Status
Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Description
Literary Criticism. Nonfiction. HTML: Daunted by the "great big books" of the Western canon? Looking for the same pleasures, satisfactions, and insights from books that are shorter, more accessible, and less dependent on classical references and difficult language than tomes such as Moby-Dick and Ulysses ? The truth is that there are so many works that are just as engaging, just as enjoyable, and - most important - just as insightful about great human themes and ideas as anything you'd encounter on a college-level reading list. These 12 highly rewarding lectures offer you an introduction to 12 works that redefine what great literature is and how it can reveal startling truths about life-all without being such a chore to read. Here you'll discover alternatives to the traditional "great books" - Dead Souls as an alternative to War and Peace , and The Master and Margarita as an alternative to Faust . You'll also encounter books from genres that traditionally fall outside the purview of the Western canon. For example, you'll learn how John le Carré's The Spy Who Came In from the Cold transforms the spy novel into serious literature, and how Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons injects the comic-book format with a startling level of realism. Professor Voth excels at both unpacking the significance of a literary work and instilling excitement for it, be it a novella, a collection of short stories, or a play. If you're new to these works, he will have you running to your nearest bookstore or library to discover what you've been missing. And if you've already encountered some of these books, you'll be eager to revisit them and explore what you may have missed on your first reading.… (more)
User reviews
This The Great Courses class consists of twelve thirty- minute lectures which suggests alternatives for those who might struggle with literary canons, but would like to read something comparable, but a
The first part sticks to substitutions for specific hallowed literary canons, such as "War and Peace", while the second half explores more contemporary literature that should perhaps be on a list of great books because they offer us many of the same benefits as reading the classic canons.
The twelve books explored are as follows:
Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren
Angels in America by Tony Kushner
Slouching Towards Bethlehem – Joan Didion
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Death of an Expert Witness by P.D. James
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold- John le Carre
Watchmen- by Alan Moore
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
A long while back, I received a recommendation to try out The Great Courses, which I accepted, and have been a fan ever since.
When I stumbled across this series of lectures, I was looking for another course on grammar. I was struck by the title of the series- and after reading the description I immediately checked it out instead.
Despite the impression the title might give, the series does not question or dispute any of the great books or Harvard literary canons. However, the professor offers book suggestions to readers, which will cover the same basic themes, but are shorter, and easier to retain.
The author gives a breakdown of each book, exploring the main themes and similarities between it and a comparable literary canon, or classic.
I loved the way the professor approached the lectures, his tone and occasional humor. I also appreciated that he realizes some books that are considered literary greats are hard for many people to complete, much less digest, and that guilt for not having read them, is not necessary. One does not have to read Dickens in a continuous loop to get the same literary quality in a story.
So, if you are looking to read more literary novels, but find the canons daunting- this lecture will point you in the direction of some nice substitutions that will assuage any guilt for not reading more literary novels.
Plus, the professor makes it clear that there are many great books out there that explore important themes and gives us a glimpse of life from many different perspectives, but does not fall into the literary category.
The second half of this lecture proves that, and you can bet that for once I was the one with a smug feeling when the author included a spy novel, a graphic novel, and a mystery novel on the list.
Overall, this is an interesting series of lectures, that not only introduces readers to important books outside of literary canons, it also promotes the joy of reading. One can still feel a sense of accomplishment at having read something meaningful and thought provoking without feeling overwhelmed.
I enjoyed many aspects of this course, and felt a magnitude of validation. It has inspired me to venture outside my comfort zone a little more often, without the fear of feeling as though I will be completely of my element.
*One minor drawback may be that some spoilers are unavoidable- but the author did go to great lengths to prevent that in most instances.
4 stars