Europe Today

What do you know?

• How many European languages do you know?

• Who are some European artists and musicians from the past?

• What authors do you know from Europe?

• What European foods do you know?

1.1 Languages and Cultures

• ½ billion people living in an area ½ the size of the United States

• 40 countries in present day Europe

• 439 languages and dialects

• 23 official languages in the European Union

Main language groups

• Romance languages– Italian, French, and Spanish

• Germanic– German, Dutch, English

• Slavic– Russian, Polish, Czech, Bulgarian

1.1 Languages

• Many countries have more than one official language ( Belgium- Dutch, French and German)

• Dialects– Regional variety of a language

1.1 Traditions

• Religion– Christianity is the dominant religion in Europe– 45% of people are catholic– Many Protestant religions– Islam is the fastest growing religion– Most holidays are based from religious beliefs– Festivals are usually based from cultural

traditions

1.1 City life

• 70% of the people of Europe live in urban areas• Cosmopolitan- many different cultures and

cultural influences are brought together• Cities are 100s of years old and have narrow,

winding streets, buildings close together and heavy populations

• Parks provide recreation areas• Most people walk, bike or use public

transportation

1.1 Language and Cultural Diversity

• Advantages– Great variety of artistic expression– Strong sense of national identities– A wide variety of ethnic cuisines

• Disadvantages– Communication– Cultural differences can cause conflicts

1.2 Art and Music

• Developed over 1000s of years

• Grew out of the artistic achievements of Greece and Rome

• Many styles and beliefs influenced art and music of Europe

1.2 Styles and Beliefs

• Humanism– Art was portrayed to represent realistic human

feature– Music portrayed the struggle of human

emotions

• Religious beliefs– Christianity main theme in art- 2 dimensional– Music was around a religious theme

1.2 Styles and Beliefs

– Renaissance is a switch to depth in paintings ( more 3 dimensional)religion still a theme, but also portraits

– Baroque Period- complex rhythms and new instruments( violin) and introduction of opera

• Nature– Romantic period – landscapes and nature

scenes– Impressionism

1.2 Styles and Beliefs

• Love– Troubadours sang of love and Knights– Classical and Romantic periods had art and

music which had more depth and used techniques still used today

1.3 Literature of Europe

• Early literature emphasized the adventure of heroes and their struggles in epics and comedies– Homer- Iliad and Odyssey– Dante- The Divine Comedy

• Middle ages focused on religion and the ruling class

1.3 Literature

• Renaissance writers focused on human behavior– Shakespeare- Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet– Miguel de Cervantes- Don Quixote

• Enlightenment writers emphasized government and reason– Voltaire and Locke wrote of individual rights

1.3 Literature

• Romantic authors focused on emotion and nature– Johann Wolfgang Von Goeth- The Sorrows of Young

Werther

– Jane Austen- Sense and Sensibility- role of women in society

– Charles Dickens- Oliver Twist- social issues

• Modern writers focus on attitudes toward life, the mind and social issues

1.4 Cuisines of Europe

• Staples of all European diet revolve around meat, bread and cheese.

• Landscape and climate influence cooking traditions– What people can grow( kinds of food)– What they harvest from the land( wild plants,

animals and fish available)– What they can produce( plants and animals)