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Following the surge of interest and pride in Celtic identity since the 19th century, much of what we thought we knew about the Celts has been radically transformed. In The Celtic World, discover the incredible story of the Celtic-speaking peoples, whose art, language, and culture once spread from Ireland to Austria. This series of 24 enlightening lectures explains the traditional historical view of who the Celts were, then contrasts it with brand-new evidence from DNA analysis and archeology that totally changes our perspective on where the Celts came from.

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Roughly 2,500 years ago, the Athenian people established a radical democracy in which power derived from the votes of everyday citizens. At a time when local governments ranged from oligarchy to tyranny, the elite classes of Athens gradually ceded power to the inexperienced masses, whose votes served as referendums for everything from taxation to war to welfare. The sequence of events that led to this development is astonishing, and the society that flourished under Athenian democracy is one of the greatest - even if greatly flawed - achievements in world history.

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  • Dubliners (Harper Audio Edition)

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The Modern Scholar audiobook cover art

  • The Modern Scholar

  • The Giants of Russian Literature: Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Chekhov
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Russian literature of the 19th century is among the richest, most profound, and most human traditions in the world. This course explores this tradition by focusing on four giants: Ivan Turgenev, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, and Anton Chekhov. Their works had an enormous impact on Russian understanding of the human condition.

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  • The Life and Works of William Butler Yeats

  • By: Compiled by John Kavanagh
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William Butler Yeats remains one of the most popular poets of the 20th century.

"The Lake Isle of Innisfree," "He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven," "Down by the Salley Gardens," "The Secret Rose": these are just a few of the poems that made William Butler Yeats an international figure. Born in Dublin in 1865, Yeats drew strength from the Irish tradition, as can be seen in this special audiobook, which presents the most important poems in the context of his life and ambitions.

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Publisher's Summary

Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats, James Joyce, and Samuel Beckett: These four masters of Irish literature created works of startling innovation and unparalleled literary merit. They defied popular expectations and confounded critics with unique masterpieces that one might think of as puzzles, the solution of which lies at the heart of the modern age. Understanding the works of these greats, all associated to some degree with the Irish Literary Revival, is fundamental not only to a richer appreciation of Irish literature, but to a better comprehension of modern literature in all its manifestations, for these authors struggled with the idea of modernity and all it entailed, and the fruits of their struggle stand as monuments to the remarkable capacity of literary imagination.

Renowned professor George O'Brien of Georgetown University provides the biographical background of these authors and an in-depth analysis of their greatest works. In the course of these lectures, O'Brien discusses the very qualities that set these works apart and the "Irishness" that characterizes each of them.
Download the accompanying reference guide.
©2006 George O'Brien (P)2006 Recorded Books, LLC

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Great IF You've Recently Read the Works Discussed

I have really mixed feelings on this title. It's obvious that George O'Brien knows his subject matter and he is interesting to listen to. He also does a great job explaining the history behind the world that Yeats, Joyce, Beckett, and Wilde lived in. The problem is that O'Brien assumes you've recently read the titles he discusses. While I HAVE read most of the books and poetry he analyzes, it's been quite a few years since I've done so, and therefore a lot of what O'Brien says simply goes over my head.

Other The Modern Scholar professors will give the listener a brief overview of the book or poem that they're about to discuss, so the listener can follow the lecture even if she isn't familiar with the text. Not so for The Giants of Irish Literature. O'Brien delves straight into analysis without any sort of text overview. He doesn't even read an excerpt of the scene he is about to discuss.

Of course, you COULD read the books and poems he discusses before you listen to lecture. Heck, you could probably go online and read a decent summary of the texts too. But personally, I prefer it when The Modern Scholar lecturer will give the listener a brief overview of what s/he's about to discuss.




15 of 15 people found this review helpful