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The Great Good Book: The Bible and the Roots of Western Literature (Portable Professor Series) by Adam Potkay

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(Paperback - 8 CD's, Book-Length Course Guide)

  • Pub. Date: May 2004

    Reader Rating: (4 ratings)

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    Product Details

    • Pub. Date: May 2004
    • Publisher: Barnes & Noble
    • Format: Paperback

    Synopsis

    PORTABLE PROFESSOR™ is a series of exciting and informative lectures recorded by some of today's most renowned university and college professors. Each course introduces listeners to fascinating, and sometimes startling, insights into the intellectual forces that shape our understanding of the world. Each package includes 14 riveting lectures presented by notable professors as well as a book-length course guide.

    The Bible is undoubtedly the most influential work of literature in Western culture. From Milton to Joyce, Shakespeare to Hemingway, generations of writers and thinkers have taken inspiration from the stories, poems, and parables found in the sacred volume. In this fascinating course, Professor Adam Potkay examines how the Bible—which continues to be one of the bestselling books ever—has been read and interpreted throughout history, and how its timeless themes can be found at the very roots of the cultural and literary traditions of the West.

    COURSE LECTURES

    1. Authorship and Style in the Torah
    2. Cain and Abel in Story, Theology, and Literary History
    3. Icons and Iconoclasm: From Moses to Milton
    4. The Story of King David, or the Varieties of Love
    5. The Song of Solomon: The Poetry of Sacred and Profane Love
    6. Psalms: The Poetry of Praise and Supplication
    7. Proverbs: The Way to Wisdom
    8. The Book of Job: The Problem of Evil and the Aesthetics of the Sublime
    9. Ecclesiastes and the Questioning of Wisdom
    10. Isaiah and Prophecy
    11. Typology: The Life of Christ as Fulfillment of the Old Testament
    12. Parables: The Form of Jesus' Preaching
    13. Paul: The Letter and Spirit of the Law
    14. The Book of Revelation and the Symmetry of the Christian Bible

    Adam Potkay holds degrees from Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, and Rutgers, where he received his Ph.D. He is currently Professor of English at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he has taught since 1990. An internationally renowned scholar of eighteenth-century literature, Professor Potkay is also the recipient of the William and Mary Alumni Fellowship Award for Excellence in Teaching.

    Customer Reviews

    A reviewerby Anonymous

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    October 25, 2007: I picked up the Portable Professor series because I enjoy Harold Bloom and was interested to hear what his Portable Professor series course 'What A Piece Of Work Is Man' was like. However, Professor Potkay's lecture series on 'The Great Good Book: The Bible and The Roots of Western Literature' was truly amazing. I have yet to encounter another title in this series to match his. Professor Potkay's depth of understanding and range of context is immense. His style of presentation is not as dymanic as some, but it is remarkably thorough. This was truly like taking a college lit. course in my car. The lectures were so good I became sad as the course came to a close. I could not recommend this 'book' more highly, and only wish, like a few other professors in the series, that Potkay had more than one course in the Portable Profeesor series. Hopefully, he will make another.

    Finally, I enjoyed The Bibleby Anonymous

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    March 07, 2007: Unlike another listener, I found Professor Potkay's voice mellifluous. The subject itself is fascinating. The Bible never particularly interested me, but its legends, myths, prophesies, and wisdom just light up in this course. The study guide that accompanies the course is more than adequate and offers many interesting suggestions for further reading and understanding.


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