This article attempts to compare the mourning of the dead before burial in Archaic and Classical Greece with that in Pre-Qin China. It focuses on three main subjects of mourning before burial--lamentation, mourners＇ ...This article attempts to compare the mourning of the dead before burial in Archaic and Classical Greece with that in Pre-Qin China. It focuses on three main subjects of mourning before burial--lamentation, mourners＇ gestures and behaviors, and mourning apparel--to demonstrate the cultural function and social influence of the mourning rituals through the analysis of the function and purpose of the mourning of two ancient peoples. We find that there are some differences in these two ancient societies, although the rites of mourning share some basic and similar procedures and functions.展开更多
Pragmatic rationality and scientific and technological developments in modem society have jointly put an end to classical myth and consigned it to the historical museum of the spiritual culture. However, mythical thin...Pragmatic rationality and scientific and technological developments in modem society have jointly put an end to classical myth and consigned it to the historical museum of the spiritual culture. However, mythical thinking and consciousness are synchronically hidden in our psychological structures and still exert an important influence on civilizations and cultures. In the modem and postmodem historical and cultural context, myth hides in our spiritual and cultural activities in various altered forms. Having evolved into a mythic form in the contemporary sense, it continues to play a powerful psychological role and to act as a midwife of conscious activities and forms. Contemporary myth typically comprises science myth, consumption myth and hero myth. It has inherited the symbols and structures of traditional myth, but with some developments and variations; in particular, by means of science and technology, it has acquired broader and richer social ingredients and swift and intensive modes of transmission, producing a widespread and far-reaching influence on various aspects of society.展开更多
文摘This article attempts to compare the mourning of the dead before burial in Archaic and Classical Greece with that in Pre-Qin China. It focuses on three main subjects of mourning before burial--lamentation, mourners＇ gestures and behaviors, and mourning apparel--to demonstrate the cultural function and social influence of the mourning rituals through the analysis of the function and purpose of the mourning of two ancient peoples. We find that there are some differences in these two ancient societies, although the rites of mourning share some basic and similar procedures and functions.
文摘Pragmatic rationality and scientific and technological developments in modem society have jointly put an end to classical myth and consigned it to the historical museum of the spiritual culture. However, mythical thinking and consciousness are synchronically hidden in our psychological structures and still exert an important influence on civilizations and cultures. In the modem and postmodem historical and cultural context, myth hides in our spiritual and cultural activities in various altered forms. Having evolved into a mythic form in the contemporary sense, it continues to play a powerful psychological role and to act as a midwife of conscious activities and forms. Contemporary myth typically comprises science myth, consumption myth and hero myth. It has inherited the symbols and structures of traditional myth, but with some developments and variations; in particular, by means of science and technology, it has acquired broader and richer social ingredients and swift and intensive modes of transmission, producing a widespread and far-reaching influence on various aspects of society.
