Spring 2006

1
Spring 2006 HISTORY 102-2D WESTERN
CIVILIZATION EARLY MODERN to the PRESENT Prof.
Andrew Keitt
Portion of  "The Allegory of Painting" by
Vermeer (1666-1667) Vienna, Kunsthistorisches
Museum
2
The three estates those who pray (clergy), those
who fight (aristocrats), and those who work
(peasants)
3
(No Transcript)
4
(No Transcript)
5
(No Transcript)
6
Michaelmas Feast of St. Michael. A common day
for beginning leases, rendering accounts, and
paying annual dues.
7
(No Transcript)
8
Halloween typical mixture of old paganism and
Christianity All Saints Day Nov. 1st All
Souls Day Nov. 2nd
9
(No Transcript)
10
(No Transcript)
11
Christmas celebrated on the old feast of the
winter solstice beginning in 4th century.
12
(No Transcript)
13
(No Transcript)
14
Carnival last day before Lent, Shrove Tuesday
(Mardi gras), features themes of inversion, "the
world turned upside down, where fools and idiots
rule. Customs varied from place to place, but the
"Abbeys of Misrule, the election of a "boy
bishop" who would hand out play money and
dispense satirical justice appear in many towns.
15
(No Transcript)
16
Easter Christs resurrection celebrated as a
moveable feast which could fall on any Sunday
from March 22 to April 25. Easter is derived
from Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon fertility goddess
(Easter eggs).
17
(No Transcript)
18
(No Transcript)
19
Pentecost celebrates the descent of the Holy
Spirit on the apostles. 50 days after
Easter. Mayday ancient pagan holiday of
Beltaine, the beginning of summer. It was
celebrated by dancing around maypoles and going
into the woods to gather greenery for garlands.
20
(No Transcript)
21
Midsummer June 24, feast of John the Baptist.
Pagan origins. Flaming torches, wheels of fire
22
(No Transcript)
23
(No Transcript)
24
Lammas from Anglo-Saxon loaf mass. Celebrated
beginning of the grain harvest
25
(No Transcript)
26
(No Transcript)
27
Q What held this all together? A Ritual!
28

• The Ritual Basis of Communal Life
• - Ritual and the manorial system
• - Ritual and law

29
Ritual is

• Ceremonial
• Hierarchical
• Repetitive
• Traditional
• Communal

30
Medieval society -Corporate -Catholic -Hierarchic
al -Oral -Personal (oaths of loyalty) -Ritualistic
/traditional -De-centralized (local)
Modern society -Individualistic -Pluralistic -
Egalitarian -Literate -Impersonal
(contracts) -Rational/progressive -Centralized
(national)
31
Postmodern society -Doubts about the autonomy of
the individual -Multicultural, relativist -Mass
politics, propaganda -Mass media, virtual
reality -Alienation, absurdity -Irrationalism/doub
ts about progress -End of the nation-state?
Modern society -Individualistic -Pluralistic -Ega
litarian -Literate -Impersonal (contracts) -Ration
al/progressive -Centralized (national)
32
Medieval