Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature
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Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature
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Narrated by:
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Pamela Bedore
About this listen
Can literature change our real world society? At its foundation, utopian and dystopian fiction asks a few seemingly simple questions aimed at doing just that. Who are we as a society? Who do we want to be? Who are we afraid we might become? When these questions are framed in the speculative versions of Heaven and Hell on earth, you won't find easy answers, but you will find tremendously insightful and often entertaining perspectives.
Utopian and dystopian writing sits at the crossroads of literature and other important academic disciplines such as philosophy, history, psychology, politics, and sociology. It serves as a useful tool to discuss our present condition and future prospects - to imagine a better tomorrow and warn of dangerous possibilities. To examine the future of mankind through detailed and fascinating stories that highlight and exploit our anxieties in adventurous, thought-provoking, and engaging ways. From Thomas More's foundational text Utopia published in 1516 to the 21st-century phenomenon of The Hunger Games, dive into stories that seek to find the best - and the worst - in humanity, with the hope of better understanding ourselves and the world. Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature delivers 24 illuminating lectures, led by Pamela Bedore, Associate Professor of English at the University of Connecticut, which plunge you into the history and development of utopian ideas and their dystopian counterparts. You'll encounter some of the most powerful and influential texts in this genre as you travel centuries into the past and thousands of years into the future, through worlds that are beautiful, laughable, terrifying, and always thought-provoking.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2017 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2017 The Great CoursesWhat listeners say about Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ellen L
- 01-04-2019
One of my favourite Great Course
Always a pleasure to listen to a passionate, interested and engaging lecturer. Pamela Bedore is wonderful. Only problem is my list of recommended reading will occupy the rest of this year
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- James
- 06-09-2019
A wonderful, exciting series
I purchased this ages ago and for some reason, didn't get around to reading it until very recently. Foolish foolish me! Once I started, I couldn't stop.
Pamela Bedore is a fantastic narrator and her enthusiasm for the subject matter is simply contagious. Coupled with her clear expertise, her easy going and down to earth explanations and her delightful way of narrating - almost as if you're sitting across from her at a bar - its a joy to listen to these lectures.
Pamela has selected an amazing array of books covering centuries of work and in each work, finds a way to show examples of each genre and also where you can go if you're interested in the topic / theme / particular style of that movement.
Easily the best lecture series I've purchased and one which I will revisit again (particularly as Pamela has given me a huge list of books to read / listen to). A brilliant series and a wonderful author narrator. Cannot recommend this enough.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 03-11-2020
Beyond pen and paper
This course describes and explores the areas between such concepts as politics, society and technology; among others. It is compactly articulated and offers great insight to a a literary incompetent like myself.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mark Zaniol
- 06-07-2020
excellent experience & fascinating content
love the journey through Uptopian & dystopian lit. worth a listen. I really enjoyed the whole series of lectures.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Mark Broadhead
- 27-12-2019
Ugh
Pretty good content but the lecturer seems to be talking in a voice for young teens.
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1 person found this helpful