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The Modern Scholar: Dickens and Twain audiobook cover art

  • The Modern Scholar: Dickens and Twain

  • Capturing 19th Century Britain and America
  • By: Professor Timothy B. Shutt
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  • Length: 4 hrs and 39 mins
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Few writers are more often read, and better loved, than Charles Dickens and Samuel Langhorne Clemens - Mark Twain. Many of the characters populating their novels have become household words, cultural landmarks in their own right - Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, David Copperfield and Oliver Twist. It is as if we have known them life-long. In this course we take a look at the lives and works of both authors.

  • 4 out of 5 stars

  • a tale of two authors... deftly told

  • By Terry K on 05-11-17
The Modern Scholar: Rediscovering Shakespeare - The Tragedies audiobook cover art

  • The Modern Scholar: Rediscovering Shakespeare - The Tragedies

  • By: Matthew Wagner
  • Narrated by: Matthew Wagner
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A greater emphasis on situations than characters (this numbs the audience's connection to the characters, so that when characters experience misfortune, the audience still finds it laughable) A struggle of young lovers to overcome difficulty, often presented by elders Separation and re-unification Deception among characters (especially mistaken identity) A clever servant Disputes between characters, often within a family Multiple, intertwining plots. Use of all styles of comedy (slapstick, puns, dry humour, earthy humour, witty banter, practical jokes) Pastoral element (courtly people living an idealized, rural life), originally an element of Pastoral Romance, exploited by Shakespeare for his comic plots and often parodied therein for humorous effects Happy Ending.

Modern Scholar: God audiobook cover art

  • Modern Scholar: God

  • A History
  • By: Ilan Stavans
  • Narrated by: IIan Stavans
  • Length: 4 hrs and 32 mins
  • Original Recording
  • Overall
    3.5 out of 5 stars 17
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars 16
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    4 out of 5 stars 16

In this sweeping history, Ilan Stavans explores the way humans have evolved in their conception of the divine, from an animistic view defined by spirituality to Greek myths and the Aztec pantheon, onward to the development on monotheism as a powerful religion in the Middle East that was crystallized in the biblical narrative. He meditates on what type of divine presences coexist in the Hebrew Bible and how these entities take bifurcating paths in Christianity and Islam.

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  • A light introduction to God and philosophy

  • By Jay on 11-08-14
The Modern Scholar audiobook cover art

  • The Modern Scholar

  • Masterpieces of Medieval Literature
  • By: Timothy Shutt
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars 48
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It is during the Middle Ages that modern Europe, indeed, modern Western culture as we know it, comes to be. Classical Mediterranean culture drew from the ancient Middle East, and more directly, from the Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans. The Middle Ages add the Northlands, Celts, and Germans, and ultimately, Slavs as well, to the mix.

  • 5 out of 5 stars

  • The Kind of Professor I Want My Kids to Have

  • By John on 12-07-12
The Modern Scholar: The Lost Warriors of God audiobook cover art

  • The Modern Scholar: The Lost Warriors of God

  • The True History of the Knights Templar
  • By: Professor Thomas F. Madden
  • Narrated by: Professor Thomas F. Madden
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Professor Thomas F. Madden is a widely published author and the director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Saint Louis University. In The Lost Warriors of God, Madden examines one of the most fascinating organizations in world history: the Knights Templar, whose members gave up home, family, and worldly possessions to defend the Holy Land and the Christian pilgrims who journeyed there.

  • 5 out of 5 stars

  • Amazing and TRUE! No more conspiracy theories.

  • By LH on 05-18-15
The Modern Scholar: Greek Legacy audiobook cover art

  • The Modern Scholar: Greek Legacy

  • Understanding the Overwhelming Contributions of the Ancient Greeks
  • By: Professor Timothy Shutt
  • Narrated by: Professor Timothy Shutt
  • Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
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  • Overall
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Named one of the Best 300 Professors by the Princeton Review, Timothy B. Shutt has been repeatedly honored for his exceptional skills as a lecturer. In Greek Legacy, Professor Shutt explores the qualities that set the ancient Greeks apart from other ancient civilizations. The Greeks, more than any other culture, contributed to the formation of our own cultural system. These lectures show how that society developed, what it consisted of, and how it continues to impact the modern world.

Publisher's Summary

It can reasonably be argued that the British invented the novel. And to understand the way in which the novel, as a literary form, developed in Britain is key to understanding the literary form itself. In this first of a two-part series, beloved Modern Scholar professor Timothy B. Shutt takes listeners on a panoramic journey across the colorful landscape of British novelists beginning with Daniel Defoe in the early 18th century all the way to the mesmerizing works of Jane Austen in the early 19th Century. Professor Shutt begins by exploring exactly what a novel is - and what it isn't - and what defines this unique literary expression. He explores both its antecedents and precursors and where exactly its place in the literary landscape can be found. He then moves on to Defoe's great work Robinson Crusoe which arguably marks the birth of the novel. Subsequent lectures explore works by powerful literary forces such as Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding, Laurence Sterne, and Sir Walter Scott. Each is brought to life with Shutt's trademark style, flare, and formidable insights, leaving the listener not only with a solid grasp of this literary form, but also feeling as if they have been on an epic journey through some of the most amazing literary works ever penned.
©2014 Timothy B. Shutt (P)2014 Crescite Group, LLC

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Audible.com Reviews
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

As good as I'd hoped it would be

Timothy Shutt has recorded quite a few of these Modern Scholar lecture series. Of the ones of his I've listened to, this is my favorite.

After an introductory lecture, he devotes one lecture each to Defoe, Richardson, Fielding, Sterne, Smollett (along with a discussion of the sentimental novel and the gothic novel), Scott, and Austen. In each, he talks interestingly for about half an hour, giving biographical details, descriptions (with appreciation and criticism) of the works, and a few appropriate digressions and personal notes. (For instance, you'll learn what result he got on an online "Which Jane Austen heroine are you?" quiz.)

Shutt comes across as genial, avuncular, and conversational, yet very knowledgeable. My only complaint, aside from wanting more, is that his voice is an acquired taste (at times gruff, hoarse, or squeaky), and he speaks slowly enough that it would have bothered me if I were not listening on a device that allowed me too increase the playback speed.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful