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Bard of the Middle Ages - The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer
- The Modern Scholar
- Narrated by: Michael Drout
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
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Publisher's summary
Chaucer's works are today widely studied and serve as models for current literature around the world. Chaucer holds a place of esteem as the earliest and one of the foremost writers in the English language.
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As Charly struggles to recover from her brain injury, she begins to realize that the events of that fateful night are trapped in the damaged right side of her brain. Now, she must put the jigsaw pieces together to discover the identity of the man who tried to kill her...before he finishes the job he started.
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Who Else Laughed, Cried, and Shuddered?
- By Jennifer Chichester on 09-16-22
By: Freida McFadden
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Frankenstein
- By: Mary Shelley
- Narrated by: Dan Stevens
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
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Narrator Dan Stevens ( Downton Abbey) presents an uncanny performance of Mary Shelley's timeless gothic novel, an epic battle between man and monster at its greatest literary pitch. In trying to create life, the young student Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events that brings Victor to the very brink of madness. How he tries to destroy his creation, as it destroys everything Victor loves, is a powerful story of love, friendship, scientific hubris, and horror.
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ARE WE ALWAYS TO BE UNHAPPY?
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 01-28-16
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The Strange Case
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- Narrated by: Vanessa Kirby, David Oyelowo, Sofie Gråbøl, and others
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Dr. Jekyll (Vanessa Kirby) is an elite international specialist in energy systems, working closely with her handler Louis (David Oyelowo) in a career that takes her across the globe to politically volatile territories such as Iran and North Korea. But when an arms dealer accuses her of having killed his family, Dr. Jekyll begins to question details of her life, who Louis really is, and whether her strange recurring dream has a greater meaning. She enlists the help of psychologist Sigrun (Sofie Gråbøl), and together they delve into Dr. Jekyll’s darker other side, a brutal assassin named… Hyde.
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Love the Originals !!
- By r2coder on 08-04-24
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The Cut
- By: Richard Armitage
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Welcome to Barton Mallet, a remote village in the Midlands that has been chosen as the unlikely location for a new feature film from Hollywood producer Max Crow. Teenagers from the local drama group are encouraged to audition for a story about the trials and tribulations of growing up. Benjamin Knot, the CEO of a well-known architecture firm, discovers that his children, Lily and Nathan, have each been offered a role. But Barton Mallet has a deep wound that has never truly healed.
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Hard to get into
- By felicialeash on 09-15-24
By: Richard Armitage
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What listeners say about Bard of the Middle Ages - The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Lily C. Baker
- 08-12-18
I Own All of Prof. Drout's Audible Lectures!!!!!!
Prof. Drout is someone I listen to, regardless of the topic because his scholarship is so entire and his lectures so engaging and enthusiastic that they're just really fun listens. And if I learn something along the way about literature or medieval history, or Viking and Norsemen - then fun bonus for me!
He has a hip, natural lecture style that feels a bit like you're hanging out with the smartest friend you have and they're on a tear to talk about a topic they love. I've listened to most of his lectures more than once, my favorites being the ones on Tolkien, Science Fiction Literature, Anglo Saxons, medieval lit and Norse.
I just noticed he has some lectures on YouTube and I may have to sail on over there to get my fix of Drout scholarship. Can't seem to get enough!
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- Margaret
- 04-30-12
Drout does it again!
If you could sum up The Modern Scholar in three words, what would they be?
This is the third of Professor Drout's lecture series I've listened to and I'm impressed once again. He gets to the heart of the matter and speaks clearly without "dumbing down" the subject.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Lynn
- 09-11-16
Worth your time
Although I can't say I agree with all of Drout's ideas, I did really enjoy this.I needed to review Chaucer, and this course was very helpful for that purpose.
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- Nickolas
- 03-10-18
Drout wins again
I'm already learning Anglo-Saxon after listening to Drout's lectures on the subject of the same name; now I can add Middle English to my learning que.
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- CICADA
- 08-23-16
Made me want to read Chaucer!
Would you consider the audio edition of Bard of the Middle Ages - The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer to be better than the print version?
This was a great overview of the author Chaucer, his life, times and works. I didn't know anything about him when I bought this. I wanted to read the Canterbury Tales. I wasn't sure if it was approachable for a layman to read. Professor Drout made his works accessible and interesting!
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2 people found this helpful
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- chetyarbrough.blog
- 08-17-14
MASTER OF AMBIGUITY
Geoffrey Chaucer is a master of ambiguity. Michael Drout, in the Modern Scholar series, offers an informative and laudatory appreciation of Chaucer as the Bard of the Middle Ages. Drout notes that Chaucer’s view of life is best revealed in The Canterbury Tales.
Drout offers high praise for Chaucer, suggesting The Canterbury Tales seeds centuries of fictional narratives; in part because of Chaucer’s prescient understanding of human nature but also because of life’s ambiguous truths. Drout considers Chaucer equal to William Shakespeare, the greatest poet and playwright of all time.
Though Drout does not suggest Chaucer endorses cultural’ transgressions, it appears Chaucer is ambiguous about his character’s opinions. Drout suggests Chaucer may have been repentant in The Parson’s Tale (the last of The Canterbury Tales that endorses religion of Chaucer’s era) because he is nearing the end of his life. In any case, it is clear that Chaucer is ahead of his time; earned his place in West Minster Abbey (the first poet to be buried there), and deserves his reputation as the Father of English Literature.
Drout gives his audience an excellent summary of Chaucer’s contribution to literature in these lectures; however, Chaucer is best represented by his own writing. Every listener/reader reaches their own opinion after experiencing Chaucer’s work; that is what makes The Canterbury Tales a classic.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Victor
- 10-22-18
The Past Conquers All
It is really interesting to learn about the background of stuff you learn in college. I read Canterbury Tales more than 50 years ago & didn’t know anything about the background of the author. This was a fantastic education. It gets a little weedy now & then but overall it was a great learning experience.
As a result, I plan to listen to more of this series over time.
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Overall
- Chi-Hung
- 04-21-10
I learned more about history than language.
Professor Drout is as entertaining in this course as ever, though I had wished to catch up on my middle english. However, the course was not about middle English, I am nonetheless happy about purchase.
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10 people found this helpful
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- Jeff
- 01-10-15
Highly recommended
I enjoyed this review of Chaucer's works. The series reviewed
The Book of the Duchess, the House of Fame, the Legend of Good Women and Troilus and Criseyde, and, of course, The Canterbury Tales. Dr. Drout also reviews Chaucer's translation of The Consolation of Philosophy and The Romance of the Rose. It's too bad The Book of the Lion didn't survive. This series enlightened me about how revolutionary the Canterbury Tales were. The use of a frame narrative allowed Chaucer to cloak his opinions and it allowed Chaucer the freedom to get inside the minds of the many different personalities of his time period in the 14th Century. The lecture sheds light on the historical events influencing Chaucer's writing, such as his involvement and survival of a lineage of royalty and the fact that his writings were read at court. Dr. Drout is also an expert in Middle English which further sheds light on understanding Chaucer. Dr. Drout's inclusion of the different literary theories including the feminist movement was informative. If you think literature starts with Shakespeare, this is a must listen.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Bee
- 07-19-15
Exceptional
This was an engrossing set of lectures by an enthusiastic, knowledgeable educator. Highly recommended.
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