What You Wish You Had Learned in College
This study attempts to explain the renown and endurance of the narrative and dramatic works included under the rubric "Great Books" by appealing to the theory contained in one of the greatest of the Great Books, Aristotle's Poetics. Its central tenet – that successful literature involves the accurate representation of human experience – is proposed as the basis both of their endurance and greatness.
But this book is more than an argument. It is also a guide through eleven Great Books, showing the theory in action and thus providing an education in these books for those who have never read them or read them without knowing what to look for. Many original insights are also offered to those who know the Great Books well.
John O. Hayden is Professor Emeritus of English at the University of California, Davis. He has published a study of the Aristotelian Tradition in classical literary criticism (Polestar of the Ancients, 1979) and has taught seminars in the Great Books for many years.
Also available by the same author ... intended for the general reader:
William Wordsworth and the Mind of Man: The Poet as Thinker, 222 pp., hardcover $24.95. An original and comprehensive approach to one of the greatest English poets.
Inside Poetry Out: An Introduction to Poetry, 173 pp., paperback $14.95; hardcover $19.95. A self-contained introduction to all aspects of poetry, from its nature to its content and verse forms. A good entrance into the world of poetry for the beginner and an excellent resource for anyone interested in poetry.
Why the Great Books Are Great
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