Includes 36 x 30 min. lectures.
Also includes a Course Guidebook.

Course Guidebook includes bibliographical notes and glossary.

"With more than 30 years of experience teaching literature at a variety of universities, including Princeton University and the University of Virginia, Professor Bowers has a passion for literature that is contagious. The recipient of a Nevada Regents' Teaching Award, he draws rich connections between works as diverse as The Tempest, Dante's Divine Comedy, St. Augustine's Confessions, and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and makes you think about these icons of our literary tradition as an essential part of our world.
Novels, poems, plays, histories, and philosophical treatises: All of the masterpieces studied here provide, at their core, engaging literary experiences that have captivated readers for centuries. As you study the importance of the Western literary canon in works such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the Decameron, and The Charterhouse of Parma, you find yourself immersed in worlds of adventure, intrigue, and fantasy and exploring a range of human themes like romantic love, chivalric honor, and religious devotion.
A panoramic look at literature, The Western Literary Canon in Context proves to you the central importance of these cultural milestones and reveals their timeless legacies. The course is your opportunity to witness a rich literary dialogue and take an amazing journey through thousands of years of literary beauty, grace, and humanity. You'll never think about these classic works the same way again." (Publisher's Website)

CONTENTS:

PART 1

Disc 1
Lecture 1. The Bible and the Literary Canon Lecture 2. The Bible as Literature Lecture 3. The Epic of Gilgamesh - Western Literature? Lecture 4. Homer's Odyssey and the Seafaring Hero Lecture 5. The Context of Athenian Tragedy Lecture 6. Herodotus versus Thucydides

Disc 2
Lecture 7. Socrates and Plato - Writing and Reality Lecture 8. Aristotle's Poetics - How We Tell Stories Lecture 9. Virgil's Aeneid and the Epic of Empire Lecture 10. Love Interest - Ovid's Metamorphoses Lecture 11. St. Augustine Saves the Classics Lecture 12. All Literature is Consolation - Boethius

PART 2

Disc 3
Lecture 13. Beowulf - The Fortunate Survivor
Lecture 14. King Arthur, Politics, and Sir Gawain
Lecture 15. Dante and the Canon of Christian Literature
Lecture 16. Boccaccio - Ancient Masters, Modern Rivals
Lecture 17. Chaucer - The Father of English Literature
Lecture 18. "Man for All Seasons" - More and His Utopia

Disc 4
Lecture 19. Hamlet - English Literature Goes Global Lecture 20. Brave New Worlds - Shakespeare's The Tempest Lecture 21. Cervantes's Don Quixote and the Novel Lecture 22. The Rebel as Hero - Milton's Paradise Lost Lecture 23. Voice of an Age - Voltaire's Candide Lecture 24. Pride and Prejudice - Women in the Canon

PART 3

Disc 5
Lecture 25. Nationalism and Culture in Goethe's Faust Lecture 26. Melville's Moby Dick and Global Literature Lecture 27. Cult Classic - The Charterhouse of Parma Lecture 28. East Meets West in War and Peace Lecture 29. Joyce's Ulysses and the Avant-Garde Lecture 30. The Magic Mountain and Modern Institutions

Disc 6
Lecture 31. Mrs. Dalloway and Post-War England
Lecture 32. T.S. Eliot's Divine Comedy
Lecture 33. Faulkner and the Great American Novel
Lecture 34. Willa Cather and Mosaics of Identity
Lecture 35. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings - Literature?
Lecture 36. Postcolonialism - The Empire Writes Back

"With more than 30 years of experience teaching literature at a variety of universities, including Princeton University and the University of Virginia, Professor Bowers has a passion for literature that is contagious. The recipient of a Nevada Regents' Teaching Award, he draws rich connections between works as diverse as The Tempest, Dante's Divine Comedy, St. Augustine's Confessions, and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and makes you think about these icons of our literary tradition as an essential part of our world.
Novels, poems, plays, histories, and philosophical treatises: All of the masterpieces studied here provide, at their core, engaging literary experiences that have captivated readers for centuries. As you study the importance of the Western literary canon in works such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the Decameron, and The Charterhouse of Parma, you find yourself immersed in worlds of adventure, intrigue, and fantasy and exploring a range of human themes like romantic love, chivalric honor, and religious devotion.
A panoramic look at literature, The Western Literary Canon in Context proves to you the central importance of these cultural milestones and reveals their timeless legacies. The course is your opportunity to witness a rich literary dialogue and take an amazing journey through thousands of years of literary beauty, grace, and humanity. You'll never think about these classic works the same way again." (Publisher's Website)

DVD CONTENTS:

PART 1

Disc 1
Lecture 1. The Bible and the Literary Canon
Lecture 2. The Bible as Literature
Lecture 3. The Epic of Gilgamesh - Western Literature?
Lecture 4. Homer's Odyssey and the Seafaring Hero
Lecture 5. The Context of Athenian Tragedy
Lecture 6. Herodotus versus Thucydides

Disc 2
Lecture 7. Socrates and Plato - Writing and Reality
Lecture 8. Aristotle's Poetics - How We Tell Stories
Lecture 9. Virgil's Aeneid and the Epic of Empire
Lecture 10. Love Interest - Ovid's Metamorphoses
Lecture 11. St. Augustine Saves the Classics
Lecture 12. All Literature is Consolation - Boethius

PART 2

Disc 3
Lecture 13. Beowulf - The Fortunate Survivor
Lecture 14. King Arthur, Politics, and Sir Gawain
Lecture 15. Dante and the Canon of Christian Literature
Lecture 16. Boccaccio - Ancient Masters, Modern Rivals
Lecture 17. Chaucer - The Father of English Literature
Lecture 18. "Man for All Seasons" - More and His Utopia

Disc 4
Lecture 19. Hamlet - English Literature Goes Global
Lecture 20. Brave New Worlds - Shakespeare's The Tempest
Lecture 21. Cervantes's Don Quixote and the Novel
Lecture 22. The Rebel as Hero - Milton's Paradise Lost
Lecture 23. Voice of an Age - Voltaire's Candide
Lecture 24. Pride and Prejudice - Women in the Canon

PART 3

Disc 5
Lecture 25. Nationalism and Culture in Goethe's Faust
Lecture 26. Melville's Moby Dick and Global Literature
Lecture 27. Cult Classic - The Charterhouse of Parma
Lecture 28. East Meets West in War and Peace
Lecture 29. Joyce's Ulysses and the Avant-Garde
Lecture 30. The Magic Mountain and Modern Institutions

Disc 6
Lecture 31. Mrs. Dalloway and Post-War England
Lecture 32. T.S. Eliot's Divine Comedy
Lecture 33. Faulkner and the Great American Novel
Lecture 34. Willa Cather and Mosaics of Identity
Lecture 35. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings - Literature?
Lecture 36. Postcolonialism - The Empire Writes Back

COURSE GUIDEBOOK CONTENTS:

Professor Biography
Course Scope

Lecture 1: The Bible and the Literary Canon
Lecture 2: The Bible as Literature
Lecture 3: The Epic of Gilgamesh - Western Literature?
Lecture 4: Homer's Odyssey and the Seafaring Hero
Lecture 5: The Context of Athenian Tragedy
Lecture 6: Herodotus versus Thucydides
Lecture 7: Socrates and Plato - Writing and Reality
Lecture 8: Aristotle's Poetics - How We Tell Stories
Lecture 9: Virgil's Aeneid and the Epic of Empire
Lecture 10: Love Interest - Ovid's Metamorphoses
Lecture 11: St. Augustine Saves the Classics
Lecture 12: All Literature is Consolation - Boethius
Lecture 13: Beowulf - The Fortunate Survivor
Lecture 14: King Arthur, Politics, and Sir Gawain
Lecture 15: Dante and the Canon of Christian Literature
Lecture 16: Boccaccio - Ancient Masters, Modern Rivals
Lecture 17: Chaucer - The Father of English Literature
Lecture 18: "Man for All Seasons" - More and His Utopia
Lecture 19: Hamlet - English Literature Goes Global
Lecture 20: Brave New Worlds - Shakespeare's The Tempest
Lecture 21: Cervantes's Don Quixote and the Novel
Lecture 22: The Rebel as Hero - Milton's Paradise Lost
Lecture 23: Voice of an Age - Voltaire's Candide
Lecture 24: Pride and Prejudice - Women in the Canon
Lecture 25: Nationalism and Culture in Goethe's Faust
Lecture 26: Melville's Moby Dick and Global Literature
Lecture 27: Cult Classic - The Charterhouse of Parma
Lecture 28: East Meets West in War and Peace
Lecture 29: Joyce's Ulysses and the Avant-Garde
Lecture 30: The Magic Mountain and Modern Institutions
Lecture 31: Mrs. Dalloway and Post-War England
Lecture 32: T.S. Eliot's Divine Comedy
Lecture 33: Faulkner and the Great American Novel
Lecture 34: Willa Cather and Mosaics of Identity
Lecture 35: Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings - Literature?
Lecture 36: Postcolonialism - The Empire Writes Back

Timeline
Glossary
Biographical Notes
Bibliography