Date of Award
6-2014
Document Type
Open Access
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Classics
Second Department
Modern Languages and Literatures
First Advisor
Hans Mueller
Language
English
Keywords
divinity, classics, mythology, intervention, folklore
Abstract
This thesis explores the reasons for divine intervention in Greek, Roman, and Japanese literature and how it impacts the cultures and traditions of ancient Greece,Rome, and Japan. In the first chapter, I discuss the main motivations of divine intervention in human affairs in Homer’s Iliad. In the second chapter, I examine the lack of divine intervention in Lucan’s Bellum Civile and the changing attitudes toward the role of divinities. In the third chapter, I examine divine intervention in both the ancient mythology and contemporary folklore of Japan, and ask whether or not we can find its impact on traditional values incorporated in the country’s culture. I selected these three areas because divinities play a crucial role in the literature of all three civilizations. For ancient Greece and Rome, the epic genre taught values and traditions that many took seriously. For Japan, its mythology is considered history and important to the nation’s identity. I conclude this thesis with a comparison of all three civilizations and the meaning of divine intervention in literature as a general concept.
Recommended Citation
Garcia, Christian, "Japan and the Ancient Western Classics: The Role of Divine Intervention in Greek Roman and Japanese Literature" (2014). Honors Theses. 524.
https://digitalworks.union.edu/theses/524