Category Arts & Culture

What is an encyclopaedia? What does it contain? When did the concept evolve?

The word 'encyclopaedia originates from the Greek term enkuklios paideia, which means general education. Though the concept of an encyclopaedia existed since ancient times, the term came to be used only in the 1500s.

An encyclopaedia is a voluminous body of reference work containing general information about a range of topics or on various aspects of one particular subject. The information is contained in the form of articles, which are arranged alphabetically, in a single book or in a series of volumes. To access the information. one has to look up the topic, as one would do in a dictionary.

Ancient Volume

Pliny the Elder's Naturalis Historia, an encyclopaedia of 37 books covering natural history. geography, medicine, architecture and many other facets of the ancient world, is an important work of the Roman Empire to have survived to the modern day.

Pliny the Elder, a Roman scholar, was a naval and army commander of the Roman Empire in the first century AD. In his spare time, he studied books written by experts on various subjects. Based on his research, he compiled the Naturalis Historia, an encyclopaedia of 37 books covering natural history, geography, medicine, architecture and many other facets of the ancient world. The encyclopaedia is an important work of the Roman Empire to have survived to the modern day. It listed 20,000 facts from 2000 different works by 100 authors. Pliny's tome became the model for modem encyclopaedias -it laid the ground rules for providing in-depth knowledge about the subject matter, reference of original authors and detailed indexed lists of the contents.

John Harris, a London clergyman, introduced the concept of the alphabetical order in modern encyclopaedias in his work Lexicon Technicum (1704).

Oriental tome

Classic Chinese encyclopaedias documented the economic, social, cultural and political history of the land. One of the largest encyclopaedias in the world was commissioned by the Chinese Ming emperor Yongle in 1403. Two thousand scholars worked tirelessly for five years to compile 22.937 manuscript rolls into 11,095 volumes. Given the vastness of the encyclopaedia, it could not be block-printed and hence only three handwritten copies were made. Only 400 volumes of the original manuscripts have survived. They are preserved in national libraries and private collections around the world.

The modern age

The modern encyclopaedia with its systematically organised information appeared around the 18th Century.

One of the first general encyclopaedias in English was the popular Cyclopaedia, or a Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (1728), produced by Ephraim Chambers. It provided cross-references to the alphabetically arranged articles, making it easier for the reader to access relevant information.

The Encyclopédie, edited by Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert is a landmark in the history of encyclopaedias. What was originally meant to be a French translation of Cyclopaedia turned out to be a significant literary work reflecting the essence of French Enlightenment.

Published between 1751 and 1780, it featured contributions of leading French thinkers such as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu. The Encyclopédie had a tremendous impact on society in the years leading up to the French Revolution (1789).

The Encyclopædia Britannica was first printed between 1768-71 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The edition consisted of three volumes with 2,391 pages. Over time, it expanded to include over 30 volumes covering 50,000 topics.

Britannica published its 15th and final edition in 2010. Now its encyclopaedic knowledge is available exclusively in digital formats

To date, Encyclopædia Britannica is seen as an excellent reference book in the world of general encyclopaedias.

Personalities such as Walter Scott, Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie and Harry Houdini have contributed articles to it. The last edition featured contributions of Desmond Tutu and Bill Clinton.

QUICK FACTS

*The Encyclopædia Britannica was first printed between 1768 and 1771 in Edinburgh, Scotland. It consisted of three volumes with 2,391 pages.

* Over time, it expanded to include over 30 volumes covering 50,000 topics.

*The Encyclopedia Britannica published its 15th and final edition in 2010. Now its encyclopaedic knowledge is available exclusively in digital formats.

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Will Parthenon Marbles return to Greece?

 

Speculation has been intensifying over recent months that a deal could be struck to return some of the marble sculptures, which have been on display in the British Museum since 1832 after being controversially stripped from the Parthenon by Lord Elgin, a British diplomat.

Thomas Bruce, the seventh Earl of Elgin, became British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in 1799. In 1801, he negotiated what he claimed was permission from the Turks – who then controlled Athens – to remove statues from the Parthenon.

The British Museum maintains that Elgin was an official diplomat and had acted with the permission of Turkish authorities. Greece argues that the Turks were a foreign force acting against the will of the people they had invaded.

The Marbles which were taken to Britain include about a half-around 75 metres – of the sculpted frieze that once ran all round the building, plus 17 life-sized marble figures from its pediments and 15 of the 92 metopes, or sculpted panels, originally displayed high up above its columns.

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Play of geometry and layers

The intricate mola panels of Panama are created by the indigenous people of Kuna, using the reverse applique technique.

There was a time when the indigenous Kuna people of Panama wore little clothing and covered their bodies instead with elaborate and colourful body art. With the passage of time, when they began wearing clothes, they transferred the workmanship to their textiles, giving rise to the handmade textile art of mola.

Mola panels are made using the reverse applique technique. Layers of different-coloured cotton cloth (up to seven layers) are sewn together. Then each layer is cut out in a pattern, revealing the cloth underneath. The largest pattern is cut out from the topmost layer, with progressively small designs being cut out from the lower layers. The edges of each layer are folded and sewn down with fine, almost invisible stitches. The beauty of the mola lies in the intricacy of the design and the finesse of the sewing.

Molas are characterised by vibrant colours and complex geometric patterns. They are often hailed as ‘living history books’ as the designs reflect the Kuna symbols of nature and their culture. The traditional costume of the Kuna woman includes a blouse adorned with mola panels.

FACT FILE

*Molas are characterised by vibrant colours and complex geometric patterns.

*They are often hailed as ‘living history books’ as the designs reflect the Kuna symbols of nature and their culture.

Picture Credit : Google 

What is the purpose of Yann Martel in writing the story of ‘Life of Pi’?

“One of the reasons I started writing Life of Pi is, I was struck how in the 2000s there could still be gods around. After all the triumphs of science and technology, how could people still believe in gods… Hence, I wrote Life of Pi, to try to understand that phenomenon called faith, where you believe despite having no proof. So Life of Pi was just defending the act of love that is the more positive manifestation of religion.” ….. Yann Martel..

Canadian author Yann Martel’s Life of Pi is a fantasy adventure novel that explores how faith can help one cope with tragedy. Lolita Chakrabarti’s stage adaptation of this Booker Prize-winning novel is said to open on Broadway next year. Let’s revisit this story and see what makes it a modern classic.

About the Author

Yann Martel was born in Salamanca, Spain on June 25, 1963, to Canadian parents. Growing up, his family moved a lot and lived in various countries such as Spain, Costa Rica, France, Mexico, and the U.S. Martel completed his secondary education in Canada at Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario, and went on to study at Trent University and Concordia. University, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy.

Although he has written and published many books, including The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios and Other Stories (1993) and Self (1996), he is best known for his Booker Prize-winning novel Life of Pi. It was directed and produced by Ang Lee for the big screen in 2012 and won four academy awards. Best Director and Best Visual Effects in 2013.

It was recently revealed that a stage version of Martel’s fantasy adventure novel is under way to grace the Broadway stage next year, beginning preview performances in March 2023, at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre ahead of opening night on March 30, 2023.

Life of Pi

Life of Pi is a curious mix of zoology and theology that explores the matters of the soul. The author says that the idea for the novel dawned on him while he was backpacking in India in 1997.

Life of Pi is the story of a multi-religious Indian teenager called Piscine Molitor Patel (which he shortens to Pi Patel), who was born and raised in Pondicherry, in a family that owns and operates a zoo. This novel narrates Pi’s recollection of the 227 days he was shipwrecked with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker in the Pacific Ocean.

What makes it a modern classic?

The meaning of Pi

Pi’s name serves a dual-purpose in the book. For our protagonist it is a symbol of home – a safe haven that shields one from the unchartered territory that is the outside world. But at the same time, the mathematical value of Pi is an irrational number, which no one can completely decipher. It also stands in as a metaphor for life in general which is a blend of the rational (such as science and reason) and the (such as our faiths and beliefs).

“In that illusive irrational number with which scientists try to understand the truth of the universe, I found refuge.” – Pi says in the book about the mathematical symbol.

A novel of questions

This book is full of spiritual references, poetic visual imagery, and questions no one seems to have definite answers for even though they are an inseparable part of the human experience. Questions about faith and the relativity of truth are at the core of Pi’s story.

Even though Life of Pi starts off as a story that “will make you believe in God”, it challenges the idea of blind faith. It is a testament to the fact that faith that is rooted in love is never threatened by doubt sprouted by seemingly insurmountable challenges one faces while riding the wave of life. Pi’s journey endorses that religion is a personalised spiritual extension of oneself that is flexible,ever-evolving, and seasoned with one’s experiences in the world.

This is further clarified by this statement Pi makes in the book “Doubt is useful, it keeps faith a living thing. After all, you cannot know the strength of your faith until it is tested.”

The power of storytelling

The value of compelling storytelling is engrained in Pi’s story from the very beginning of the novel with the author’s note that makes it seem as if we are about to read an actual interview documented by the writer, blurring the line between fact and fiction.

Pi is an excellent storyteller who defines fiction as “selective transformation of reality” that allows one to bring forth the essence of an experience to communicate a deeper meaning. He uses story telling as a means of survival while presenting his account of the sea voyage to the Japanese officials who visit him in the hospital. They expect to hear the factual account of how the ship sank but are presented a fantastical tale with animals. When the novel’s end discloses a transcript from the same interrogation revealing an alternate version of Pi’s account where the animals are replaced by other human survivors, it reiterates how our protagonist is using storytelling as a means to make sense of and deal with the trauma of the horrible things he witnessed and partook in to survive on that lifeboat.

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Which is the longest opera?

Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg (“The Master-Singers of Nuremberg”) by Richard Wagner, is a musical drama in three acts. Musical dramas are called operas and this one is the longest opera that is commonly performed. It takes nearly four and a half hours without any breaks. It was first performed on 21 June 1868 at the National Theatre in Munich.

The plot of this opera is set in Nuremberg in the mid-16th century, when it was a free imperial city. Nuremberg was also one of the centres of the Renaissance in Northern Europe. The story revolves around the city’s group of Master Singers, also known as Meistersinger, which is an association of amateur poets and musicians. These men were primarily master craftsmen of various other trades. The master singers, just like in their craft, had developed a craftsman-like approach to music-making. They developed an intricate system of rules for composing and performing songs. The opera is built on this time in history and the traditions of these master singers. One of the main characters of the opera is the cobbler-poet Hans Sachs, who was the most famous of the master-singers in that era.

Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg holds a very special place in Wagner’s career.

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What is special about Nagash painting of Saudi Arabia?

Get to know about the nagash painting of Saudi Arabia. Nagash painting, also known as Al-Qatt Al-Asiri, adorns the interior walls of traditional Arabic homes.

Tradition in Saudi Arabia dictates that the man builds the house and the woman decorates it. The women of the Asir province express their creativity by painting frescos on the interior walls of their homes. Known as Al-Qatt Al-Asiri, the traditional folk art form is recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. The paintings are paintings are also called nagash in Arabic.

The white gypsum walls provide the broad canvas for the home artists. They draw geometric lines, triangles, squares, diagonals and tree-like patterns in bright hues of blues, greens, yellows and reds. The patterns reflect the cultural and weaving heritage of the communities. While some communities draw simple open designs, others make more complex patterns edged with a black outline, adding structure to the design. Traditionally, the women used natural colours-yellow colour was extracted from  turmeric, black from coal, blue from indigo dye and green from grass. They used brushes made from camel or goat hair. Often, the painting is a communal affair where the ladies of the house invite their female guests to contribute in the beautification of the nagash.

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