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Finished Approaches to Literature
Published on January 5, 2019 11:34 PM
2 minute read
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Not a game, in case you were wondering, but an audio book. I'm blogging this year on things I've finished in all media. No more time records for games, and no more blogging on games I didn't finish. I'll just have to finish something to reward myself with writing. That's my new plan. 

Approaches to Literature is part of the Modern Scholar series by Recorded Books. It's full title is Way with Words Part II: Approaches to Literature. It's a lecture series presented by Michael Drout, a medieval lit professor at Wheaton College in Massachusetts. He also teaches fantasy and scifi classes (he's a fan of Lord of the Rings). 

I never know what to say about these audio lecture series. I've been into them for many years now through The Modern Scholar and The Teaching Company. They are always great and give me tons of ideas and insights (I've actually experienced a kind of intellectual extasy from the ones on music from Prof. Greenberg). 

I've already heard Prof. Drout's Way with Words: part 3 about Grammar. That was great, so I went to Part 4 about Poetry because that was the one I could find in my library system. Well, that was great too, so I had to get part 1 and 2. I'm most excited about part 1, however, Writing, Rhetoric, and the Art of Persuasion, which I just started. I need some help in this regard. 

There were many interesting ideas in Approaches to Literature, but what I'm remembering right now is one lecture on The Canon. This is a list of what the learned establishment thinks are the best works of literature of all time. I knew there were some lists out there, but not that there was an established Canon. It apparently changes a bit over time, and I'm not sure who oversees it, but I'm going to research it right now. 

Comments
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Posted on January 6, 2019 2:09 AM

I’ve been thinking of doing some of those Great Courses. I downloaded the app on my iPad.  I’ve also been playing vocabulary games on vocab builder apps. 

Posted on January 13, 2019 2:20 AM

I love the Great Courses series. I've listened to so many of them now. Mostly music and astronomy. 

Posted on January 6, 2019 3:34 PM

I'd love to get into audio books but podcasts are easier to get and I'm always swamped in those. I read a bunch of books in 2018 though.

Posted on January 13, 2019 2:05 AM

I used to mix it up with podcasts and audio books but now I don't drive as much so. . . I basically do the same but over longer periods of time. I'll get back to podcasts pretty soon when I'm finished this last lecture series I'm on. 

Posted on January 6, 2019 11:23 PM

Does The Canon have another official title that would make it easier to find that specific list online?

We should make a video games canon. 

Posted on January 13, 2019 1:56 AM

Here's the wikipedia list of sources for the literary canon. I'm just checking it out myself. I've been busy. 

Posted on January 7, 2019 7:13 PM

I like this. When I get a chance I am going to sign up on the Learn Out Loud website. It's interesting to listen to these types of lectures. Thanks for writing about this, I've never heard of this series 

Posted on January 13, 2019 1:49 AM

Modern Scholar is kind of old. I don't know if it's still around but all my libraries have tons of them on CD.