -history books
• Genesis, Exodus, Numbers,
Joshua cover history from creation
to Israel's entrance into the
promised land (also Job, Leviticus
(book of worship), Deuteronomy
(final instructions before entering
promised land)).
• Judges, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings
cover history from time of Judges to
the Babylonian captivity (also Ruth,
Psalms (David), Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon
(Solomon), 1(David)&2 (Solomon to
Exile) Chronicles).
• Ezra, Nehemiah cover from after
exile to the rebuilding of the walls of
Jerusalem (also Esther) Old
Testament - Prophetic books
• The following came before the
exile: Obadiah, Joel, Jonah, Amos,
Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, Nahum,
Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Jeremiah
• During the exile: Jeremiah,
Lamentations, Daniel, Ezekiel.
• After the exile: Haggai, Zechariah,
Malachi
• Different prophets lived during the
reign of different kings at different
times during Israel's history.
• The Old Testament as we have it
now was put together by Ezra,
Nehemiah and the Great
Synagogue (Haggai, Zechariah,
and Malachi) at the rebuilding of the
temple (according to most Jewish
writings). 400 Old Testament -
Compilation
• Moses commanded that all the
books of the law (Pentateuch) be
placed in the Ark of the Covenant
(Deuteronomy 31:9, 26).
• They were kept in the Ark during the
wilderness journey and during
Israel's permanent residence in
Jerusalem (2 Kings 22:8; Joshua
24:26; 1 Samuel 10:25).
• Then over time the historical and
prophetic writings were added to
the temple that Solomon built.
Solomon added his inspired
writings (Proverbs, etc.) to the
temple as well.
• Habakkuk prophesied about the
Babylonian capture and Jeremiah
prophesied before and during the
captivity. Daniel and Ezekiel's
books were also written during
captivity.
• After the exile when Ezra and
Nehemiah started rebuilding the
temple and wall of Jerusalem, they
collected all the books written so far
for the library in the second temple,
and added their own as well as
Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi
which was the last prophetic word
before the 400 years of silence until
Jesus came.
• During that time the nation backslid
very badly.
New Testament
• 5 History books: Gospels (Matthew,
Mark, Luke, John), Acts
• 21 Letters: Epistles - Romans to
Jude
• 1 book of prophecy: Revelation
• Written between
• 45 AD (James) and 95 AD
(Revelation)
• Officially canonized in 397 AD.
Were regarded as authoritive and in
use by the church long before then.
• About 6000 complete copies.
(24000 if you include partial copies)
• Most of the books name the author,
and all the books give other helpful
clues, which the book of Acts helps
us to date more accurately.
• Several statements in the Bible
indicate that the New Testament
would be written by apostles or
approved by them. Peter called
Paul's writings "scripture" (2 Peter
3:16), and Paul said he and other
apostles spoke "the word of God" (1
Thessalonians 2:13).
New Testament - Early church
• Before the close of the first century,
Clement of Rome either quoted
from or referred to more than half
the New Testament books and
called them "scripture."
• By AD 180, Irenaeus of Lyons
quoted over 1,000 passages from
all but a handful of the New
Testament books, calling them
"holy Scriptures" given by the Holy
Spirit.
• At the same time, Tertullian from
North Africa referred to the "New
Testament" and expounded on
most of it.
• Origen from Alexandria in AD 240
referred to our 27 books as
Scripture, and Athanasius used the
same list in AD 367. They used no
other books in the same way.
New Testament - Compilation
• No one sat and decided which
books should be included in the
New Testament Canon; by the time
the books were brought together as
one book, called the New
Testament, they were already
universally accepted as inspired
and were referred to as scripture.
They had been in use as the Word
of God for a couple hundred years
already.
• Many deceivers wrote false gospels
and letters, pretending that they
were written by the apostles. But
the early church leaders dismissed
them as counterfeit and unreliable.
The false gospels and letters
betrayed themselves by their late
date of composition-well beyond
the time of the apostles-and by their
teaching, which clearly conflicted
with the canonical books and the
accepted doctrines of the churches.