2015年10月22日 星期四

western literature 6

Penelope
















Penelope waits twenty years for the final return of her husband, during which she devises various strategies to delay marrying one of the 108 suitors.On Odysseus's return, disguised as an old beggar, he finds that Penelope has remained faithful. She has devised tricks to delay her suitors, one of which is to pretend to be weaving a burial shroud for Odysseus's elderly father Laertes and claiming that she will choose a suitor when she has finished. Every night for three years, she undoes part of the shroud, until Melantho, one of twelve unfaithful serving women, discovers her chicanery and reveals it to the suitors.

Clytemnestra

In ancient Greek legend, she was the wife of Agamemnon, ruler of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Mycenae or Argos.

Laertes

He's the father of Odysseus.

Electra






















She was the daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra.

Electra complex

It is a girl's psychosexual competition with her mother for possession of her father.

Polyphemus



















He is the giant son of Poseidon and Thoosa in Greek mythology, one of the Cyclopes described in Odyssey. His name means "abounding in songs and legends". Polyphemus appears as a savage man-eating giant in the ninth book of Homer's Odyssey.

2015年10月15日 星期四

western literature 5

hubris

Hubris means extreme pride or self-confidence. When it offends the gods of ancient Greece, it is usually punished.

Eris






















Eris is the Greek goddess of chaos, strife, and discord. 

Iris






















Iris is the personification of the rainbow and messenger of the gods. 

Cuneiform


















Cuneiform is one of the earliest systems of writing, distinguished by its wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets, made by means of a blunt reed for a stylus. The name cuneiform itself simply means "wedge shaped".

Hieroglyphic





















Hieroglyphic is a formal writing system used by the ancient Egyptians that combined logographic and alphabetic elements. 

Words
Ver,vir- true
Verify, virtual, veritas




2015年10月10日 星期六

western literature 4

Hephaestus























Hephaestus is the Greek god of blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, metallurgy,fire and volcanoes. Hephaestus' Roman equivalent is Vulcan. 

Epic poetry























Epic poetry is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation.

Invulnerable
Incapable of being wounded, hurt, or damaged.

Words
Voke- to call
Provoke, evoke
Com- with, together
Combat
Oct- eight

Octopus

2015年10月3日 星期六

western literature 3

Achilles' heel


















An Achilles heel is a weakness in spite of overall strength, which can actually or potentially lead to downfall.

River Styx

 A deity and a river that formed the boundary between earth and the underworld.

Penelope





















Penelope is the faithful wife of Odysseus.

Io

















Io is a priestess of the Goddess Hera in Argos. A mortal woman, she was seduced by the god Zeus and then transformed by him into a heifer to escape the jealousy of his wife, Hera.

Nymph

Nymph is a minor female nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from other goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing.

Ceres(Demeter)






















Ceres is a goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships.

Persepone(Cora)






















Persepone is the daughter of Zeus and the harvest goddess Demeter, and is the queen of the underworld.

Hades(Pluto)






















Hades is the king of underworld.

Climax















In medias res

A tale beginning in medias res  opens in the midst of action. 

Homeric epithet

A characteristic of Homer's style is the use of epithets, as in "rosy-fingered" dawn or "swift-footed" Achilles. Epithets are used because of the constraints of the dactylic hexameter (i.e., it is convenient to have a stockpile of metrically fitting phrases to add to a name) and because of the oral transmission of the poems; they are mnemonic aids to the singer and the audience alike. It is the descriptive tag frequently attached to a character's name called.

Invocation

As a supplication or prayer it implies to call upon gods, a person, etc. When a person calls gods to ask for something (protection, a favour, his/her spiritual presence in a ceremony, etc.) or simply for worship, this can be done in a pre-established form or with the invoker's own words or actions. An example of a pre-established text for an invocation is the Lord's Prayer.

Flashback

A flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point in the story.

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing or guessing ahead is a literary device by which an author hints what is to come. It is used to avoid disappointment. It is also sometimes used to arouse the reader.

Word

Metamorphoses:a series of mythological tales or legends in verse.
mor- form