Professor Raphael Shargel channels his passion for teaching and expertise as a Shakespearean scholar into this illuminative study of the Immortal Bard's eight great comedies. Shakespeare's genius is as readily apparent in these comedies as in his timeless tragedies. Often marked by internal and external conflicts, young lovers struggling for union, mistaken identities, and intertwining plots, Shakespeare's comedies to this day reveal the master's...

The Angles and Saxons purposefully migrated to the isles of the Britons and brought with them their already-well-developed use of language. Professor Michael D.C. Drout presents the Anglo-Saxons' storytelling abilities using their own words; he does so in their own voice--the incredibly melodious Old English.

No ancient society has exerted greater influence on the development of Western culture than the ancient Greeks. Over two thousand years ago these people gave birth to the institution of democracy, to scientific investigation and philosophical dialogue, to poetry, both epic and personal, to historical narrative, and to comic and tragic theater. Their intensely creative spark also manifested itself in the arts: in architecture with the creation of temples...

In these lectures, Professor Donald M.G. Sutherland explores the life and times of Napoleon, one of history's most brilliant strategic thinkers. But despite his inarguable brilliance, Napoleon has also been denounced as unscrupulously ambitious and as alone responsible for the wars that bear his name. With his scholarly eye, Professor Sutherland imparts a fuller understanding of this polarizing figure and deftly shows how Napoleon fit into the sweep...

Alexander the Great is the most famous king and conqueror known in the ancient world. In his lifetime, he was given honors equal to those of the gods. After his death, he became a legend and the 'Alexander Romance' became the best-selling fiction of the medieval lectures. Professor Fox answers questions about Alexander that have percolated throughout history: Why did Alexander succeed? What was he like? How did he change the world and its history?...

From mysterious origins, through the Victorian sleuths and the "Golden Age" of the genre (the 1920s through the 1940s), and to the present day, detective fiction, mysteries, and spy thrillers have consistently topped best-seller lists around the world. Professor M. Lee Alexander provides listeners with a lively discussion of groundbreaking authors from Edgar Allan Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle to Agatha Christie, Ian Fleming, and modern writers such...

Kenyon College professor Katherine Elkins details the lives and works of the premier French writers of the last two centuries.

In these illuminating lectures from Professor Ned Blackhawk (Western Shoshone), a history of Native America is provided from the time shortly before the expeditions of Christopher Columbus to the present. Focusing on the Columbian Exchange, Indians and the American Constitution, American Indian Removal, the Civil War, and the modern age, Professor Blackhawk concludes his revealing course by addressing the issues that continue to affect Native Americans...