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A Day's Read
- Narrated by: Arnold Weinstein, Emily Allen, Grant L. Voth
- Length: 18 hrs and 25 mins
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Publisher's summary
Join three literary scholars and award-winning professors as they introduce you to dozens of short masterpieces that you can finish - and engage with - in a day or less. Perfect for people with busy lives who still want to discover -or rediscover - just how transformative reading can be, these 36 lectures range from short stories of fewer than 10 pages to novellas and novels of around 200 pages. Despite their short length, these works are powerful examinations of the same subjects and themes that longer "great books" discuss.
And with three great professors coming together to offer their own looks at literature, you'll get a multitude of ways to approach and think about grand human themes, including
- the nature of love and the mysteries of fate;
- the riddle of identity and the trials of growing up;
- the complex ties between individuals and their societies;
- the ways we make sense of personal and public history.
In the company of these three professors, you'll also approach the evolution of the modern novel, the development of literary genres such as graphic novels and creative nonfiction, the role of politics and culture in inspiring authors, and much more.
What's more, by exploring literature through three perspectives instead of one, you'll get an opportunity to see how literature professors - just like everyone else - approach and read books in their own unique way. It's like getting three distinct learning experiences, all in one single, affordable package.PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
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After a string of bad dates and no prospects, Sophia Othonos has finally hit the jackpot: an actual nice guy. When he suggests a romantic getaway, she’s sure they’re about to take the next step toward their future. A rustic cruise to the Galápagos Islands isn’t exactly her idea of a vacation, but Sophia is ready for anything…until her boyfriend has to cancel. Now she’s all alone on a trip that was meant for two. Sophia finds herself at a crossroads about who she is, what she wants, and whether her relationship is really everything she thought.
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Great Story!!
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By: Elin Hilderbrand
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Frankenstein
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Narrator Dan Stevens ( Downton Abbey) presents an uncanny performance of Mary Shelley's timeless gothic novel, an epic battle between man and monster at its greatest literary pitch. In trying to create life, the young student Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events that brings Victor to the very brink of madness. How he tries to destroy his creation, as it destroys everything Victor loves, is a powerful story of love, friendship, scientific hubris, and horror.
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ARE WE ALWAYS TO BE UNHAPPY?
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 01-28-16
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Starship Troopers
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Johnnie Rico never really intended to join up—and definitely not the infantry. But now that he’s in the thick of it, trying to get through combat training harder than anything he could have imagined, he knows everyone in his unit is one bad move away from buying the farm in the interstellar war the Terran Federation is waging against the Arachnids. Because everyone in the Mobile Infantry fights. And if the training doesn’t kill you, the Bugs are more than ready to finish the job.
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One of the best RAH books ever just got better.
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He Who Fights with Monsters 2
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But Jason Asano is settling into his new life. Now, a contest draws young elites to the city of Greenstone to compete for a grand prize. Jason must gather a band of companions if he is to stand a chance against the best the world has to offer. While the young adventurers are caught up in competition, the city leaders deal with revelations of betrayal as a vast and terrible enemy is revealed. Although Jason seems uninvolved, he has unknowingly crossed the enemy’s path before.
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Contrary to common reviews
- By Karen on 05-21-21
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These 12 illuminating lectures paint a rich and detailed portrait of the life, works, and ideas of this remarkable figure, whose own search for God has profoundly shaped all of Western Christianity. You'll learn what Augustine taught and why he taught it – and how those teachings and doctrines helped shape the Roman Catholic Church. These lectures are rewarding even if you have no background at all in classical philosophy or Christian theology.
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Good, but problematic in parts.
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What listeners say about A Day's Read
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Vickie
- 07-13-17
Subject
This is not what I expected and I can not bring myself to finish listening.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Katie G
- 02-24-17
A great team of lecturers
I've known for a while that Arnold Weinstein is fantastic lecturer. But I am glad to have been introduced to the other two professors through this team-taught course. I can't wait to look for other courses by Allen and Voth.
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18 people found this helpful
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- Jose
- 09-12-24
Cuestionador y generador de nuevas perspectivas de vida
Un maravilloso viaje por muchas perspectivas de vivir. La variedad de puntos de vista y épocas es enriquecedora
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- Jo Page
- 08-01-18
Keep a Pen Close By to Make Up Your Reading List
This is a fascinating survey, shared among professors, of works to read in a long or short afternoon. I especially love Arnold Weinstein whose Great Courses surveys--and a book--i have enjoyed before. Though I have a graduate degree in literature, I was delighted by the breadth and diversity of work covered. Listen to this and make up a beach reading list or one for evenings in front of the fire!
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38 people found this helpful
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- Kelly
- 03-21-16
Awesome lectures!
Any additional comments?
This is one of my favorite literature sets from Great Courses. I loves the mix of speakers, opinions, selections . . . really wonderful teachers, all of them!
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23 people found this helpful
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- sir
- 05-18-20
A book for every taste!
I am glad I got to know so many short stories from around the world, some of whom I would have never heard of if it weren't for this Great Course class.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Carolina
- 10-29-22
A great way to discover short fiction!
I enjoyed the profs selections and analyses. I’ve already added several of the books to various to-be-read lists. Some are also available on Audible. A caution: The plots are fully discussed. If you like to be surprised by a book’s ending, this course might not be for you! Emily Allen was my favorite of the three academics, but all are excellent. You’ll learn a lot about wonderful writers and some of their shorter works.
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- MJ Walters
- 01-17-18
Wonderful Introduction to Short Fiction
Short fiction is not something I've ever given a lot of thought to. I read a good bit more of it last year than I have in a good long time, and have come to appreciate the short story and novella forms. It was with that in mind that I tackled A Day's Read, from The Great Courses, wanting to know more about both the forms and works that are good, even great representatives of them. In a series of 36 lectures, Professors Weinstein, Allen, and Voth explore 36+ works of literature which can all be read in the course of a day, some in only a few hours.
It's a wide-ranging collection of stories that spans several centuries and a number of different countries. Well-known authors such as Kafka, Hemingway, Balzac, and Joyce are represented along with authors who are lesser known but no less deft in creating small gems. In the course of the 18+ hours, I compiled a huge list of things that I very much want to read, and authors I want to get to know, such as Borges, Calvino, Lagerkvist, Satrapi, Hersey... most of the authors represented here, in fact.
The lecturers break the works down by theme, which is an excellent way of approaching such a broad selection, but in the end, it's the stories themselves, the allure of the whole, that tempts me. But you can't organize everyone's subjective responses to this information, and so theme -- Who are we? How do we love? -- is a good starting point.
I'm a great believer in understanding what we read. I don't just mean comprehending the words on the page, but understanding their context in the world, and in our own lives. Approaching literature in easy bites, learning what ideas and concerns drove the writers represented here, makes it easier to approach their longer works with a greater level of comprehension. This course can go a long way to easing the reader into a greater understanding of not only the works presented but literature in general.
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84 people found this helpful
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- MDC
- 05-26-20
If you like postmodernists...
The first third of the course was excellent, even though it became more and more oriented toward sexual themes. The middle part was full of post modernism and identity politics. The standard tripe about the patriarchy. The last third was up and down. I’ve loved fair bit of world literature, but, for me, i didn’t connect with the prof.
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42 people found this helpful
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- Julie Jester
- 01-15-16
Stories not included, only discussed
The analysis is certainly very interesting and good but the short stories themselves are not actually read during the lectures. To properly enjoy this you need to start a lecture until you hear what work they are discussing, then stop listening before they spoil the whole story. Then, go look up that work and read/listen to it before returning to the lecture. Very tedious. This would be a much better course if it were interleaved with readings of the actual stories.
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287 people found this helpful