Reference no: EM132880437

Question 1: European monarchs followed the example of Louis XIV and one of them is well described in your book, Frederick William of Prussia aka Frederick the Great. What does his palace Sans Souci and what we know about him personally, tell us about the way he saw his world and promoted his power? Frederick the Great was an aggressive monarch who built his kingdom into what would become the German nation.
Your book makes the point that, in many ways, Classical music is a reaction against the Rococo and its wild exuberance. Why did symphonic orchestras form at this time? What composers used this form to express a new world view? How does Classical music reflect Enlightenment thinking?

Question 2: The ancient artwork traditions of China and Japan began to enter the European world as European trade became a huge business and cultural exchange. Europe fell in love with what came to be known as chinoiserie. The reality is that China was an ancient and quite advanced civilization, scientifically far ahead of the West in many ways. What Europeans saw as exotic artifacts from a mysterious land reflected the many cultural traditions that melded to form Chinese culture in the 18th Century. What are some examples of chinoiserie and other artifacts of Asian culture that became so popular in Western Europe? Why were Europeans so enthusiastic about anything Asian? Why do you think Europeans were so arrogant about their self-conceived superiority?