The Modern Scholar: The Art of Reading
People who bought this also bought...
-
The Modern Scholar
- Monsters, Gods, and Heroes: Approaching the Epic in Literature
- By: Prof. Timothy Shutt
- Narrated by: Timothy Shutt
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 55
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 43
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 41
From the time of Homer himself in about 750 BCE - the epic has been the most highly regarded of literary genres. It is rivaled only by tragedy, which arose a bit more than two centuries later, as the most respected, the most influential, and, from a slightly different vantage point, the most prestigious mode of addressing the human condition in literary terms. The major epics are the big boys, the works that, from the very outset, everyone had heard of and everyone knew, at least by reputation.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Insightful even if you've read the books
- By amar on 06-15-12
-
Modern Scholar: How to Think
- The Liberal Arts and Their Enduring Value
- By: Professor Professor Michael D. C. Drout
- Narrated by: Professor Professor Michael D. C. Drout
- Length: 5 hrs and 14 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 109
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 94
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 91
In How to Think: The Liberal Arts and Their Enduring Value, Professor Michael D. C. Drout gives an impassioned defense and celebration of the value of the liberal arts. Charting the evolution of the liberal arts from their roots in the educational system of Ancient Rome through the Middle Ages and to the present day, Drout shows how the liberal arts have consistently been "the tools to rule", essential to the education of the leaders of society. Offering a reasoned defense of their continuing value, Drout also provides suggestions for improving the state of the liberal arts in contemporary society.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A defense of the Liberal Arts
- By Steve and/or Jodene on 10-19-13
-
The Modern Scholar: Liberty and Its Price
- Understanding the French Revolution
- By: Professor Donald Sutherland
- Narrated by: Professor Donald Sutherland
- Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 66
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 45
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 47
Esteemed professor Donald M.G. Sutherland provides a riveting account of the French Revolution, explaining how its effects varied greatly according to regional economies, social structures, and religious affiliations. He examines how massive counter revolutionary movements profoundly affected the course of the Revolution, Leading to the failure of constitutional government and, ultimately, to an elitist dictatorship that paved the way for many of the struggles of the 19th century.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Compelling overview of an amazing era
- By Michael on 09-21-12
-
The Modern Scholar: From Jesus to Christianity: A History of the Early Church
- By: Thomas F. Madden
- Narrated by: Thomas F. Madden
- Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 217
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 162
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 161
In the first century of its existence, Christianity was both welcomed and vilified throughout the Roman Empire. Many of Christianity's original adherents were martyred. Christians themselves practiced their religion with great diversity, linked as much to local influences as theology. Political intrigue, theological beliefs, and simple misunderstandings created a need for dialogue between the many practitioners of the growing faith.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A good lecture
- By Chi-Hung on 03-13-10
-
The Modern Scholar: The Medieval World, Part II: Society, Economy, and Culture
- By: Thomas Madden Prof.
- Narrated by: Thomas Madden
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 153
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 104
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 100
An award-winning, widely recognized expert on pre-modern history, Professor Thomas F. Madden concludes this two-part series on the medieval world. In this course, we will see the error of the commonly held assumption that the "Dark Ages" was a time of superstition, ignorance, and violence. Rather than a time of darkness, the Middle Ages saw extraordinary innovation, invention, and cultural vitality.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Another great lecture
- By Chi-Hung on 01-13-10
-
The Modern Scholar: Dickens and Twain
- Capturing 19th Century Britain and America
- By: Professor Timothy B. Shutt
- Narrated by: Professor Timothy B. Shutt
- Length: 4 hrs and 39 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 10
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 9
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 9
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
- Monsters, Gods, and Heroes: Approaching the Epic in Literature
- By: Prof. Timothy Shutt
- Narrated by: Timothy Shutt
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 55
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 43
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 41
From the time of Homer himself in about 750 BCE - the epic has been the most highly regarded of literary genres. It is rivaled only by tragedy, which arose a bit more than two centuries later, as the most respected, the most influential, and, from a slightly different vantage point, the most prestigious mode of addressing the human condition in literary terms. The major epics are the big boys, the works that, from the very outset, everyone had heard of and everyone knew, at least by reputation.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Insightful even if you've read the books
- By amar on 06-15-12
-
Modern Scholar: How to Think
- The Liberal Arts and Their Enduring Value
- By: Professor Professor Michael D. C. Drout
- Narrated by: Professor Professor Michael D. C. Drout
- Length: 5 hrs and 14 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 109
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 94
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 91
In How to Think: The Liberal Arts and Their Enduring Value, Professor Michael D. C. Drout gives an impassioned defense and celebration of the value of the liberal arts. Charting the evolution of the liberal arts from their roots in the educational system of Ancient Rome through the Middle Ages and to the present day, Drout shows how the liberal arts have consistently been "the tools to rule", essential to the education of the leaders of society. Offering a reasoned defense of their continuing value, Drout also provides suggestions for improving the state of the liberal arts in contemporary society.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A defense of the Liberal Arts
- By Steve and/or Jodene on 10-19-13
-
The Modern Scholar: Liberty and Its Price
- Understanding the French Revolution
- By: Professor Donald Sutherland
- Narrated by: Professor Donald Sutherland
- Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 66
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 45
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 47
Esteemed professor Donald M.G. Sutherland provides a riveting account of the French Revolution, explaining how its effects varied greatly according to regional economies, social structures, and religious affiliations. He examines how massive counter revolutionary movements profoundly affected the course of the Revolution, Leading to the failure of constitutional government and, ultimately, to an elitist dictatorship that paved the way for many of the struggles of the 19th century.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Compelling overview of an amazing era
- By Michael on 09-21-12
-
The Modern Scholar: From Jesus to Christianity: A History of the Early Church
- By: Thomas F. Madden
- Narrated by: Thomas F. Madden
- Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 217
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 162
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 161
In the first century of its existence, Christianity was both welcomed and vilified throughout the Roman Empire. Many of Christianity's original adherents were martyred. Christians themselves practiced their religion with great diversity, linked as much to local influences as theology. Political intrigue, theological beliefs, and simple misunderstandings created a need for dialogue between the many practitioners of the growing faith.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A good lecture
- By Chi-Hung on 03-13-10
-
The Modern Scholar: The Medieval World, Part II: Society, Economy, and Culture
- By: Thomas Madden Prof.
- Narrated by: Thomas Madden
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 153
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 104
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 100
An award-winning, widely recognized expert on pre-modern history, Professor Thomas F. Madden concludes this two-part series on the medieval world. In this course, we will see the error of the commonly held assumption that the "Dark Ages" was a time of superstition, ignorance, and violence. Rather than a time of darkness, the Middle Ages saw extraordinary innovation, invention, and cultural vitality.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Another great lecture
- By Chi-Hung on 01-13-10
-
The Modern Scholar: Dickens and Twain
- Capturing 19th Century Britain and America
- By: Professor Timothy B. Shutt
- Narrated by: Professor Timothy B. Shutt
- Length: 4 hrs and 39 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 10
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 9
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 9
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
Publisher's Summary
Esteemed professor Joseph Luzzi addresses the place of classic literature in the modern world with this riveting series of lectures. Advocating “the art of reading” as a way to answer essential questions of day-to-day life, Luzzi delves into the works of such literary titans as Plato, Shakespeare, and Virginia Woolf. By doing so, he tackles such age-old questions as “How do we fall in love?” and “How do we confront evil?”
What members say
Average Customer Ratings
Overall
-
3.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars2
-
4 Stars1
-
3 Stars3
-
2 Stars2
-
1 Stars0
Performance
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars3
-
4 Stars1
-
3 Stars2
-
2 Stars1
-
1 Stars0
Story
-
3.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars1
-
4 Stars4
-
3 Stars0
-
2 Stars2
-
1 Stars0
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Jay
- 05-26-13
Not bad, but a misleading title
I'm not going to finish reading this, at least not until i finish many of the other things on my list, because i feel the title is misleading. I've listened to about half of it in full, and i've skimmed through the rest of it, enough to be confident in what i write here.
Luzzi's audio course claims to be about the art of reading, but in the very first lecture, he admits that one of his primary aims is to expose readers to his favorite works, and, he hopes, inspire them to read them themselves. There is nothing essentially wrong or dishonest about that in itself - practically every book or audio course i've read or listened to has the same aim, to a greater or lesser degree. Where the misleading nature comes in is that, in this case, Luzzi's aim is an Italian Nationalist aim, in that just about every example he uses to illustrate his points come from Italian authors. Even Italian cinema seems to come up more often than all non-Italian authors combined. (Excepting Homer and Virgil)
Dante seems to come up numerous times in every single lecture, and there have been no less than three references to Vittorio Alfieri, an author that Luzzi admits that few of his listeners outside of Italy will even have heard of. In fact, I think a more appropriate title for this course, to this point, would be "The impact of Dante on later Italian literature" - very few substantive changes would need to be included in order to make this title change.
Had that been the title, my rating would have been higher - Luzzi has a good voice for reading these books, and his knowledge of the subject matter is clearly top notch. Then again, had that been the title, i likely wouldn't have purchased this book in the first place.
18 people found this helpful