Everything teaching should be

The most important lesson in this very entertaining collection is that great teaching should connect with personal experience. Virtually every point Cleese makes is illustrated with something he's done, a person he's met, a conversation he's been part of. That's really hard to do when you're measured 'teaching to the test'.

The other strength of the book is the breadth of each 'lecture'. There might be a central trunk, but each has side branches, and possible twigs. Great fun.

The only reason the book doesn't get 5 stars is that the final chapter is a little repetitive. If you were a new student in Cornell the material would have been new too. But as a reader, much of the material has been covered in previous chapters.

But it's still a very entertaining, enlightening read. Highly recommended. ( )

I will be upfront: I've been waiting for decades for an interlude between Cleese's marriages to snap him up for myself. And am an unreconstructed Monty Python fan. And once upon a time I was hired to work at a university where our new employee orientation included several of Cleese's customer service videos. So of COURSE I was going to read this.

This is NOT Monty Python. Or even Cleese's memoir "So, Anyway." Instead, it is a compilation of lectures, discussions, interviews, and even a sermon (!) conducted by Cleese during his stint as an invited professor-at-large at Cornell University. This is the very smart, thoughtful, curious Cleese with a wide-ranging and serious mind. The chapters explore the mysteries of writing, religion, psychology, facial recognition, creativity, group dynamics... and it's mostly interesting and enjoyable. Well, the screenwriting workshop with William Goldman was too long and repetitive, but worth the read for wannabe writers. And he can be a little flaky, fascinated by Jung, Watts, and other kind of woo-woo folks. But there is still the sharp, sarcastic, dry Cleese I love, and the requisite bits from Monty Python or Fawlty Towers still make me bark with laughter... Plus he adores cats. And there's a lemur on the back cover. A good read for fans. ( )

Synopsis: This is a non fiction book of dictated discussions John Cleese engaged in at Cornell University.

My rating: 4/5

This book covered a wide variety of topics including facial recognition technology, creative thought processes, the reality of Hollywood, and collaboration.

I had expected the book to be more of a stand up comedy routine but it wasn't. It was very funny but it was much more serious than I had anticipated. It was like a professor giving a lecture and adding in an occasional humorous story to keep you awake. The book wasn't dense or hard to read. But it felt more like a college lecture than I had expected from Cleese. I wasn't bothered by that but just be aware of it if you choose to pick up the book. It is like 75% serious discussion and 25% humor.

John Cleese is incredibly intelligent on a variety of topics. I hadn't realized that and was pleasantly surprised. These discussions were in-depth and intellectual.

There is a discussion Cleese has with William Goldman, author of the Princess Bride, that I think all writers should read. It was one that I wished I could copy and paste for my whole writing group. Not just amazing little tidbits of wisdom but whole big chunks of their discussion that I totally felt inspired by.
I really loved this book.

But, I have one issue that I think is important to point out. The book isn't very big and there was quite a bit of repetition. Maybe too much for a book that size.

Also, Cleese has some very negative things to say about President Trump. I don't personally care about that but if him bashing Trump will bother you then forgo this book.

Assuming you aren't offended by some Trump hate I really recommend reading this book. However, I must suggest getting it from the library or at a used book store. The cover price is fairly high for a book of that size and with so much repetition. I can't recommend paying full price for it though I absolutely think it is worth reading. Especially if you are a writer. ( )

For more reviews and bookish posts please visit: http://www.ManOfLaBook.com

Professor at Large: The Cornell Years by John Cleese is a non-fiction book with speeches, essays, and interviews of the famed comedian. Mr. Cleese had the role of visiting professor at Cornell University and this book is a collection of some of his visits.

John Cleese has always been a favorite of mine. I still remember how much I enjoyed, and wondered why many didn’t, the movie Time Bandits. When I saw the book Professor at Large: The Cornell Years by John Cleese I did not know what to expect, but knew that it would most likely be up my alley and a joy to read.
I was right.

At first I had no idea that Mr. Cleese was Professor at Large at Cornell University. Frankly, I had no idea what “Professor at Large” is, luckily the introduction by Stephen J. Ceci made sure to make that clear right off the bat. Seems like Professor at Large, a visiting professor, is a six year term for an eminent person (Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners and other esteemed intellectuals) who are asked to come to the university twice a year, for two weeks at a time and give lectures, conduct interviews, give talks and more.
Basically, a person of note to come down and disrupt the schedule, allowing for students (and faculty) to see things from a different perspective.

The appointment of Mr. Cleese was such a huge success, that he was asked to renew his tenure two more years (the maximum allowed). Afterwards, the university felt that he is making such a huge contribution, and can continue to so, that Mr. Cleese was granted the title of The Provost’s Professorship, an initial five year term.

The book consists of seven parts, from lectures, to conversations, to transcripts of seminars. Each one intellectually stimulating, intelligent, and thoughtful. I always assumed that many comedians are intelligent people, one can tell from Mr. Cleese’s projects how his intellect has affected the material. I had no idea how bright Mr. Cleese is, how far his interests take him and that he is able to carry an intelligent conversation with many luminaries as an equal.

The highlight of the book, for me, was Mr. Cleese’s conversation with Academy Award winner William Goldman, a novelist (The Princess Bride, Marathon Man), playwright (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Princess Bride, All the President’s Men), and screenwriter (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid). The transcript has a wonderful back and forth between the two men who spent years in the entertainment industry and are disillusioned, but still love the work.
This section alone was, for me, worth buying the book.

In this age, where anti-intellectualism is sadly seen as positive personality trademark by many, it’s nice to read a book which doesn’t shy from it, but embraces this aspect of humanity. An enjoyable, easy to read, entertaining and smart book. ( )

John Cleese is having entirely too much fun. It’s nice to be able to pick and choose, and when Cornell University called out of the blue, he was delighted to accept their offer of Professor At Large, a program that takes celebrity academics and prize winners and uses their fame to stir the blood of students and faculty. The requirements were simply to visit at least twice a year for six years, and participate in whatever he fancied.

He ended up doing it for ten years with two extensions gladly approved by Cornell. In his time there, he gave a sermon, narrated Peter and the Wolf with the chamber orchestra, held numerous master classes for writers and actors, and gave joint lectures with Cornell professors in their fields. Because Cleese is a lifetime student. He is constantly researching and learning. His degree is in law, his life is in media, his passions are in psychology and religion, and his energy is abundant. Professor at Large is a sampling of his presentations at Cornell.

By far the most impressive piece is a lengthy interview with William Goldman, who wrote Butch Cassidy and The Princess Bride among so many other great films. There is a terrific back and forth between them as they both have so much experience, perception and opinion. Especially on the Goldman side, it often seems as though there is an urgency to tell it; he can’t get out the stories fast enough. If Cleese didn’t cut in, you know Goldman would go on with more huge insights. Whether it’s the process of writing, the torture of Hollywood, the insanity of the star system or the lack of recognition of writers and why that will never change, this chapter alone is worth price of admission.

Naturally, Monty Python’s Flying Circus colors nearly everything. Using The Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life, there’s lots to say about religion. Cleese also talks about their process – mostly fighting – of how material was polished and accepted. Apparently, it was Cleese vs Jones most of the time, but he also said no one ever argued about roles. Everyone always agreed who would play what on the show – it was that obvious to them. The words they would speak however, was a battleground.

For those who treasure the archetypical Cleese, there are questions from the audience about his favorite moments in Fawlty Towers, Monty Python, his favorite film, the most successful whatever, and so on. Cleese uses scenes from his films to illustrate his points about religion as crowd control organizations, which anyone who has seen The Life of Brian will recognize immediately.

What John Cleese reveals is his life in psychiatry. He has become very solicitous. He constantly asks “You see what I mean?” This is no longer the arrogant, self-assured John Cleese character we laugh at. The same thing happened to Billy Connolly. Decades in analysis took the edge off and changed his personality profoundly. The deprivations of their childhoods, what gave them their edginess, attitudes and worldviews, have all been sanded smooth by 20+ years in analysis. They are happier for it, they say. These are new men we need to get to know, and Professor At Large is very revealing that way.

David Wineberg ( )