Victorian Britain

De: Patrick N. Allitt, The Great Courses

Narrado por: Patrick N. Allitt

This series of 36 fascinating lectures is a chronological journey into the story of Victorian Britain, from the unexpected ascension to the throne of teenaged Princess Victoria in 1837 to her death in 1901 as the Boer War neared its end.

Presented with all of Victoria's strengths and foibles left intact by an award-winning teacher and author, the lectures invite you to reflect on both the positive and negative aspects of her reign. You'll discover the lives of Victorian women; the situation facing working people and the rise of trade unionism; Victorian achievements in art, literature, architecture, and music; and what Leonard Woolf called "the seriousness of games," and of leisure-time activities as windows on Victorian life.

You'll discuss the important role played by Christianity as a force for both principled adherence to tradition and principled pursuit of change; and the influence of science and the debates over its impact that animated the Victorians.

And you'll learn what the Victorians believed about education; the questions raised by Britain's rule over its empire, the problems of poverty and crime; the discoveries of Victorian explorers in Africa; and much more in this remarkable rendering of a remarkable age.

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

©2002 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2002 The Great Courses

intresting and informative

This was a great lecture and entertaining as well as informative. If I had one complaint it would be how sometimes things have to jump around instead of being chronological but it really cant be chronological in its format. if you want to know in depth of the Victorian age this is the lecture for you.

Loved this!

This is one of my favorite teachers of the Great Courses and I loved this set of lectures.

Professor Allitt is sublime and superlative.

I favour this course over all others owing to content and the superlative Professor Allitt.

Objective, Dispassionate, Thorough

Organized in logical, chronological manner, with focus on different topics as needed. Altogether, it gives a really comprehensive overview of a very important but often overlooked era. Also a very enjoyable narrator -- no-nonsense lecturer, but his occasional chuckles are so much fun! And it's WONDERFUL to have the accompanying text!!! Wish more Great Courses on Audible came with the accompanying text for future reference!!!

A gem

Quite a complete description and analysis of Victorian Britain: politics, society, culture, with each lecture focusing on a specific matter. I really enjoyed the lectures and hope to see more audiobooks produced by P. N. Allitt.

Informative and entertaining overview of a significant period in human history

Very detailed and expansive view of Victorian Britain presented in an entertaining and balanced way. The presenter’s voice reminded me a little of Eric Idle (from Monty Python) but he came across as an informative academic historian at the same time. I learned so much more even than I expected. Would highly recommend

Don’t Miss Out

Seriously the best lecture series I’ve ever heard on audible. The lecturer was entertaining and did a fantastic job of balancing depth and width of the Victorian period.

I could go on and on, but seriously if you’re looking for content that helps provide both perspective on the past, and how we can use that to illuminate our lives in the present, don’t waste your time with other series. This one takes the cake. Great work Dr. Allit

Very good introductory course

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I'd recommend this course to anyone who wants a broad overview of Victorian England. Prof. Allitt covers a LOT of topics, but none in very much depth. It's a great jumping off point to do further reading (listening). It's particularly useful that he quotes liberally from contemporary writers to give a sense of the culture. I wish a bibliography were included, though.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite lectures were on Gladstone and Disraeli. Prof. Allitt draws nuanced distinctions between them and we can see both sides of contemporary politics. While he describes the eccentricities as well as the accomplishments of both men, the portrayals don't veer toward caricature. Actually none of the people whom Allitt describes do--he seems to like the men and women he talks about and is sympathetic rather than condescending to their foibles.

What about Professor Patrick N. Allitt’s performance did you like?

I loved his teaching style. He's clear, not too redundant, and has a wonderful sense of humor about the material. His accent is engaging. All around, a terrific teacher.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, but the topics fascinated me.

Any additional comments?

On a personal note, I appreciated Prof. Allitt's attention to Victorian religion. This is a topic that is often absent from historical overviews. He's thorough and even handed.

Great Courses would be great even without its ads

What made the experience of listening to Victorian Britain the most enjoyable?

It is just utterly fantastic- a very comprehensive overview, lectured in a way that will hold your attention.

Have you listened to any of Professor Patrick N. Allitt’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The scholar does a brilliant job. It is very different to have a matter taught by the original, rather than just having it read to you by a "narrator".

Any additional comments?

(Is that the place for the actual review?) Great Courses, why do you do such dishonour to the professors by riddling the audio with annoying music samples and completely superfluous information and advertisements, read in an arty- nasal voice? Someone who is listening to audio courses usually has limited time to his hands and can very well skip this.

I could not stop listening

I don't know if it was an attraction to the subject matter but I enjoyed these lectures so much that I listened to each lecture twice. I found Professor Allitt to be charming and adding just the right context to each fact.