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Books That Have Made History: Books That Can Change Your Life Audible Audiobook – Original recording

Rufus J. Fears (Narrator, Author), The Great Courses (Author, Publisher)
3.8 out of 5 stars 21 ratings
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."

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  1. Listening Length
    18 hours and 27 minutes
  2. Author
    Rufus J. Fears, see all
  3. Narrator
    Rufus J. Fears
  4. Audible release date
    July 8, 2013
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    The Great Courses
  7. ASIN
    B00DTNWAM6
  8. Version
    Original recording
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length 18 hours and 27 minutes
Author Rufus J. Fears, The Great Courses
Narrator Rufus J. Fears
Audible.com Release Date July 08, 2013
Publisher The Great Courses
Program Type Audiobook
Version Original recording
Language English
ASIN B00DTNWAM6
Best Sellers Rank #38,065 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#693 in Classic Literature
#2,533 in Classic Literature & Fiction

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
21 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Southwest by southwest
    5.0 out of 5 stars Books for my adult son's reading list
    Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Even though I studied most of these books in high school, I found professor fears reselling and analysis most enjoyable. If you want your adult children to understand your generation better, give them this book. If you have a young adult addicted to war games have them listen to fears on the best book ever written about war, Al's quiet on the western front. Fears is superb.
    13 people found this helpful
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  • suzanne
    3.0 out of 5 stars It's okay, I guess....?
    Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2014
    I think I was expecting this to be more in depth than it was, and so came away disappointed. Fears is a really enthusiastic lecturer and a great performer, but he shows too much of his hand - it's not so much about why this book was important, it's why he thinks it's important. He's also very, very Christian, which in itself isn't an issue, but it has definitely colored his study of the Books of Mark and Job and Exodus, which are covered here.
    It is very much a subjective lecture and will leave you wanting if you're already moderately familiar with most of these texts.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Peter B. Drayson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Classical Education
    Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    A unique lecturer, unabashedly addicted to the works of great writers, philosophers, leaders and other significany characters in history. His selection have guided me to great figures in history, taught me about life and entertained me endlessly.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Grranimal
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, and I would even say a great American and a scholar who will fascinate you.
    Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Excellent! See my other reviews for Dr. Fears. You will develop your mind in an easy way with this instructor. Buy it!
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Angela Lippke
    5.0 out of 5 stars Books that changed the World
    Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    I was deeply pleased with these books (tapes) as it reviews the whole world and how it got to Now.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Jeremy
    1.0 out of 5 stars A poor attempt at indoctrination
    Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2011
    I've listened to many Teaching Company courses, and this is easily one of the worst. A red flag should quickly go up when Nazis are mentioned after many literary works discussed.

    I felt like the lecturer was talking down to the audience. He would summarize a work, and then describe why it should be important. The books discuss "profound" themes, and thus they should be considered great. He gives us the "appropriate" interpretation of the works, and why they should be important for us. Usually this importance has something to do with World War II.

    Since he spends so much time summarizing, there is little direct incentive to actually read the works discussed. After all, he gives the summary and the "meaning" we are supposed to get out of it.) However, in books that I have read recently, I have had interpretations vastly different than his. Perhaps the incentive is there to just figure out how he managed to mess up the interpretation of other works.

    There are plenty of other "great books" audio courses out there that are much better. I would reccomend The Modern Scholar: A Way With Words, Part II: Approaches to Literature It lacks the forced interpretation and does a better job of inspiring an interest in literature.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • Larry Lundy
    2.0 out of 5 stars Not what I was looking for. Just the author's opinions on these books
    Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2021
    Perhaps you can blame me for misinterpreting what I was getting. To account for that, I am giving it 2 stars. I would give it zero otherwise. Early on the author actually made the point that he would not be discussing the history of the books themselves. This course was not about the authors or the writing of these books. It is about why they are important. Honestly, I believe the books are just used as a framing device to tell stories that this professor wanted to share. Some of these stories were interesting, but I was distracted by my frustration at not getting the information I wanted. When the works themselves were being discussed, it felt more like book review in thesis form.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Walt Hyden
    4.0 out of 5 stars good review
    Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2019
    good review of books I was required to read in freshman English sixty years ago.
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