Cultural Perspective: Love And Death Of Chinese And Western Elegies

Because of the difference of culture,geographical position,historical tradition and economic structure between east and west, Chinese elegy and western elegy reflect different love points,marital points and thanatopsis. By way of parallel research method, the thesis studied the two's difference in culture attitude combining with specific text of elegies. They had similarities and differences to love. In expression of love mode, in the influence of Confucianism, the former represented implicitly and introvert; the latter appeared directly and riot in coincided to the opening-up culture. To the marital point, the former was bound by Chinese ethics, the elegies took their wives in moral system; the latter embodied the Greece democracy and Christian culture, the elegies gave great praises to their wives' appearance and their heart and soul when it was served as single unit. At the same time, it paid attention to the married couple that they clicked each other, given the wives had independent status. In the thanatopsis, the former was affected by Confucianism who was attended in active practice and little exclaimed the world beyond death. So the elegies represented strong earthly complex. All together, they were stuck with shadow of death. They looked death as the end of life so that couldn't overrun tragedy of death. The latter was influenced by western medieval European views of nature and religious view. They considered death as lives natural course or the main approach to the heaven. With calmly and optimistic attitude to the world beyond death, the elegies presented Unconstraint which beyond live or die.