In this audio book, Prof. Thomas Shippey (St Louis University) explores the heroes and heroines of literature, classic through modern. The author / narrator considers "What do these memorable characters have in common? Why do we turn to certain stories again and again? And what impact have they made on world history? " By surveying such a wealth of literature, Shippey considers what makes fictional characters successful, and ways that a given generation's heroes reflect particular cultural mores and values. Overall, we see diverse values and perspectives reflected rather than universal ones. Heroes can be martyrs, free spirits, tricksters, survivors, protectors, monsters, and outlaws.

This audio set consists 24 lectures of 30 minutes each, arranged in two volumes/ CDs. In content and quality, it is entirely up to the high standards of selections of The Great Books series. Below are the "heroes" (and heroines) considered, to each of which is devoted a 30 minute lecture. I recommend this work to others who love English language fiction.

Frodo Baggins -- A Reluctant Hero
Odysseus -- The Trickster Hero
Aeneas -- The Straight Arrow
Guinevere -- A Heroine with Many Faces
The Wife of Bath -- An Independent Woman
Cressida -- A Love Betrayed
Beowulf -- A Hero with Hidden Depths
Thor -- A Very Human God
Robin Hood -- The Outlaw Hero
Don Quixote -- The First of the Wannabes
Robinson Crusoe -- A Lone survivor
Elizabeth Bennett -- A Proper Pride
Natty Bumpo/ Woodrow Call -- Frontier Heroes
Uncle Tom -- The Hero as Martyr
Huckleberry Finn -- Free Spirit of America
Sherlock Holmes -- The First Great Detective
Dracula -- The Allure of the Monster
Mowgli -- The Wolf Child
Celie (from the Color Purple) -- A Woman Who Wins Through
Winston Smith (1984) -- The Hero We Never Want to Be
James Bond -- A Dangerous Protector
Fairy Tale Heroines -- New Style Princesses Princesses
Lisbeth Salander from the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) -- Avenging Female Fury
Harry Potter -- Whistle-Blower Hero ( )

I've often wondered what the Great Courses are like and was surprised to discover they are on Audible. So I wanted something relatively short to listen to so I tried this course which looked interesting. And mostly it was. The lecturer is British so accent was no problem. I got a little bit bored in the middle (the Huckleberry Finn point) but it got more interesting again as we came up to modern times. Interesting ideas and explanations of the "heros/heroines" aspect of storytelling. ( )

A Great Courses series of lectures I've been listening to as my audio"book" lately. Shippey discusses (wait for it) heroes and legends from Odysseus to Harry Potter. Fascinating listening, and well done (though I do sometimes disagree with his assessments--one of the most fun bits of listening to this sort of thing, actually). I've been having great luck with the Great Courses offerings through Audible so far. I would recommend this one. ( )