Books That Have Made History: Books That Can Change Your Life

By: Rufus J. Fears, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Rufus J. Fears

Length: 18 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Why do "Great Books" continue to speak to us hundreds and even thousands of years after they were written? Can they deepen our self-knowledge and wisdom? Are our lives changed in any meaningful way by the experience of reading them?

Tackle these questions and more in these 36 engaging lectures. Beginning with his definition of a Great Book as one that possesses a great theme of enduring importance, noble language that "elevates the soul and ennobles the mind," and a universality that enables it to "speak across the ages," Professor Fears examines a body of work that offers extraordinary wisdom to those willing to receive it.

You'll study dozens of works, from the Aeneid and the book of Job to Othello and 1984 - works that range in time from the 3rd millennium B.C. to the 20th century, and in locale from Mesopotamia and China to Europe and America. Professor Fears approaches each of these works from an entirely different direction, considering philosophical and moral perspectives that superbly complement a purely literary understanding.Grasping these philosophical and moral perspectives is crucial to the education of every thoughtful person. These works that have shaped the minds of great individuals, who, in turn, have shaped events of historic magnitude. You'll study the underlying ideas of each great work to see how these ideas can be put to use in a moral and ethical life."History is our sense of the past," Professor Fears says. "And these Great Books are our links to the great ideas of the past. They educate us to live our lives in a free and responsible way."

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

©2005 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2005 The Great Courses

everything

I absolutely loved this course!!! I learned so much more than I knew. It was wonderfully delivered as well!

I couldn’t stop listening!

I loved this course. As a literature major, I had read many of these books in college, but this has made me want to read the ones I’ve missed. Rufus J Fears is a great storyteller! I would like more courses like this one.

A little disappointing

Would you try another book from The Great Courses and/or Professor Rufus J. Fears?

"Methinks, professor Fears doth opine too much." I would like to have had more about the history and background of the books and less moralizing.

Would you recommend Books That Have Made History: Books That Can Change Your Life to your friends? Why or why not?

Probably not.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes

Did Books That Have Made History: Books That Can Change Your Life inspire you to do anything?

No

Well done, though ideologically challenging

I really did not enjoy listening to this guy. Not because of his voice but because of what seems to be his ideological views, which can tend to be of a much more conservative bend than I can agree with. I consider it an investigation in the conservative viewpoint. But, I suppose a worthwhile listen to challenge modern liberal notions. He seems to idolize the old ways while I rather prefer modern liberation, he focuses on honor as a highest ideal while I’d view that notion as a cause for destructive wars, he prefers moral doctrines where I’d prefer pragmatism. He plays out these views by looking at Ancient Greek and Roman text, the main religious texts, one or two philosophers, pre-modern literature and a couple modern biographies. Hard to get thru, but, interesting perspective well laid out I suppose.

Disappointed

I thought this book was going to be a summarized and condensed version of what you could learn from these books. Instead it was more like a commercial for them. It was short, and didn't really say much. about the actual books themselves. It also only touched on a few books, most of which everybody already knows about. I expected a few dozen.

Fears discussion of Lord Acton is priceless

What made the experience of listening to Books That Have Made History: Books That Can Change Your Life the most enjoyable?

The book selection

What did you like best about this story?

The way Fears reviewed previous discussions as a segue into succeeding discussions.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. Like rich chocolate it needed to be enjoyed in small bites.

Any additional comments?

I've thoroughly enjoyed listening to some of Fears discussions numerous times over a several year period.

fantastic intro to over 2 dozen timeless books

I didn't expect to enjoy this so much, and only wish I had had that knowledge available to me as I started college. Will definitely be on the short list of (audio) books I pick up again in the future

Certainly IS Great!

I loved this lecture and can’t wait to repeat it! It is so educationally rich.
Professor Fears weaves the history and messages of each great book together and really gives a timeless sense of common thought to our modern day.

Wonderful, informative & entertaining

This was a delight to listen to and I will go back and listen again It’s not only about these masterpieces of history but presented in an easy to listen way with enough content that it encourages self reflection. Highly recommend

Enjoyed This Tour of Significant Books

4.5
I enjoyed listening to Professor Fears describe the books he believed have influenced both history and his own life. I had read several of them, had some knowledge of most, and became aware of a few previously unfamiliar to me. The professor gave short summaries of each and then explained the significance of their themes in a fairly personal way.

He organized his lectures into themes and then selected several books which presented similar and opposing views in each of these categories. He was transparent when expressing his own opinions on such topics as The Existence and Nature of God, the importance of Fate and Free Will in human choice, and the concepts of Good and Evil. I didn't always agree with his positions, but I always found them interesting, fair, and well-supported. He actually seemed less dogmatic than many of the professors I engaged with in college.

Professor Fears defined a great book as one having three essential qualities: (1) A Great Theme concerned with issues of enduring significance, (2) Noble Language which elevates the spirit and mind, and (3) Universality which continues to have relevance in many cultures and times. I'm sure each reader would have their own list of books which would differ from some discussed in this course, but I found it enlightening to learn more about each of these. Many spoke to issues and concerns we today consider unique and "modern." Apparently in essence many of these questions are common to humanity; they have arisen in the past and will most likely be present as long as humans exist.

I almost always am pleased to have invested time in one of The Great Courses offerings, and this one caused me to ponder and reconsider what it is to be an individual who is also part of a larger society.