Following a Harvard Literature Class 💼 Course Syllabus & Reading List!
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 11 дек 2023
- I decided to follow the Hardvard Literature course "Masterpieces of World Literature", which you can find FOR FREE on their website. (home.edx.org)
In this video I go over the books on the list and what we'll be learning and reading. 
Развлечения
Watch this one next! 📚How To Become an Expert Reader: ruclips.net/video/x22Pkzt7Jwo/видео.html
I love that you do courses just for the fun of it! If you say that to random people, they will think you're stranger. That's why I love Booktube. Y'all are my people. :)
Aww. I appreciate you!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I have always wanted to follow along with these sorts of courses but I've not gotten around to do it myself, I feel encouraged to follow along now. I am glad that with the internet and libraries I will also be able to, this is something I wouldn't have access to otherwise. I will subscribe now.
That is wonderful news! I would love to hear your updates. Thank you for subscribing - I'm glad you'll stick around. Best of luck with the course! We can do this.
Yes! Loved the course ❤. Interpreter of maladies was the one I loved the most. You inspire me to reread these books and watch the video’s again..
Haha, great to hear. Thank you for telling me about this course 🤎
I think this is exciting and amazing. I can’t wait to see more of your journey with this in the future. :)
Happy you found it interesting to watch! 😍
"The Lusíads" (Os Lusíadas) is an epic poem by Camões about the Portuguese sailors first traveling around Africa to finally get to India, with Vasco da Gama as their leader. It includes a lot of History, loads of Greek/Roman Mythology and all sorts of interesting digressions. For instance, the poet loves to complain about the Portuguese people dismissing art and poetry, when he's not exalting them for their military feats; he will also tell you about the kings of Portugal, their wars and their battles, to demonstrate what a great people the Portuguese are. The poem is modelled after the Aeneid, but it revolves around relatively recent historical facts (obviously embellished). Like the Odyssey, it begins in the middle of the journey, so you get flashbacks and other narrations within the poem.
Strangely, it is a story about a Christian nation, but Greek gods interfere whenever they feel like it, particularly Venus, Jupiter and Bacchus. In this, Camões follows the tradition established by Homer and Virgil, but in his own unique way.
All in all, it is considered a foundational text for the Portuguese language and for the Portuguese nation itself.
I read this book in Portuguese (my first language) and it was great. Not as great as the Odyssey, but still great. I have no idea if a translation would do it justice, however.
Side note: the author's life is almost as fascinating as the book, in my opinion. He traveled quite a bit, he lost an eye during a battle in North Africa and he was always in trouble. 😅
Wow, thank you so much for this information. Since you've already read it, do you have any tips for us readers who haven't? Should we first look into the life of the author, or maybe do some research to truly appreciate and understand the work? I must admit I'm a bit scared, haha.
@@ProseAndPetticoats I did some research before reading it, to get familiar with the context. My edition was annotated, which helped a lot when it came to Ancient History, Medieval History, Geography and Mythology.
I suspect there's less content about this book in English than in Portuguese. I was able to find some classes and reviews about it in Portuguese that were awesome. Perhaps an annotated English edition, with a good introduction, would be an interesting course of action.
One of the difficulties I encountered was the language. It is beautifully written, but antiquate and very sophisticated. The sentences are structured in unnatural orders to fit a poem, with metric and rhyme. This probably gets easier with a translation. It did get easier as I read on, because my mind started to adjust to the style.
@@annamattos8627 Thank you!
@@ProseAndPetticoats Glad to help!
Ola! I'm from Russia and we studied "The Lusíads" at school together with "Livro do Desassossego" by Pessoa. It´s amazing!! I also read it in Spanish later, so hope one day I will be able to read it in Portugues as well. 💜
Thank you so much for sharing this! I’m in my first year of master’s degree in English literature but since I majored in engineering in my BA, I have a lot to catch up on. So I’ve been looking for reliable sources which are also consistent for a while and this is perfect!! Thanks a lot 💕
You're so very welcome! Thank you for stopping by and leaving me such a kind comment. Good luck with your master's degree. Sounds amazing.
I just signed up for this class thanks to you! I had no idea this was offered.
That's AMAZING! Have fun, I loved it so much 🤎
Can you please tell me what is the course called , I searched but couldn't find the same
Hello Emily! I hope this finds you and your family well. What an interesting course. Years ago when I used to do legal document review, I would listen to free history courses from Yale University, which were so fascinating. Some of the courses I would listen to were on the American Revolution and the American Civil War (there may have also been a course on World War II but I can't remember). Furthermore, my wife is from Argentina and she had to read several of Borge's works while at the university. I look forward to your future videos on this course. Have a great rest of the week!
Wow, that's so interesting. It's amazing that they offer it for free. I will be checking if they have free courses available. Wishing you a great week, too! :)
I had such a beautiful time with Gilgamesh. I read it when I was very young, inspired by a video game that I had just finished called final fantasy VIII. The entirety of Gilgamesh sent me on a mental journey that I'm still on today. I became very fascinated with early day religions and and writings that have kept snowballing from this era of time and/or writing.
It's amazing how some works of literature can be lifechanging. 🤎
Well done! I'm not surprised by the score you got. Also your hair looks nice
Thank you so much!
Hi Emmelie! I haven't been around for a while, there's quite a few videos to catch up on, best of luck to you on your course. Also, your hair looks absolutely gorgeous!
It's good to hear from you again! Thank you so much for the lovely compliment.
This is amazing! I am looking forward to seeing if you get through all of these and what you think. I started The Tale of Genji earlier in March and put it down in favor of Middlemarch. Best of luck with this project!
Thank you so much! I finished the class and loved it. There's an update video, should you be interested 🤎 I'll be reading Middlemarch this fall. Are you enjoying it?
@@ProseAndPetticoats That is amazing! I was so intrigued by the title and saw it was only a couple months ago so I didn’t think you were already done!
I finished Middlemarch last night and it was wonderful! There are so many characters and somehow she manages to get the reader invested in all of them.
Really cool idea. I did something similar years ago and this makes me want to do it again!
Oh, how wonderful! Can you remember what course and where?
@@ProseAndPetticoats I went through a bunch of Masters of Fine Arts reading lists for different classes and compiled my own list from all of them. Then I watched a couple of the free lectures about the books that Yale and other universities offer. I was trying to create a DIY MFA to help myself become a better writer.
@@DrPeppering That's inspiring. What a great idea! I will be looking around for those lists and other courses.
Great video. Hillsdale college has fantastic free courses. I'm just starting, Great Books 101, Ancient to Medieval.
It's funny that you mention this, because I JUST started one of their courses! I will be checking out the one you mention, too. Thanks!
@@ProseAndPetticoats 👍
Enjoy...the journey through literature and poetry peace
Oh my god! The cat in the background!!!
Haha. You'll often see Toulouse in the background - always around! He's such a cutie.
Im not sure about all the translation's of the 1001 nights but i would recommend the Everyman's library translation. The Tale of Gengi has always interested me but the size of story always put me off....Do you have to read them all in 12 weeks? If yes i think thats abit overload. Great literature has to be savoured in my opinion and sometimes reread... I'll look forward to hear your thoughts and opinions 🙂.
I'm going to look into that Everyman's Library translation. I love their books, but I hadn't even thought of looking it up! Thanks for the advice.
Yes, I agree that we should read slow and I absolutely love re-reading books.
We will not be reading the complete Genji. The advised reading assignment includes: From Chapter I. The Lady of the Paulownia-Courtyard Chambers; From Chapter II. Broom Cypress; From Chapter V. Little Purple Gromwell; From Chapter VII. An Imperial Celebration of Autumn Foliage; From Chapter IX. Leaves of Wild Ginger; From Chapter XII. Exile to Suma; From Chapter XIII. The Lady at Akashi; From Chapter XXV. Fireflies; From Chapter XL. The Rites.
great video
Thank you!
i must have this comment your sofa, your cat and the cover on the sofa are matching coloursin harmony, it is like you go outside matching your dress, shows and coat, with this video matching the cat with the sofa colour and that cover behind.. maybe it is random, but it was esthetically pleasing seeing that :)
I'm glad it's pleasing to the eye! I love having warm colours around. :) my cat accidentally matches my interior haha.
Would you ever do a video on works of HP Lovecraft?
I hope so. I'm interested in reading his work. So many books, so little time!
Have you read any John Grisham books. If so, what is your take on his style of writing?
Hi there. I had to look up this author, for I had never heard of him. I tend to always pick older, victorian novels. Which book would you recommend I read?
@ProseAndPetticoats The King of Torts and The Street Lawyer are classic reads. Although 20 years old, his books have a sense of modernity. They are in the drama genre, and many revolve around the judicial system with a focus on lawyers. Thanks for the reply.
@@SM12457 I shall add these to my list. Thank you for the recommendations! Funny, as I work in a lawyers office ;)
This course is free I have a feeling it would be too hard for me but it sounds very interesting
You can listen to the videos and finish the books later. Don't worry, it won't be too hard ❤
If you liked Voltaire’s _Candide,_ then I think you’d like the book of _Ecclesiastes_ in the Bible; which is a poetic reflection on the apparent meaninglessness of life, but then encourages the reader to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. It’s a relatively short book and can be read in one sitting.
Thank you for the recommendation!
This isnt the first time you talk about reading in french, can you do a video about it
Hello! Can you tell me what kind of video you're hoping to see? French is my second language. :)
@@ProseAndPetticoats your story itself would be interesting, how you learnt the language (through school or a parent etc) and what it’s like from your perspective to read in French as opposed to English. I am studying French with the goal to someday read in French. I don’t know your story but wether you learnt it early in life or later, it’s valuable. It’s the sort of thing I gravitate towards. My opinion is that a lot of readers want to be able to read in a second language so that they can read some of their favourite works in it’s mother tongue. I just recently found your channel and I’ve been loving the content, I’ve only read the hobbit but you’ve even persuaded me to look at J.R.R Tolkiens other works
@@kathunt9760 I will add this to my future video list. Thank you for your imput! :)
Aww, I'm glad you enjoy the content. Thank you for joining me. I appreciate you. How did you find my channel?
Good luck with your French studies, that's amazing.
@@ProseAndPetticoats there is not alot of female classics content and the algorithm helped me find your channel. I dont know your location but i am australian
@@kathunt9760 Interesting. I'm from Belgium :)
Read 48 laws of power by Robert greene 😂
Why? ;) Never heard of it.
Not really free when you have to pay to unlock January 1 - 15, and can't finish the course without paying $177
No, you really can take the course for free. The upgrade is to get a certificate. I hope you will be able to figure it out :) I didn't pay anything.