Crash Course Literature
8.4
2012
Documentary
John Green teaches you literature in an exciting, entertaining, and endlessly informative manner.
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- Cast:
- John Green
Episode 8 : Before I Got My Eye Put Out - The Poetry of Emily Dickinson
January. 24,2013
In which John Green concludes the Crash Course Literature mini-series with an examination of the poetry of Emily Dickinson. Sure, John explores the creepy biographical details of Dickinson's life, but he also gets into why her poems have remained relevant over the decades. John discusses Dickinson's language, the structure of her work, and her cake recipes. He also talks about Dickinson's famously eccentric punctuation, which again ends up relating to her cake recipes. Also, Dickinson's coconut cake recipe is included.
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Episode 7 : Holden, JD, and the Red Cap: The Catcher in the Rye Part 2
January. 17,2013
In which John continues the discussion of JD Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. This week John reads the novel with Salinger's life story in mind. John explores how Salinger's war experience, educational background, and romantic life inform the events of Holden Caulfield's life. How did Holden get to be such a whiny, self-absorbed teen? While it's not a great idea to read novels too biographically, Salinger's life surely informed Holden's. Watch on to get an idea just how much.
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Episode 6 : Language, Voice, and Holden Caulfield: The Catcher in the Rye Part 1
January. 10,2013
In which John Green examines JD Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye. John pulls out the old school literary criticism by examining the text itself rather than paying attention to the biographical or historical context of the novel (that's for next week). Listen, words matter. The Catcher in the Rye has managed to endure without a movie adaptation because a lot of its quality arises from the book's language. Find out how Holden's voice, his language, and his narrative technique combine to make the novel work. Also, Thought Bubble gives us a quick rundown of the plot, in which Ikea Monkey may or may not appear.
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Seasons
Season 4
In 12 episodes, John Green is back to talk about books. That’s right, more Crash Course Literature! The analyses and books chosen in this course are based on introductory college-level curriculum and the AP Literature guidelines. By the end of this course, you will be able to:
*Use characters and setting to explore a range of values, beliefs, assumptions, biases, and cultural norms
*Discuss the role of the narrator and how their perspective affects how readers experience and interpret a text
*Recognize comparisons, representations, and associations that invite readers to interpret a text
*Explain the function of significant events in a plot, as well as the contributions of structure, sequence, contrast, and conflict
*Employ different lenses and focal points to read a text multiple ways and recognize the glorious ambiguity of literature
*Question the notion of genre and place, in particular dystopias, and their impact on free will and politics
Season 3
In 9 episodes, John Green reads even more literature! The analyses and books chosen in this course are based on introductory college-level curriculum and the AP Literature guidelines. By the end of this course, you will be able to:
*Use characters and setting to explore a range of values, beliefs, assumptions, biases, and cultural norms
*Discuss the role of the narrator and how their perspective affects how readers experience and interpret a text
*Recognize comparisons, representations, and associations that invite readers to interpret a text
*Explain the function of significant events in a plot, as well as the contributions of structure, sequence, contrast, and conflict
*Employ different lenses and focal points to read a text multiple ways and recognize the glorious ambiguity of literature
*Discuss how different texts explore the theme of “self” and how it is made
Season 2
In 16 episodes, John Green discusses more literature! The analyses and books chosen in this course are based on introductory college-level curriculum and the AP Literature guidelines. By the end of this course, you will be able to:
*Use characters and setting to explore a range of values, beliefs, assumptions, biases, and cultural norms
*Discuss the role of the narrator and how their perspective affects how readers experience and interpret a text
*Recognize comparisons, representations, and associations that invite readers to interpret a text
*Explain the function of significant events in a plot, as well as the contributions of structure, sequence, contrast, and conflict
*Employ different lenses and focal points to read a text multiple ways and recognize the glorious ambiguity of literature
*Discuss how different texts explore the themes of mortal and divine justice, and the perpetual cycle of violence
Season 1
In 8 episodes, John Green dives into literature! The analyses and books chosen in this course are based on introductory college-level curriculum and the AP Literature guidelines. By the end of this course, you will be able to:
*Use characters and setting to explore a range of values, beliefs, assumptions, biases, and cultural norms
*Discuss the role of the narrator and how their perspective affects how readers experience and interpret a text
*Recognize comparisons, representations, and associations that invite readers to interpret a text
*Explain the function of significant events in a plot, as well as the contributions of structure, sequence, contrast, and conflict
*Employ different lenses and focal points to read a text multiple ways and recognize the glorious ambiguity of literature
*Discuss how different texts employ time as a theme
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