The Modern Scholar: The Anglo-Saxon World

By: Prof. Michael D. C. Drout

Narrated by: Michael D. C. Drout

Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Had the Angles and Saxons not purposefully migrated to the isles of the Britons and brought with them their already-well-developed use of language, Angelina Jolie may never have appeared in the movie Beowulf.

Professor Michael D.C. Drout is at his best when lecturing on the fascinating history, language, and societal adaptations of the Anglo-Saxons. He not only presents their storytelling abilities using their own words; he does so in their own voice - the incredibly melodious Old English.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2009 Michael D.C. Drout (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Excellent and Fun

Drout's frank yet light-hearted look at pre-Norman England -- something that I, even as a history major, knew very little about -- is excellent and well worth the time to listen to. He provides an excellent yet simple framework for understanding the period through a clever mnemonic trick, and his kicking off of each lecture with a sampling of Anglo-Saxon is a lot of fun to listen to.

Personally, I lean more towards social and political history than the literature that is Drout's specialty (re: Beowulf), but Drout does the latter well and gives an excellent broad-brushed synopsis of the former in the first several hours of the audiobook. A well put together product, although for me it really drove home the point that many of my ancestors really were a bunch of barbarians.

The world suffers from a drought of Dr. Drought

There's just not enough books by Dr. Drought.

I encourage you to read this one slowly and savor it. Stop and appreciate how beautiful these thoughts and experiences are every thirty minutes or so.

Great listen.

Engaging and expansive

Where does The Modern Scholar rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of the best spoken books I've listened to. I do a lot of country driving and so I play a lot of audio books. They have to be engaging to listen to as well as having interesting content. Prof. Drout is very engaging and speaks directly to you. History as a subject tends to attract those sorts of professors who drone on and on. Not in this case. Drout is likable and expressive. His speaking voice is very engaging. And the content is very nicely balanced between being complex and thorough and yet not being esoteric or riddled with jargon. I have quite a number of modern scholar productions now written by Prof. Drout and have never been disappointed. I find these productions to be a brilliant way to learn and to revisit my own studies.

What other book might you compare The Modern Scholar to and why?

Drout's lecture series on Tolkien is also brilliant and worth getting. Don't hesitate. Get it. You will not regret it.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A New Angle on the Anglos!

Any additional comments?

This production is really worth getting. Drout really knows his stuff. And he keeps you engaged and interested all the way through.

Great!

I’m researching for a book and this book was exactly what I needed. Informative, yet you can detect the professor’s enthusiasm for the subject

Sheds light on a neglected era of English history

Dr. Drout makes me want to learn. He approaches this subject with his greatest asset -- not his knowledge or research -- but his enthusiasm. Drout truly cares about the Anglo Saxon period and his love of these interesting people shows in his lectures. He also uses simple mnemonic devices to help us understand the timeline. Had I taken Dr. Drout's course in college, I would have been well pleased at the money I had spent. Luckily, with this recording, I can revisit the course whenever I want.

Interesting and upbeat

He does a a great job of making a subject others would render dull, quick paced and interesting. This history is very relevant and seldom studied.

Another great lecture

Michael Drout, as always, knows his subject and is able to communicate his enthusiasm.
The little bit you think know you know about Anglo-Saxons is probably mostly mistaken, as I found out. This is one of my favourite lecturers.

Absolutely excellent!!!!!!

This lecture series is really really wonderful. Informative, interesting and hilarious. I'm eagerly looking forward to listening to more lectures by Drout!!!!!

The Anglo Saxon World

This is a great course by an enthusiastic professor who provides a very entertaining and informative tour of the Anglo-Saxon world. I am very pleased with the quality and content of this course, and will be listening to more work on similar topics by this author. Very highly recommended.

The Anglo Saxon World

Fabulous course! Absolutely enthralling -- this is the kind of history teacher you always WISHED for in school. He makes the material accessible and consistently answers the "So What" question, ie: how does this history affect us now, in this century? Archeological, anthropological detail with crisp relevance! Highly recommended!