WorldLiterature Flashcards
The coming of Jesus (either in the Incarnation of biblical times or in the 2nd coming at the end of the world); also a time observed in December to prepare for Christmas
Advent
Plays that stress the illogical or irrational aspects of experience, usually to show the pointlessness of modern life.
theater of the absurd
A group of leaders in the literature and thought of France, supported by the govmt of France and sets standards for use of the French language.
French Academy
School of philosphy established by Plato in Athens, one of Greece’s first colleges, Aristotle went there, the Academy continued in operation for several hundred years
Plato’s Academy
“The Boy Who Cried Wolf”, “the Fox and the Grapes”, “The Tortoise and the Hare”
Aesop’s fables
Slave who lived from 620 to 560 BC, a fabulist
Aesop
“_____ and the Forty Thieves” a story from the “Arabian Nights”, he gains access to the cave with treasure of the thieves by saying “Open, sesame”
Ali Baba
The Amish broke away from this group in the 17th century
Mennonites
Cultural group formed by early German-speaking immigrants, known for lots of foods such as “shoo-fly pie”, “funnel cakes”, putting the hole in the doughnut, and putting hex signs above their barns
Pennsylvania Dutch
group of churches historically based in the Church of England, combines Catholic and Protestant elements (e.g. they have bishops, but don’t accept the authority of the pope)
Anglican Communion
Most influential theologian of Middle Ages, saint of the Roman Catholic Church, reconciled faith and reason, listed the 7 deadly sins
Thomas Aquinas
“Summa Theologica”, in one section he discusses 5 ways to attempt to prove that there is a God
Thomas Aquinas
To prevent her execution, she tells a new story every night for 1001 days to her husband the sultan
Scheherazade
Also called “The Thousand and One Nights”, features Alladin, Ali Baba, and Sinbad the sailor
Arabian Nights
“The Seven Voyages of ____”
Sinbad the Sailor
Ancient greek dramatist 445-385 BC, author of comedies “The Clouds”, “The Frogs”, and “Lysistrata”, called “The Father of Comedy”
Aristophanes
Phileas Fogg
Around the World in Eighty Days (1873)
Jules Verne
Around the World in Eighty Days (1873)
Christian teacher 354-430 AD, first major medieval philospher, blended Plato and Christian thought, dramatic conversion to Christianity, became a bishop and a saint, wrote “The City of God” and his autobiography “Confessions”
Saint Augustine (also Augustine of Hippo)
the incarnation of a Hindu God (the Buddha is a ___ of the god Vishnu)
avatar
religion which advocates universal peace and spiritual unit of humankind, founded in Persia in 1863, main hub in Haifa
Bahaism (followers of Baha’i faith)
French author who wrote “The Human Comedy”, a collection of 91 stories, novels, and essays about French society during the French Restoration
Honore de Balzac
Jewish ceremony marking the beginning of religious responsibility for Jewish boys of 13 (and the less popular version for girls is called ___)
bar mitzvah (male) / bat mitzvah (female)
Irish-born French absurdist author, wrote “Waiting for Godot” 1953 play (where Godot never shows up)
Samuel Beckett
Russian playwright of “The Cherry Orchard” play (1904), “The Three Sisters” (1901) play, and “Dyadya Vanya (Uncle Vanya)” play, and short stories
Anton Chekhov
founded Christian Science, a religion that believes that sickness and sin can be overcome by prayer (many refuse medical treatment), also founded the newspaper “Christian Science Monitor”
Mary Baker Eddy
A Roman orator, writer, and statesman known for his speeches to the Roman Senate, executed by Mark Antony for badmouthing him
Cicero
alphabet used for writing the Russian language and several related languages, most letters differ from the Latin alphabet
Cyrillic alphabet
reasoning from the general to the specific (or more accurately the movement from a premis to an absolutely certain conclusion), used by mathematical induction
deductive reasoning
reasoning from specific instances to predict general principles (strong argument, but does not have to be absolutely certain)
inductive reasoning
___ is an established church in England, ___ in Scandinavian countries, ___ in Scotland
Church of England, Lutheran Church, Presbyterian Church
Worst of the 3 Greek dramatists, wrote “Medea” play (431 BC)
Euripides
movement that stresses that people are entirely free and therefore responsible for what they make of themselves, Simon Kierkegaard, Dostoyevsky, Jean-Paul Sartre, Martin Heidegger, Albert Camus
existentialism
A scheming Spanish barber, “The Marriage of ___” opera by Mozart and “The Barber of Seville” by Gioacchino Rossini are about him
Figaro
French author of “Madame Bovary” (1856), went on trial for offensiveness of immoral female lead (acquitted), led naturalism/realism in French literature
Gustave Flaubert
Italian saint, created the nativity scene, known for his love of nature and animals, helping those in poverty, two major US cities named after him
St. Francis of Assisi (Santa Fe and San Francisco), followers are called Franciscans
men’s fraternal organization (secret society) with some religious aspects, claim descent from the builders of the Temple in Jerusealem, organize in lodges, many famous people (Mozart, Ben Franklin, George Washington)
Freemasons
Scottish philosopher known for his skepticism and empiricism, belief that sense and experience are the sole foundation of knowledge, wrote “A Treatise of Human Nature” (1739), his writings awoke Immanuel Kant from his dogmatic slumber
David Hume
19th century Danish philosopher, the father of existentialism
Soren Kierkegaard
list basic tenets of kosher foods
animals have to have hooves and chew their cud (excludes pork), no mixing of dairy products and meat, no shellfish
Wrote “On Liberty” essay (1859) in defense of the liberal idea of political freedom, utilitarian (action is right if it promotes more happiness)
John Stuart Mill
unleavened bread resembling a large cracker, used by Jews I place of yeast bread during Passover (God told Jews to eat unleavened bread, rather than delay their departure from Egypt by waiting for bread to rise)
matzo
Brothers Charles and John Wesley founded this Protestant denomination
Methodist
17th century French playwright, nom de plume of Jean Baptiste Poquelin, France’s greatest comic dramatist
Moliere
French equivalent to the Tony Awards are named after this French playwright, supported by Louis XIV (he was godfather to his son)
Moliere
best known for his comedies of satire “Tartuffe”, “The Misanthrope”, “The School of Husbands”, “The School for Wives”, “The Miser”, “The Bourgeois Gentlemen”, died while playing title role in his play “The Imaginary Invalid”
Moliere
19th century German philosopher, asserted “God is dead” and opposed Christianity, developed concept of “Superman”, a superior human being not bounded by right and wrong,
Friedrich Nietzsche
wrote “Thus Spake Zarathustra” (where he introduced the idea of Superman) (also a piece by ____ featured in 2001: A Space Odyssey)
Friedrich Nietzsche, Richard Strauss
17th century French mathematician, scientist, and philsopher, has a theorem, law, unit of pressure, programming language, and triangle named after him
Blaise Pascal
20th century Russian author and poet, wrote “Doctor Zhivago” which Soviet censors refused to publish, but was published in English and Italian, won 1958 Nobel Prize in literature but was forced to reject it
Boris Pasternak
this used by alchemists was thought to be capable of chanting other metals into gold or improve your health
philospher’s stone
French author of series of 7 novels called “Remembrance of Things Past” (or “In Search of Lost Time”) (1913-1927)
Marcel Proust
16th century French writer, wrote “Gargantua and Pantagruel” (1532) about two giants, known for grotesque and bawdy humor
Francois Rebelais
18th century French author, notorious for his works dealing with sexual perversity, was jailed in the Bastille for cruel acts and sexual behavior, fought in the 7 years war, played by Gregory Rush in “Quills”, died in an asylum
Marquis de Sade
20th century French writer and aviator, wrote “The Little Prince” (1943) a metaphorical fairy tale about a desert-stranded pilot and a wandering child from another planet
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
the language of ancient India (1500 - 600 BC), one of the oldest languages, primary language of Hinduism and Buddhism, not spoken commonly anymore (although is listed as an official language of India), (e.g. Buddha = englightened one in this language)
Sanskrit
20th century French philosopher, father of existentialism, wrote “Being and Nothingness” (1943) and the “No Exit” play (1944), won Nobel Prize in Literature in 1964 but refused
Jean-Paul Sartre
“Yentl” with Barbra Streisand was based a story by this Polish-born 20th century American novelist, critic, and journalist, won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1978
Isaac Bashevis Singer
Play (and a movie with Barbara Streisand) about a Jewish girl in Poland who dresses like a man so she can study the Talmud under Jewish law after her father dies, features song “Papa, Can You Hear Me?”
Yentl
20th Russian author, imprisoned 8 years in a gulag labor camp for writing critical of Stalin (wrote “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” (1962) about an inmate based on his experiences), wrote “The Gulag Archipelago” (1973) which led to his deporation
Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn
In Juadism, a house of worship
synagogue
Hindu God known as the Preserver, has appeared as Krishna and as the Buddha
Vishnu
the general moral, iltellectual, and cultural climate of an era (e.g. the ___ of England during the Victorian period was a belief in Industrial progress)
zeitgeist
