Category Archives: Literature

The epic of the epic

Posted on February 29, 2012 by

The grand tale known as the epic is an ancient genre that goes back to the dawn of literature.  Think of the heroes battling for glory in the Aeneid, or the fall of Adam and Eve in Paradise Lost. To … Continue reading →

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Reading Ulysses

Posted on December 2, 2011 by

Reading James Joyce’s modernist masterpiece Ulysses has been on my to-read list since forever, but every time I give it a try, I am stymied by the author’s endless in-jokes and references to Irish popular culture circa 1904. But I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Literature | 2 Comments

Uncle Tom’s Cabin: a book that changed history

Posted on May 17, 2011 by

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin was the rare novel that changed the world. Published in 1852, the book brought the human cost of slavery to the attention of Americans, who by and large preferred not to think about … Continue reading →

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Gems from the Internet Archive

Posted on May 3, 2011 by

If you’ve ever tried to rummage around in the Internet Archive for interesting courses and lectures, you know that it can be a profoundly frustrating experience. The Archive, a non-profit digital library, has vast collections of audio and video material, … Continue reading →

Posted in Courses, Lectures, Literature, Philosophy | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Fantasy in Middle English, Chaucer and beyond

Posted on April 1, 2011 by

Washington College English Professor Corey Olsen (a.k.a. The Tolkien Professor) is back with Faerie and Fantasy (website, iTunes) a new literature course focusing on fantasy and magic in English literature. If you’ve ever wanted to explore Chaucer and other medievals, … Continue reading →

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The Star-Spangled Banner

Posted on December 30, 2010 by

Some things about “The Star-Spangled Banner” you probably didn’t know: 1. The Star-Spangled Banner is a poem originally entitled “Defense of Fort McHenry” and it has 3 additional stanzas which are seldom sung. 2. The difficult, almost unsingable melody was … Continue reading →

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American Literature from NYU

Posted on December 23, 2010 by

I’ve been exploring New York University’s recently posted course, American Literature I: From beginnings to the Civil War (website, iTunes, Youtube). The teacher, Cyrus Patell, is a delight to listen to as he challenges, exhorts and explains his way through … Continue reading →

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NYU joins Open Courseware club

Posted on December 3, 2010 by

New York University recently signed on to the open courseware movement with its new NYU Open Education project (website, iTunes). Although it is starting small with only two full courses, the website promises that we can look forward to additional … Continue reading →

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Treasure trove of philosophy resources

Posted on November 28, 2010 by

This one is for you philosophy fans. The blog WhooshUp has compiled a great list of philosophy podcasts and webcasts. There’s also a bit of literature thrown in for good measure. While the blog focuses mainly on the classes of … Continue reading →

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Lyric poetry reveals China’s individualistic side

Posted on November 15, 2010 by

Want to really annoy a Harvard professor? Just tell Comparative Literature Professor Stephen Owen that Western tradition is individualistic while Chinese tradition is collective. “I thought I’ve told people for 20 years this is not true, and it keeps coming … Continue reading →

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