Building Great Sentences: Exploring the Writer's Craft

De: Brooks Landon, The Great Courses

Narrado por: Brooks Landon

Why do some lengthy sentences flow effortlessly while others stumble along? Why are you captivated by the writing of particular authors? How can you craft sentences that reflect your unique outlook on the world?

This lively, 24-lecture course introduces you to the myriad ways in which we think about, talk about, and write sentences. Reviving the sentence-oriented approach to studying writing, Professor Landon provides a greater context for what makes sentences great - and how you can apply these methods to your own writing.

You'll look at the kernels from which sentences grow - minimal base clauses - and how adding words or phrases creates larger, cumulative sentences that lead toward great writing. You'll explore sentence constructions that make writing more complex and add exciting levels of suspense, and see tactics that create balance and rhythm.Recognizing and appreciating these and other eye-opening aspects of sentences helps you understand the work that goes into creating an effective, pleasurable sentence, which can make you more aware of why particular lines, passages, or phrases in the poems, novels, or articles you read so enchant you.

Professor Landon draws abundantly on examples from the work of brilliant writers, including Don DeLillo, Virginia Woolf, Samuel Johnson, and more. With its passionate approach to writing and reading and its indulgence in the sheer joy of language, this journey gives you unique insights into the nature of great writing-and also teaches you how you can achieve some of this greatness yourself.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2008 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2008 The Great Courses

Torture until chapter 11, then golden!

As is often the case in life, one must live through a bit of pain to get to the good stuff. Such is the case, I found, with this fine coarse. Everything after chapter 10 is a treasure, so live through the prior to get to the later and you won't regret it. 😊👍

Has some valuable information, but it felt a bit l

If you could sum up Building Great Sentences: Exploring the Writer's Craft in three words, what would they be?

Detail, extension, and retooling.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The most interesting aspect of this lecture series is probably its initial focus on extending your sentences. It goes into great detail on the subject, and really gets you thinking about how to approach each sentence you write. Not really a huge revelation, but still really interesting, and probably something you never thought too much about.

As for the least interesting part, well that would probably be the fact that its just too long. In the second half things start to get less and less interesting, to the point where I just zoned out and stopped really paying attention.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Some people just have a natural talent for captivating an audiences attention, and professors are generally not in that camp. He did an ok job. I'm not really sure he could have done anything to make it better.

What did you learn from Building Great Sentences: Exploring the Writer's Craft that you would use in your daily life?

Probably nothing, that is to say unless you're a writer or have a passions for writing. I guess if you wanted to explore or expand upon your writing this may have same daily use value, but I think its more directed at people who like to write stories and what not.

Any additional comments?

If your interested in writing give it a go, you'll probably get something valuable out of it.

Good book

It is challenging to gather all the information presented in this course and the printed companion would be useful, but even so much insight is gained and I will listen to it again to fine tune my writing even further.

A True Secret Toolbox

I bought and began this book with skepticism and a bit of the layman’s shoulder chip as I am a pop fiction writer and a working key tapper. It did not take long for me to feel the satisfaction of swallowing my prejudices as Mr. Landon delivers solid, sound explanations of concepts I have toyed with in my self education and used instinctively but never fully studied. No more just getting lucky, this is mindful control at the proposition level. Books like this fulfill the mission put forth by Great Courses and self education. Thanks, Dude!

mathematics for words

This book is like a math and science book for writing. It gets into terms like labyrinth sentences, cumulative syntax, subordinant clauses, and heady topics like that.

I will be honest, this one was a struggle. It took the whole month to get through, but I completed it and feel smarter for it.

If you arent into the science of how to craft a sentence the way an engineer is into the science of building a sky scraper, this isnt for you.

Top notch

The single greatest great courses series I have ever listened to. It’s practical, intellectually engaging and full of expert analysis of syntax. It helped unraveled the hidden logic of the sentences all around me

I really got into this course

This book opened me to a whole new world of sentence building. I recommend it.

Excellent

This is the best, most intelligent, discourse on sentences in western thought. Highly recommended for writers and scholars and anyone fascinated bt language.

Ignore Any Negative Review

I've read all the negative reviews and found them all either untrue or petty. This course dispells a lot of false gospel about writing "rules" that you might have been taught in school/college. It is informative, well structured, and comfortably paced. The instructor does sound like a Baptist preacher, but I found that charming. I would, however, strongly recommend that you brush up on English grammar/syntax before starting (for example, you should know what a gerund phrase or a subordinate clause is). Other than that, every writer and/or student can benefit from this class as I have.

Greatly Enjoyed

These lectures really enlightened me and inspired me to explore new ways to improve my writing especially how I craft sentences. Thank you.