Understanding Literature and Life: Drama, Poetry and Narrative
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Narrated by:
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Arnold Weinstein
About this listen
The major texts of Western culture are a gateway to wisdom that can widen your views on self and society in enduring ways. The extraordinary body of literature given us by writers from antiquity to the present day, as Professor Weinstein notes, "is potent stuff, serving not only as transcription of history but also as a verbal Pandora's box, capable of shedding light on those transactions which remain in the dark for many of us: love, death, fear, desire. We are talking about more than artful language; we are talking about the life of the past and the life of the world."
It is truly a monumental legacy. And now you can examine its most important works - whether drama, poetry, or narrative - in this series of 64 penetrating lectures that reveal astonishing common ground. You'll see how this award-winning teacher uses several different analytical perspectives, including Feminism, Marxism, Freudianism, Deconstruction, Postmodernism, and New Historicism, to give us fresh insight into persisting human themes like rites of passage; the "fit" or "misfit" between self and society; the creation of an identity; and the play, weight, and presence of the past in understanding our present.
You learn how drama makes visible the conflicts and wars of culture in ways other forms cannot manage. How poetry can go to the heart of human existence with a purity and power akin to surgery, bidding us to challenge and change the way we usually do business. And how narrative can tell life stories in ways that enable a possession of that life that is hardly imaginable any other way.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
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- By Jatai Pollock on 09-26-24
By: Michael Elliot
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Ghost Stories: Stephen Fry's Definitive Collection
- By: Stephen Fry, Washington Irving, M.R. James, and others
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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As the days grow shorter and the temperature drops, Halloween approaches. Come, brave listener, pull up a chair, and spend some time with master storyteller Stephen Fry as he tells us some of his favourite ghost stories of all time, in truly terrifying spatial audio. From the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow to the tortured spirits of M.R. James, from Edgar Allan Poe’s terrifying tale of a doppelganger to Charlotte Riddell’s Open Door that should definitely stay shut, join Stephen as he tells you some truly terrifying tales.
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Wonderful narration. Mediocre stories.
- By Michael Fuchs on 11-07-23
By: Stephen Fry, and others
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Fahrenheit 451
- By: Ray Bradbury
- Narrated by: Tim Robbins
- Length: 5 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television "family."
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Wish I Hadn't Cliff Noted This in High School
- By Joel on 03-27-17
By: Ray Bradbury
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Brain Damage
- By: Freida McFadden
- Narrated by: Megan Tusing
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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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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Starship Troopers
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Johnnie Rico never really intended to join up—and definitely not the infantry. But now that he’s in the thick of it, trying to get through combat training harder than anything he could have imagined, he knows everyone in his unit is one bad move away from buying the farm in the interstellar war the Terran Federation is waging against the Arachnids. Because everyone in the Mobile Infantry fights. And if the training doesn’t kill you, the Bugs are more than ready to finish the job.
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The definitive version!
- By Kristopher G. Hesson on 10-03-24
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Slayers: A Buffyverse Story
- By: Christopher Golden, Amber Benson
- Narrated by: Amber Benson, Charisma Carpenter, James Charles Leary, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Original Recording
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Original cast members from the beloved TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, reunite for an all-new adventure about connections that never die—even if you bury them. A decade has passed since the epic final battle that concluded Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV). The game-changing spell that gave power to all potential Slayers persists. With new Slayers constantly emerging, things are looking grim for the bad guys.
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A dream come true
- By Anonymous User on 10-12-23
By: Christopher Golden, and others
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Join three literary scholars and award-winning professors as they introduce you to dozens of short masterpieces that you can finish - and engage with - in a day or less. Perfect for people with busy lives who still want to discover-or rediscover-just how transformative an act of reading can be, these 36 lectures range from short stories of fewer than 10 pages to novellas and novels of around 200 pages. Despite their short length, these works are powerful examinations of the same subjects and themes that longer "great books" discuss.
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What can we still learn from C.S. Lewis? Find out in these 12 insightful lectures that cover the author's spiritual autobiography, novels, and his scholarly writings that reflect on pain and grief, love and friendship, prophecy and miracles, and education and mythology.
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Basically a collection of sermons
- By Richard on 11-20-13
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The Iliad of Homer
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For thousands of years, Homer's ancient epic poem the
Iliad has enchanted readers from around the world. When you join Professor Vandiver for this lecture series on the Iliad, you'll come to understand what has enthralled and gripped so many people. Her compelling 12-lecture look at this literary masterpiece -whether it's the work of many authors or the "vision" of a single blind poet - makes it vividly clear why, after almost 3,000 years, the
Iliad remains not only among the greatest adventure stories ever told but also one of the most compelling meditations on the human condition ever written.
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Vandiver never disappoints
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The Foundations of Western Civilization
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What is Western Civilization? According to Professor Noble, it is "much more than human and political geography," encompassing myriad forms of political and institutional structures - from monarchies to participatory republics - and its own traditions of political discourse. It involves choices about who gets to participate in any given society and the ways in which societies have resolved the tension between individual self-interest and the common good.
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Not Engaging or Very Interesting
- By Tommy D'Angelo on 03-05-17
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Writing Creative Nonfiction
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Bringing together the imaginative strategies of fiction storytelling and new ways of narrating true, real-life events, creative nonfiction is the fastest-growing part of the creative writing world. It's a cutting-edge genre that's reshaping how we write (and read) everything from biographies and memoirs to blogs and public speaking scripts to personal essays and magazine articles.
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Not what I expected but useful
- By Nancy on 04-14-14
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No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life
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What is life? What is my place in it? What choices do these questions obligate me to make? More than a half-century after it burst upon the intellectual scene - with roots that extend to the mid-19th century - Existentialism's quest to answer these most fundamental questions of individual responsibility, morality, and personal freedom, life has continued to exert a profound attraction.
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Good for even a non-existentialist
- By Gary on 07-24-15
By: Robert C. Solomon, and others
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A Day's Read
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Join three literary scholars and award-winning professors as they introduce you to dozens of short masterpieces that you can finish - and engage with - in a day or less. Perfect for people with busy lives who still want to discover-or rediscover-just how transformative an act of reading can be, these 36 lectures range from short stories of fewer than 10 pages to novellas and novels of around 200 pages. Despite their short length, these works are powerful examinations of the same subjects and themes that longer "great books" discuss.
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Stories not included, only discussed
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The Life and Writings of C. S. Lewis
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What can we still learn from C.S. Lewis? Find out in these 12 insightful lectures that cover the author's spiritual autobiography, novels, and his scholarly writings that reflect on pain and grief, love and friendship, prophecy and miracles, and education and mythology.
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Basically a collection of sermons
- By Richard on 11-20-13
By: Louis Markos, and others
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The Iliad of Homer
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For thousands of years, Homer's ancient epic poem the
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Iliad remains not only among the greatest adventure stories ever told but also one of the most compelling meditations on the human condition ever written.
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Vandiver never disappoints
- By Machteacher on 07-23-13
By: Elizabeth Vandiver, and others
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The Foundations of Western Civilization
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What is Western Civilization? According to Professor Noble, it is "much more than human and political geography," encompassing myriad forms of political and institutional structures - from monarchies to participatory republics - and its own traditions of political discourse. It involves choices about who gets to participate in any given society and the ways in which societies have resolved the tension between individual self-interest and the common good.
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Not Engaging or Very Interesting
- By Tommy D'Angelo on 03-05-17
By: Thomas F. X. Noble, and others
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Writing Creative Nonfiction
- By: Tilar J J. Mazzeo, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Tilar J J. Mazzeo
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
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Bringing together the imaginative strategies of fiction storytelling and new ways of narrating true, real-life events, creative nonfiction is the fastest-growing part of the creative writing world. It's a cutting-edge genre that's reshaping how we write (and read) everything from biographies and memoirs to blogs and public speaking scripts to personal essays and magazine articles.
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Not what I expected but useful
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What is life? What is my place in it? What choices do these questions obligate me to make? More than a half-century after it burst upon the intellectual scene - with roots that extend to the mid-19th century - Existentialism's quest to answer these most fundamental questions of individual responsibility, morality, and personal freedom, life has continued to exert a profound attraction.
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Good for even a non-existentialist
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81 Famous Poems
- An Audio Companion to The Norton Anthology of Poetry
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This collection of timeless British and American poems is an experience to be treasured. The readings, by brilliant classic actors Alexander Scourby, Nancy Wickwire, and Bramwell Fletcher, are presented in the order they appear in The Norton Anthology of Poetry, Third Edition, and are selected for their ability to delight. The poetry is also among the most anthologized verse in the English language.
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Untitled Chapters Make An Audiobook Hard To Use
- By Dean Bocobo on 12-17-18
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Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature
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- Narrated by: Pamela Bedore
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Can literature change our real world society? At its foundation, utopian and dystopian fiction asks a few seemingly simple questions aimed at doing just that. Who are we as a society? Who do we want to be? Who are we afraid we might become? When these questions are framed in the speculative versions of Heaven and Hell on earth, you won't find easy answers, but you will find tremendously insightful and often entertaining perspectives.
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A very enjoyable and educational audiobook
- By NH on 04-06-17
By: Pamela Bedore, and others
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The American Civil War
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Between 1861 and 1865, the clash of the greatest armies the Western hemisphere had ever seen turned small towns, little-known streams, and obscure meadows in the American countryside into names we will always remember. In those great battles, those streams ran red with blood-and the United States was truly born.
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Excellent Series
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The Italians before Italy: Conflict and Competition in the Mediterranean
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- Narrated by: Kenneth R. Bartlett
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Take a riveting tour of the Italian peninsula, from the glittering canals of Venice to the lavish papal apartments and ancient ruins of Rome. In these 24 lectures, Professor Bartlett traces the development of the Italian city-states of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, showing how the modern nation of Italy was forged out of the rivalries, allegiances, and traditions of a vibrant and diverse people.
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A useful survey, just what I wanted
- By Adeliese Baumann on 11-07-16
By: Kenneth R. Bartlett, and others
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The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World
- By: Robert Garland, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert Garland
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Look beyond the abstract dates and figures, kings and queens, and battles and wars that make up so many historical accounts. Over the course of 48 richly detailed lectures, Professor Garland covers the breadth and depth of human history from the perspective of the so-called ordinary people, from its earliest beginnings through the Middle Ages.
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Tantalizing time trip
- By Mark on 08-21-13
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The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition
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Grasp the important ideas that have served as the backbone of philosophy across the ages with this extraordinary 60-lecture series. This is your opportunity to explore the enormous range of philosophical perspectives and ponder the most important and enduring of human questions-without spending your life poring over dense philosophical texts.
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A Hard Review to Write
- By Ark1836 on 11-20-15
By: Daniel N. Robinson, and others
What listeners say about Understanding Literature and Life: Drama, Poetry and Narrative
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Glenn Guillory, SFO
- 09-11-15
Great and Zooming with info
This first part of these lectures is amazing. The delivery is astoundingly good. Did here and stood firm principles of psychoanalysis as well as literary analysis or great.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Lloyd W.
- 10-25-19
A masterful presentation on a great set of subjects con Literature
This set of lectures is wonderfully conceived , developed and delivered .... it is a important experience for one to have ... one gains insight and opportunity for introspection on so many levels .. regarding written language and narrative
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- lysa john
- 11-25-17
Highly recommended!
The excellent narration makes this work highly relatable even if you’re not a drama or literature buff. Professor Weinstein the works reviewed in this series to life with his humour and wisdoms; which has the effect of making you feel like part of an audience watching a live performance of the plays being described. Quite the journey!
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- Anne
- 05-25-16
Yes
Couldn't reccomend this more! This course deepened my pleasure of familiar texts and tempted me to approach some unfamiar works.
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- Amazon Customer
- 09-13-18
Too Much Throat-Clearing, Etc.
The information was fantastic. But I finally had to quit at Dickens, and may not learn about the rest of the novels. The reason? As another reviewer (and maybe more than one) said, Dr. Weinstein's throat clearing, coughing, and other noises were very distracting. You'd think someone might have noticed this early on (I mean, it is 32 hours plus) and done something about it. Too bad Robert Greenburg couldn't have done these; he is so entertaining.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Peter Ryers
- 07-29-17
Excellent Course
My daughter (Brown 1990) fondly remembers taking Dr Weinstein course. I found it equally rewarding. I hardily recommend it.
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- Shagor Rahman
- 05-05-22
English Teacher You Wish you Had
As absorbing as reading the text with all the cultural and literary context. Amazing.
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- Willow Star Serenity
- 01-21-17
So informative
I completely enjoyed these lectures. I felt I was in a real classroom and studying for my finals. I fully recommend this.
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- justme
- 05-10-17
Shockingly Good
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
30-years ago, I read a few of these books in college. After hearing the lectures on those books, it's as if I was hearing about them for the first time. I was stunned stupid, and eager for more insight.
--> Oedipus: Aristotle's "tragic flaw" is an adolescent understanding...go deeper to see everyman's struggle against fate and self-knowledge. Maybe the worst unmasking is the mask that we didn't know we are wearing. We think the answer to the riddle of the sphynx is that man crawls in infancy, walks in mid-life, and walks with a cane before death. But the reality is more grueling: at the end of life, we are blinded by the self-knowledge that pains us so -- it's not a cane, but someone we're leaning on to lead us in our blindness.
--> Othello: Men fear women's sexuality & harbor a double-standard in that they feel they own their woman's body but do not feel their own body is owned by their partner.
--> Tartuffe: Really? What kind of deep insight can he possible give here? More than I was ready for. Where am I so blindly loyal to someone that it would take him disrobing my wife on the kitchen table for me to overcome my blindness? Isn't that exactly what's happening in U.S. politics in 2017? He translates this "comedy" from the trite to the profound.
And that was just the first series of lectures. He gives three lectures per work. And I've got to tell you, I was really uncomfortable by lecture three on each of the three topics above. He was under my skin. He had questioning some of my own essential understandings about life. I think that's the point, and he makes that point very well.
Have you listened to any of Professor Arnold Weinstein’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
My first one, and I'm going to buy others. Anyone this insightful is a pleasure to learn from.
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26 people found this helpful
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- N. Kerr
- 04-09-18
Gifted Professor, Brilliant Curriculum!
What made the experience of listening to Understanding Literature and Life: Drama, Poetry and Narrative the most enjoyable?
Professor Weinstein is exceptionally interesting, insightful, and articulate. His presentation style is natural, knowledgeable, and thought-provoking.
What did you like best about this story?
With every creative work he discussed, I had an "ah-ha" moment -- and new perspective, understanding, or appreciation I didn't have prior to the course. My life is richer because of Professor Weinstein's expertise and excellent teaching.
What does Professor Arnold Weinstein bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
His choice of words, sentence structure, and personality enthralled me every lecture. The expanse of his knowledge is astounding! Listening to him highlights his humor and delight, emphasis on key elements, and even biases.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
About halfway through my first class by Professor Weinstein, I jumped back onto Audible to order other Great Courses he teaches. He's that powerful and profound. I want to be his student and seize every opportunity to learn from his great mind and experience!
Any additional comments?
I'm hooked on The Great Courses! I listen during my daily 30 minute walk; often I'm so absorbed in the topic I circle around the block one more time. It's empowering - and a modern day blessing - to have access to credible instruction by the world's greatest scholars on a vast range of meaningful topics.
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6 people found this helpful