Discover an introduction to the major texts of Western culture, from antiquity onward. It stresses the uniqueness of literary language, the formal and generic conventions of writing, the position that literature occupies as a site for historical and ideological conflicts, and the continuing human significance of the great works of the past and present.
Understanding Literature and Life: Drama, Poetry, Narrative
Dive into the themes and techniques of great literature and discover both the power and limitations of several different analytic tools in assisting our understanding of great literature that highlight these monuments of the human spirit.
Rated 5 out of
5
by
sbratman2 from
improved as it went on
I previously posted a critical view written after listening up through the poetry sections; I had found many of them much too trope-ridden, and peculiarily under the spell of some of Freud's worst ideas. But the final third on literature is much better. (Some of the poetry ones are pretty great too.) He seems to get more into his own philosophy, and his analysis very interesting.
Date published: 2025-03-26
Rated 3 out of
5
by
SBpi from
Tropes, tropes tropes
In his discussion of Oedipus Rex, Weinstein marvels that artistic vision could see what science would only come to recognize 2000 years later, the Oedipus Complex. This non-ironic embrace of long-ago refutred Freudian ideas comes early in the series, and shows something about Weinstein’s mindset: He does not have a good sense of what is true and what is not true. Instead, he lives in the froth of academic tropes. Hence his intrusion of brief references to semiotics in his discussion of Othello, no matter how irrelevant to the exposition. Hence, too, his anachronistic reading of racism into Shakespeare. (Ethnicism and othering, for sure, but racism in anything like the modern sense? Not for another century or two according to all but a minority of scholars.)
I enjoy Weinstein the most when he is just being himself, such as in his delightful and enlightening discussion of Emily Dickenson’s poems.
Academics must necessarily have theories and touchstones to guide their thoughts, but with Weinstein it seems less that he has his own philosophy of literature than that he wants to find acceptance and safety by sticking to popular tropes.
Date published: 2025-03-23
Rated 5 out of
5
by
TivoWatcher from
Challenging Intermediate Literature Course
I bought the out-of-print DVD version of this product.
This really is an intermediate to advanced literature course. As an example the first lecture recommends reading a challenging political philosophy text Civilization and Its Discontents as an introduction to the course. This shows you how advanced it intends to be. It also is a collection of 3 courses, it seems. One Plays, one Poetry, and one Literature (called "Narrative"), each about 20 lectures long. The big deal, and why I give it 5 stars is that its taught well and includes texts that I never heard of before, and I have a lot of Great Courses on literature. For a beginner though, I recommend "Classics of X Literature" to start with.
I do have to mention the audio issues. There seems to be a loud mic on his lapel and there's a lot of lip-smacking and such on the audio. Since I have the out-of-print video version, I am more able to focus on the lecturer and forgive the audio, but trying to focus on the audio it might be incredibly annoying. In my DVD version the video is very 90s-looking, it's not much to write about, but I enjoy a video version over the audio anyway.
Date published: 2022-06-03
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Mark Adler from
Fundamental Course in Literature Education
The course is essential to education about literature and life itself through literature. The content is easily understood yet insightful and informative. The professor is truly someone who understands the subject and knows how to teach.
ONE PROBLEM: I cannot understand how Audio Engineers allowed the production of this course without either filtering the distracting sounds or telling the professor to stop making them. The professor has a habit of smacking his tongue inside his mouth as though he had a dry mouth. It is tantamount to listening someone who chews gum loudly, and in some places in his delivery, it is difficult to concentrate on the ideas being exposed, as the mouth sounds are distracting and annoying. I tried to use audio equalizer to minimize the sounds, but you cannot eliminate them. Still, the course is so great, I am will to suffer through to learn from this wonderful professor.
Date published: 2022-04-28
Rated 2 out of
5
by
Sandhill Garden from
Poor audio quality
The prof is fine, the lectures are fine. The problem is the recording--every sip of water (and there are many), every swallow, every lip smack is as loud as the words. If you have misophonia especially, these sounds are extremely distracting and disagreeable. Is there any way of eliminating them, or re-recording? The Great Courses really require a sound engineer who knows about this problem and can avoid it.
Date published: 2019-01-17
Rated 5 out of
5
by
tomle from
A Splendid Teacher of Literature
Arnold Weinstein is a superb professor. He has a great love and feel for literature and a superb way of conveying why. He makes great literature come alive, and offers many insights even for works I know well. I've enjoyed all of his courses here.
Date published: 2017-05-28
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Gloster from
A Treasure, in both content and presentation
Although I fancied myself familiar with many, if not all, of the works discussed by Professor Weinstein, I nonetheless found that every lecture presented me with profoundly new ways to see and understand them. Since every text he discussed was treated over two to three lectures, he was able to explore themes, language used, and less obvious areas of content quite thoroughly, almost as if he were holding before our eyes a multi-faceted jewel which, as he slowly turned it, revealed new dimensions of meaning.
One of the things I most appreciated about this course was the way in which the professor introduced "women" -- their culturally fixed life's choices, their stories, and even -- in more recent centuries -- their voices unfiltered by male authors -- into even the most ancient works. For instance, in his discussion of Oedipus Rex he not only presented the familiar story of Oedipus in interesting ways -- as, for example, raising the issue of how frightening was the concept of living in a world where the oracle's prediction was always correct, effectively questioning the actual role of one's presumed "free will" -- but he also showed how much the male writer portrayed Jocasta's own suffering and horror when she realized who Oedipus actually was. Then, many lectures on, when he was discussing the much more recent of literature featuring women's real voices unfiltered by men, he returned to the figure of Jocasta at mused about how the play's tragedy could be understood -- even told -- from her point of view. Wonderful stuff!
Two additional comments: First, I was fortunate to be able to view this course in a video format (apparently, no longer available) as I had purchased it a few years ago and only came around to watching it this year. I appreciate being able to watch a lecturer as I find there is much additional information -- and joy -- that one can gain from a presenter's face and mannerisms. In this instance, I enjoyed the frequent occasions when Professor Weinstein's face would break into a modest grin or even an occasional laugh.
Secondly, this is the only course (out of the 100 or so I have taken so far) in which I am certain there was an audience for these lectures. As those who have taken other Great Courses know, while there is often the appearance of a small audience at the introductory segment of the course, it seems uncertain (even unlikely) that they are also there for every lecture. In this series, however, you can frequently hear others chuckling in response to comments by Professor Weinstein which I felt made the whole classroom-like setting feel more "real."
In any case, for all who love the art of using words to convey meaning and understanding -- as well as to probe vital questions -- I believe you will find this course a rich and fulfilling experience. You will also enjoy the exquisite ways in which Professor Weinstein uses language to convey his insights into the many poems, plays, and stories that make up this lecture series. For what it is worth, while sixty-four lectures may strike one as a demanding commitment of your time, I found them to fly by all too swiftly.
Date published: 2017-03-29
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Bonbon1 from
NARROW TITLE TO A MOST AMAZING COURSE.
I HAVE NOT YET COMPLETED LISTENING TO THE COURSE IN ITS ENTIRETY AS OF YET PARTIALLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT I LISTENED TO THE 4 LECTURES ON GODOT AT LEAST 3 TIMES. I HAVE A NEED TO SAY THIS NOW, THAT PROF. WEINSTEIN IS AN AMAZING CAPTIVATING PRESENTER, WHO BRINGS ALL THE CHOICE LITERATURE TO LIFE. I HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH. THANKS, AND NOW TO THE REST OF THE LECTURES.
Date published: 2016-07-08
Overview Course No. 210
About
Dr. Arnold Weinstein is the Edna and Richard Salomon Distinguished Professor at Brown University, where he has been teaching for over 35 years. He earned his undergraduate degree in Romance Languages from Princeton University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Harvard University. Among his many academic honors, research grants, and fellowships is the Younger Humanist Award from the National Endowment for the Humanities, a Fulbright Senior Lecturer Award as a visiting professor at Stockholm University, Brown University's award as best teacher in the humanities, Professeur InvitÈ in American Literature at the Ecole Normale SupÈrieure in Paris, and a Fellowship for University Professors from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Professor Weinstein is the author of many books, including Fictions of the Self: 1550-1800 (1981); Nobody's Home: Speech, Self, and Place in American Fiction from Hawthorne to DeLillo (1993); and A Scream Goes Through The House: What Literature Teaches Us About Life (2003). Northern Arts: The Breakthrough of Scandinavian Literature and Art from Ibsen to Bergman (Princeton University Press, 2008), was named one of the 25 Best Books of 2009 by The Atlantic. Professor Weinstein chaired the Advisory Council on Comparative Literature at Princeton University, is the sponsor of Swedish Studies at Brown, and is actively involved in the American Comparative Literature Association.
01: Why Literature—Civilization and Its Discontents
This introductory lecture explains how literature offers us a unique record of culture and crisis.
32 min
02: "Oedipus the King" and the Nature of Greek Tragedy
What are the religious, philosophical, and theatrical elements of Greek tragedy?
30 min
03: Fate and Free Will—Reading the Signs in Oedipus
Did Oedipus really have a choice? Do the Greek oracles still exist in other forms?
30 min
04: Self-making vs. Self-discovery in Oedipus
How much power did Oedipus really have in his decisions/actions? What kind of knowledge is achieved?
30 min
05: The Interpretive Afterlife of Oedipus
Whose analysis is correct? From Nietzschean to Freudian, is there one particular criticism that stands alone? Does the play illuminate us today?
31 min
06: Shakespeare's Othello—Tragedy of Marriage and State
"Othello" is usually seen as a domestic tragedy; the focus is on marital rather than state interests. Is there a problem with this view?
30 min
07: Poison in the Ear, or the Dismantling of Othello
What events led to the collapse of the character of "Othello"? What role did Iago play?
31 min
08: Rethinking Othello—Race, Gender and Subjectivity
Was Shakespeare making a conscious statement about race and gender in "Othello," or are contemporary audiences merely reading into the play?
31 min
09: French Theater and Moliere's Comedy of Vices
Why is Molière considered the "French Shakespeare"?
30 min
10: Tartuffe and Varieties of Imposture
Does "Tartuffe" follow the traditional comic principle?
31 min
11: Religious Hypocrisy—Beyond Comedy
What happens when the sacred is used as a cover for the profane?
31 min
12: Georg Büchner—Physician, Revolutionary, Playwright
What effect did Buchner's medical background have on his writing?
31 min
13: Woyzeck the Proletarian Murderer—"Unaccommodated Man"
Is society the creator of murder and violence?
31 min
14: Woyzeck and Visionary Theater
Does Buchner's "epic theater" do away with classical structures?
31 min
15: Strindberg's Father—Patriarchy in Trouble
"The Father" is presented as an Oedipal meditation about identity. Why does Strindberg feel the patriarchy is in jeopardy?
30 min
16: Marriage—Theatrical Agon or Darwinian Struggle?
What happens to married people? We'll take a look at Strindberg's ideas.
31 min
17: The Father—From Theater of Power to Power of Theater
How are illusion and role-playing central to "The Father"?
31 min
18: Beckett's Godot—Chaplinesque or Post-nuclear?
What do vaudeville and the search for God have in common?
31 min
19: Beckett and the Comedy of Undoing
What exactly makes Beckett's work amusing? Are you laughing?
31 min
20: Godot Absent—Didi and Gogo Present
Two clowns on an empty stage: humanist or absurd?
31 min
21: Study of Literature—Approaches, Encounters, Departures
This introductory lecture offers an analysis of the methods used to study literature, as well as a discussion of what constitutes poetry.
31 min
22: Shakespeare's Sonnets—The Glory of Poetry
Dr. Weinstein discusses the theme of poetry as bestower of immortality.
31 min
23: The Shape of Love and Death in Shakespeare's Sonnets
Was Shakespeare considered a Christian poet? Can love survive time?
31 min
24: Innocence and Experience in William Blake
Do you think it is possible to read and write innocently?
31 min
25: Blakean Fables of Desire
Is Blake the first counter-cultural poet?
31 min
26: Blake—Visionary Poet
What happens when a visionary looks at our ordinary world?
31 min
27: Whitman and the Making of an American Bard
What is explosively new and American about Whitman?
31 min
28: Myself as Whitman's Nineteenth-Century American Hero
Is there a special American view of self?
31 min
29: Form and Flux, Openness and Anxiety in Whitman's Poetry
How does Whitman reconcile his positive program with the insistent reality of doubt and death?
30 min
30: Emily Dickinson—The Prophetic Voice from the Margins
Dickinson's poetry is exceptionally powerful. She herself was a recluse. Is there a connection?
31 min
31: Dickinson and the Poetry of Consciousness
What did consciousness mean for Emily Dickinson's portrayal of nature?
31 min
32: Dickinson—Death and Beyond
How could you write from the vantage point of death?
32 min
33: Baudelaire—The Setting of the Romantic Sun
Is the voyage of life the greatest theme in Baudelaire?
30 min
34: Baudelaire's Poetry of Modernism and Metropolis
What kind of poetry emerges from the experience of the city?
31 min
35: Robert Frost—The Wisdom of the People
Is Frost too glib for his own good?
31 min
36: Frost—The Darker View
Is Robert Frost less sweet than we think?
30 min
37: Wallace Stevens and the Modernist Movement
Why is Wallace Stevens dubbed the "priest of the imagination"?
31 min
38: Stevens and the Post-Romantic Imagination
What does Stevens think about metaphor and nature?
31 min
39: Adrienne Rich and the Poetry of Protest
Can you make poetry out of social protest?
31 min
40: Rich's Project—Diving into the Wreck of Western Culture
How does Rich make us rethink the nature of Western culture?
32 min
41: The Lives of the Word—Reading Today
Is reading a form of mind travel?
31 min
42: Chretien de Troyes' Yvain—Growing Up in the Middle Ages
What was the status of knighthood in the 12th century? What does a good knight do?
32 min
43: Yvain's Theme—Ignorant Armies Clash By Night
Why is blindness a central condition of "Yvain"?
32 min
44: The Picaresque Novel—Satire, Filth and Hustling
Why narrate from the margins? Can beauty be found in filth?
31 min
45: Francisco Quevedo's Swindler—The Word on the Street
What kind of rivalry is there between words and matter?
31 min
46: Daniel Defoe's Plain Style and the New World Order
Is there a relation between Defoe's style and the "Protestant work ethic"?
30 min
47: Moll Flanders and the Self-made Woman
What is the significance of a woman hustler?
31 min
48: Matter and Spirit in Defoe
Do you find anything spiritual in this story of a courtesan thief?
30 min
49: Dickens—The Novel as Moral Institution
What could the novel teach in the 19th century? What today?
31 min
50: Pip's Progress—From Blacksmith to Snob and Back
What are the lectures of Pip's life?
31 min
51: Riddles of Identity in Great Expectations
Is there something nasty under the surface in Dickens?
31 min
52: Charlotte Brontë and the Bildungsroman
What is the "Bildungsroman"? Can it tell the story of girls as well as boys?
31 min
53: Jane Eyre—Victorian Bad Girl Makes Good
What was the Victorian establishment's response to "Jane Eyre"?
30 min
54: The Madwoman in the Attic—19th Century Bills Coming Due
Is patriarchy responsible for the madwoman?
30 min
55: Melville's "Bartleby" and the Genesis of Character
Who is the "real" Bartleby? Are characters real?
32 min
56: "Bartleby"—Christ on Wall Street?
What is Melville trying to say about society and its notions of "business as usual"?
31 min
57: Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis"—Sacrifice or Power Game?
What is the bug symbolic of? Is the story a sacrificial parable?
31 min
58: Kafka's "In the Penal Colony"—The Writing Machine
Is Kafka's machine designed to open the self? Is that bad or good?
32 min
59: Faulkner's "The Bear"—Stories of White and Black
Is Faulkner able to narrate white and black relations equally well?
31 min
60: The Bear—American Myth or American History?
What does the reality of death and time have to do with Faulkner's writing?
31 min
61: Tracking the Bear, or Learning to Read
What parallels are there between bear tracking and reading?
31 min
62: Alice Walker's Celie—The Untold Story
How is Walker different from Faulkner? What changes here in the depiction of sexism and racism?
32 min
63: Ideology as Vision in The Color Purple
What are the different ways we can see God? Are we free agents here?
31 min
64: Reconceiving Center and Margin
How does "The Color Purple" challenge or invert much of what we've read in this course?
32 min
