At the age of 48, film critic David Denby returned to his alma mater, Columbia University, to re-experience the core humanities courses he had taken as a freshman 30 years before. Facing the question of what he really knows, Denby re-examines the besieged Western classics, ranging from Homer, Sappho, and Sophocles to Dante, Nietzsche, and Woolf. What relevance do the writers and thinkers of the past have to our current life? The answer surprised Denby and will surprise and enlighten his listeners. Great Books is a fascinating look at the crisis of literature in the late 20th century, mixing personal reflection, criticism, and the story of one man's effort to create a self.
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"An inspiration for those of us who want to know more about literature but never seem to read anything. Just do it; just get all those books and read from cover to cover. And to think about them, and talk about them. " — Qi (5 out of 5 stars)
"An inspiration for those of us who want to know more about literature but never seem to read anything. Just do it; just get all those books and read from cover to cover. And to think about them, and talk about them. "
" This is my third reading of this book. I really love it. "
" Brilliant. If you want to be a well-read person, this is a great guide to the 'canon', to get you started. "
" This book really makes me want to go back to school! "
" Terrific review of the classics, and an introduction to some I haven't read. Makes a persuasive argument for retention of the classics - the so-called Western classics - in college curricula. "
" I can't put it down, but I have to admit a large part of that stems from my intimacy with the courses "
David Denby is a film critic and staff writer at the New Yorker. He has also served as film critic for the Atlantic Monthly, the Boston Phoenix, and New York magazine. His book on re-reading literary and political theory classics, Great Books: My Adventures with Homer, Rousseau, Woolf, and Other Indestructible Writers of the Western World, has been translated into nine languages. He and his wife live in New York City.
Edward “Ed” Asner (1929–2021) was an American actor best known for his Emmy-winning role as Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, later continued in a spin-off series, Lou Grant. He made dozens of appearances—including voice-over work—on television shows and recorded a number of audiobooks.
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