Good Afternoon

Opening Prayer
 European Literature
“The decline of literature indicates the decline of a nation.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Leaning Objectives:
At the completion of this topic, the students must be able
to:

 Identify what is European Literature

 Understand the history of European literature
 Examine the relationship of the text and history
 Analyze representative text from different continents
 Introduction to European Literature
Europe is one of the seven
traditional continents of the Earth.
Physically and geologically , Europe
is the westernmost peninsula of
Eurasia, west of Asia.
 European Literature

 also known as Western literature

 is the literature written in the context of Western culture in the
languages of Europe, as several geographically or historically
related languages.
European Literature

 Diverse as they are, European literatures, like Indo-

European languages, are parts of a common heritage
belonging to a race of proud nations which boast the likes
of Homer who wrote Iliad and Odyssey, Virgil who wrote
the Aeneid, Dante who wrote Divine Comedy, Chaucer
who wrote Canterbury Tales. 
 European Literature
 The common literary heritage is essentially that originating in ancient Greece and
Rome. It was preserved, transformed, and spread by Christianity and thus
transmitted to the vernacular languages of the European Continent, the Western
Hemisphere, and other regions that were settled into by the Europeans. To the
present day, this body of writing displays a unity in its main features that sets it
apart from the literatures of the rest of the world.
The Divisions of European Literature

 Ancient
 Medieval
 Renaissance
 17th Century
 18th Century
 19th Century
 Ancient Literature

 covers the five ancient civilizations

of Babylonia, Assyria, Egypt, Greece, and Rome i
ncluding the culture of the Israelites in Palestine
 The Epic of Gilgamesh – the world’s oldest epic
 The Holy Bible – the sacred scriptures of Jews
 Iliad and Odyssey – the epics of Greece
 Medieval Literature

 The Fall of the Roman Empire marked the beginning

of the Medieval or Middle Ages. Also known as Dark
Ages, due to the prevailing conditions during this
period, barbarian invasion and Muslim conquests
marked this era. Wars, famine, plagues and decline in
culture and learning.
 Canterbury Tales – Geoffrey Chaucer
 Divine Comedy – Alighieri Dante
 Beowulf – Anglo-Saxon tradition
Alighieri Dante
Renaissance Literature

 The term Renaissance (rebirth or revival) is given to

the historical period in Europe that succeeded the
Middle Ages.
 marked the reawakening of a new spirit of intellectual
and artistic inquiry, which was the dominant feature of
this political, religious, and philosophical
phenomenon, was essentially a revival of the spirit of
ancient Greece and Rome.
 17th Century Literature

  this period is also known as Age of Reason.

 period of unceasing disturbance and violent
storms, no less in literature than in politics and
society.
 The Tragedies – William Shakespeare
 Don Quixote – Miguel De Cervantes
18th Century Literature
 The 18th century was marked by two main
impulses: reason and passion.
 In literature the rational impulse fostered satire, argument, wit,
plain prose. The other inspired the psychological novel and the
poetry of the sublime. Novel and satire were born in this perio
 Candide – Voltaire
 A Tale of the Tub – Jonathan Swift
19th Century Literature

 Influences that had their origins or were in

development in this period
– Romanticism, Symbolism, Realism.
 Anton Chekhov – Cherry Orchard
 George Eliot – Middlemarch
20th Century Literature

 features an interest in the unconscious and

the irrational was reflected in their work and that of
others of about this time.
 L. Frank Baum – Wizard of Oz
 Rudyard Kipling – Jungle Book
 T.S. Eliot – The Waste Land
 SILK
by Alessandro Baricco
Italy
OBJECTIVE
S:
• identify the two basic types of
communication and it gives
life to the literary piece
• examine the relationship of
the text and history
• appreciate the cultural
diversity presented in the
literary piece
 Research Relay
 Find out about body language and their meanings
across cultures. Research how different cultures
show politeness, greetings, love.
French Culture
American Culture
Japanese Culture
Arabian Culture
 Save your work in our MS Teams Assignment.
 SILK
by Alessandro Baricco
Italy
 Alessandro Baricco

 Italy's most famous contemporary writer.

 Silk, which became an immediate best seller in
Italy, has been translated into 16 languages,
including Japanese. 
 Writer, music and cultural critic
 Alessandro Baricco

 Italy's most famous contemporary writer.

 Silk, which became an immediate best seller in
Italy, has been translated into 16 languages,
including Japanese. 
 Writer, music and cultural critic
Background Knowledge:

Sakoku
 Sakoku
The Isolation

 Lasted for 200 years, from early 17th century to 1854.

 They did this because they mistrusted the foreign traders they came in contact
with and were suspicious of Christian missionaries as well.
Matthew C. Perry
Forced japan to open their shores to foreign
trade and diplomacy.
Treaty of Peace and Amity
 Japanese Silkworms

 According to Ayako Mie (2014),

“Silk became one of the nation’s most important exports after the Tokugawa
Shogunate dropped its policy of Isolation in 1854.”

Let’s watch this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqFm_7KyfHI
 “Silk”
ALESSANDRO BARRICO
What do you think of the
concept of love at first
sight?
Is it possible to fall in love with someone even if
you don’t share a common language and culture?
Do actions really speak
louder than words?
 “Silk”
ALESSANDRO BARRICO
HERVE
JONCOUR
The Young Girl
Hara Kei
What do you think they are experiencing, love or lust? Why?
There seems to be a whole different conversation going into the two character without any work spoken. How are
they able to communicate?
What does the cup symbolize?
Do you find this text romantic? Why or why not?
What does this reveal about the possible attractions of being with someone from
different place?
What ate the non-verbal ways to show
one’s love?
 Why is non-verbal
communication important in
literature?
References:

 https://salirickandres.altervista.org/introduction-european-literature/
 https://www.goodmantheatre.org/artists-archive/creative-partners/playwrights/alessandro-
baricco/
 REX Publication, 21st Century Literature, Uychoco 2016