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Books That Have Made History: Books That Can Change Your Life cover art

Books That Have Made History: Books That Can Change Your Life

By: Rufus J. Fears, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Rufus J. Fears
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Summary

Why do "Great Books" continue to speak to us hundreds and even thousands of years after they were written? Can they deepen our self-knowledge and wisdom? Are our lives changed in any meaningful way by the experience of reading them?

Tackle these questions and more in these 36 engaging lectures. Beginning with his definition of a Great Book as one that possesses a great theme of enduring importance, noble language that "elevates the soul and ennobles the mind," and a universality that enables it to "speak across the ages," Professor Fears examines a body of work that offers extraordinary wisdom to those willing to receive it.

You'll study dozens of works, from the Aeneid and the book of Job to Othello and 1984 - works that range in time from the 3rd millennium B.C. to the 20th century, and in locale from Mesopotamia and China to Europe and America. Professor Fears approaches each of these works from an entirely different direction, considering philosophical and moral perspectives that superbly complement a purely literary understanding.Grasping these philosophical and moral perspectives is crucial to the education of every thoughtful person. These works that have shaped the minds of great individuals, who, in turn, have shaped events of historic magnitude. You'll study the underlying ideas of each great work to see how these ideas can be put to use in a moral and ethical life."History is our sense of the past," Professor Fears says. "And these Great Books are our links to the great ideas of the past. They educate us to live our lives in a free and responsible way."

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

©2005 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2005 The Great Courses

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'Don't give up' - a powerful message down the ages

Lots to mull over here. Cicero, Ghandi, Churchill, Homer, Dante, Lord Acton ... the message from a rich cast of literary stars seems to be - know yourself and don't give up. Either on yourself or your dreams.
Powerfully and thoughtfully delivered.

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4 people found this helpful

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Very disappointed

hated this, narrator into amateur dramatics rather than great books. could not go on anymore

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2 people found this helpful

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Poor biased discussion of the subject matter

There is nothing wrong with the books chosen or the subjects discussed. However the discussion is biased, closed minded and opinionated.
This course tries to tell us what to think rather than show us the diversity of meaning that can be found within these great works. A depressingly small minded set of reviews I’m afraid.
Go and read these books and form your own opinions and seek out those who can help show you the possibilities and wonder there within.
Don’t waste your time with this.

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Fascinating

An eclectic mix of books across time and cultures, which are sympathetically presented to get to the core of the authors' messages and values. The lecturer gives interesting comment and at times judgement, which I found helpful, even if I didn't always agree, for reflecting on the works.

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Agenda pushing

I did not like his take on things, he makes categorical statements on subjects which are much debated, nothing is left open to question therefore I’m suspicious how much content has been manipulated towards his own agenda.

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