Understanding Literature and Life: Drama, Poetry and Narrative

By: Arnold Weinstein, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Arnold Weinstein

Length: 32 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

The major texts of Western culture are a gateway to wisdom that can widen your views on self and society in enduring ways. The extraordinary body of literature given us by writers from antiquity to the present day, as Professor Weinstein notes, "is potent stuff, serving not only as transcription of history but also as a verbal Pandora's box, capable of shedding light on those transactions which remain in the dark for many of us: love, death, fear, desire. We are talking about more than artful language; we are talking about the life of the past and the life of the world."

It is truly a monumental legacy. And now you can examine its most important works - whether drama, poetry, or narrative - in this series of 64 penetrating lectures that reveal astonishing common ground. You'll see how this award-winning teacher uses several different analytical perspectives, including Feminism, Marxism, Freudianism, Deconstruction, Postmodernism, and New Historicism, to give us fresh insight into persisting human themes like rites of passage; the "fit" or "misfit" between self and society; the creation of an identity; and the play, weight, and presence of the past in understanding our present.

You learn how drama makes visible the conflicts and wars of culture in ways other forms cannot manage. How poetry can go to the heart of human existence with a purity and power akin to surgery, bidding us to challenge and change the way we usually do business. And how narrative can tell life stories in ways that enable a possession of that life that is hardly imaginable any other way.

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

©1995 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)1995 The Great Courses

Great and Zooming with info

This first part of these lectures is amazing. The delivery is astoundingly good. Did here and stood firm principles of psychoanalysis as well as literary analysis or great.

A masterful presentation on a great set of subjects con Literature

This set of lectures is wonderfully conceived , developed and delivered .... it is a important experience for one to have ... one gains insight and opportunity for introspection on so many levels .. regarding written language and narrative

Highly recommended!

The excellent narration makes this work highly relatable even if you’re not a drama or literature buff. Professor Weinstein the works reviewed in this series to life with his humour and wisdoms; which has the effect of making you feel like part of an audience watching a live performance of the plays being described. Quite the journey!

Yes

Couldn't reccomend this more! This course deepened my pleasure of familiar texts and tempted me to approach some unfamiar works.

Too Much Throat-Clearing, Etc.

The information was fantastic. But I finally had to quit at Dickens, and may not learn about the rest of the novels. The reason? As another reviewer (and maybe more than one) said, Dr. Weinstein's throat clearing, coughing, and other noises were very distracting. You'd think someone might have noticed this early on (I mean, it is 32 hours plus) and done something about it. Too bad Robert Greenburg couldn't have done these; he is so entertaining.

Excellent Course

My daughter (Brown 1990) fondly remembers taking Dr Weinstein course. I found it equally rewarding. I hardily recommend it.

English Teacher You Wish you Had

As absorbing as reading the text with all the cultural and literary context. Amazing.

So informative

I completely enjoyed these lectures. I felt I was in a real classroom and studying for my finals. I fully recommend this.

Shockingly Good

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

30-years ago, I read a few of these books in college. After hearing the lectures on those books, it's as if I was hearing about them for the first time. I was stunned stupid, and eager for more insight.
--> Oedipus: Aristotle's "tragic flaw" is an adolescent understanding...go deeper to see everyman's struggle against fate and self-knowledge. Maybe the worst unmasking is the mask that we didn't know we are wearing. We think the answer to the riddle of the sphynx is that man crawls in infancy, walks in mid-life, and walks with a cane before death. But the reality is more grueling: at the end of life, we are blinded by the self-knowledge that pains us so -- it's not a cane, but someone we're leaning on to lead us in our blindness.
--> Othello: Men fear women's sexuality & harbor a double-standard in that they feel they own their woman's body but do not feel their own body is owned by their partner.
--> Tartuffe: Really? What kind of deep insight can he possible give here? More than I was ready for. Where am I so blindly loyal to someone that it would take him disrobing my wife on the kitchen table for me to overcome my blindness? Isn't that exactly what's happening in U.S. politics in 2017? He translates this "comedy" from the trite to the profound.

And that was just the first series of lectures. He gives three lectures per work. And I've got to tell you, I was really uncomfortable by lecture three on each of the three topics above. He was under my skin. He had questioning some of my own essential understandings about life. I think that's the point, and he makes that point very well.

Have you listened to any of Professor Arnold Weinstein’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

My first one, and I'm going to buy others. Anyone this insightful is a pleasure to learn from.

Gifted Professor, Brilliant Curriculum!

What made the experience of listening to Understanding Literature and Life: Drama, Poetry and Narrative the most enjoyable?

Professor Weinstein is exceptionally interesting, insightful, and articulate. His presentation style is natural, knowledgeable, and thought-provoking.

What did you like best about this story?

With every creative work he discussed, I had an "ah-ha" moment -- and new perspective, understanding, or appreciation I didn't have prior to the course. My life is richer because of Professor Weinstein's expertise and excellent teaching.

What does Professor Arnold Weinstein bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His choice of words, sentence structure, and personality enthralled me every lecture. The expanse of his knowledge is astounding! Listening to him highlights his humor and delight, emphasis on key elements, and even biases.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

About halfway through my first class by Professor Weinstein, I jumped back onto Audible to order other Great Courses he teaches. He's that powerful and profound. I want to be his student and seize every opportunity to learn from his great mind and experience!

Any additional comments?

I'm hooked on The Great Courses! I listen during my daily 30 minute walk; often I'm so absorbed in the topic I circle around the block one more time. It's empowering - and a modern day blessing - to have access to credible instruction by the world's greatest scholars on a vast range of meaningful topics.