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Description
This six-volume set contains programs about the ancient world and the legacy it has left us. Computer graphics and animation illustrate how historical sites of ancient civilizations once appeared, and recent film footage shows the present states of the extant structures. Historians and authorities provide commentary and analysis.
Description
"Undoubtedly, the first great painter to hail from England, William Hogarth's work was a witty and brilliant satirical depiction of English society. This was a society with flaws and Hogarth was not afraid to condemn, as well as praise. With these characteristics combined, Hogarth was able to produce his greatest works, modern moral subjects including The rake's progress and Marriage-à-la-mode which are still admired for their humor and vitality."--Container....
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"Considered one of the most important 18th century English portraitists, Sir Joshua Reynolds was knighted in recognition of his genius. Deeply inspired by the old masters during an artistic pilgrimage to Italy, he incorporated their influence into a style of English portraiture never seen before dubbed "The grand style." It made him rich, and his many portraits of wealthy men, women, and especially children, remain an English national treasure."--Container....
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"Possibly the greatest English portraitist and landscape artist of 18th century England, Thomas Gainsborough had undoubtedly the most famous individual image. The celebrated Blue boy is just one of hundreds of powerfully impressive images created by Gainsborough. By the middle of his life, he was a master at depicting the men, women and children of his day, and his genius made him a wealthy man. However, Gainsborough's real passion was landscape painting...
Description
"A Royal Academy exhibitioner at the age of fifteen, J.M.W. Turner, by the end of his life, was the best known artist in England during the Romantic period and one of the forerunners of Impressionism. A life-long lover of landscape and seascape painting, he traveled widely in search of inspiration. No artist had ever painted light and color as Turner did in his astonishing later works. These paintings such as Rain, steam, speed and The fighting Témérair...
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"As the ultimate example of the Romantic artist, William Blake made radical developments in art technique to communicate his vision. However visual art was just one facet of his achievement. In his famous illuminated books, Blake combined painting, engraving and poetry, some of which are now the most famous in the English language. However, Blake's visual art can be far more readily appreciated, and pictures such as The ancient of days remain a powerful...
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Like Malory's Le Morte Darthur, the anonymously authored Sir Gawain and the Green Knight represents a watershed in the development of the Arthurian tradition. Drawing on insights from Nicholas Perkins, a specialist on medieval English literature and manuscripts at the University of Cambridge; Arthurian expert Kevin J. Harty, of La Salle University; and Helen Cooper, authority on medieval literature at the University of Oxford, this program explicates...
Description
The richly embroidered story of King Arthur as set down by Sir Thomas Malory during the Middle Ages has unfailingly intrigued generations of readers. P.J.C. Field, one of the world's top authorities on Malory and president of the British branch of the International Arthurian Society; Helen Cooper, editor of the Oxford World's Classics edition of Le Morte Darthur; and medievalist Kevin J. Harty, of La Salle University, begin this survey by assessing...
Description
In a reaction against Elizabethan-period poetry, 17th-century English poets such as John Donne, George Herbert, Richard Crashaw, and Andrew Marvell began writing in a new style. Although derisively dubbed "metaphysical" because of its unseemly-that is, intellectual-nature, metaphysical poetry soon became appreciated for its remarkable blend of emotion and erudition, as evidenced by complex conceits, unconventional imagery, and the avoidance of smooth...
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What makes the promise of Camelot still resonate in the 21st century? In this program, Barbara and Alan Lupack, authors of King Arthur in America and Arthurian Literature by Women; Debra Mancoff, author of The Arthurian Revival in Victorian Art; and Kevin J. Harty, author of King Arthur on Film, New Essays on Arthurian Cinema, discuss the enduring fascination with King Arthur in Britain and America since the Victorian era. Tennyson's Idylls of the...
16) Ancient China
Description
From the creation legend of Panku to the demise of the Han Dynasty, this program traces Chinese history and explores the roots of Chinese culture today. Visit the Great Wall of China as scholars discuss why it remains even today a symbol of oppression, exemplified in the legend of the weeping woman; the Imperial Palace and how it exemplifies Chinese beliefs in harmony; and the Beijing Opera, whose works are an elaborate retelling of traditional folktales....
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From the rise of the Moghul empire under Babur in 1526 to the setting of the sun on the British Raj in 1948, this program surveys four centuries of history during which India slowly but decisively shook off foreign rule. Expert commentary on the pivotal politico-military struggles between the Moghuls, the Afghans, Great Britain, and the Indians by Dr. David Hardiman, of Oxford University; Dr. David Washbrook, of Warwick University; and historian Rakesh...
Description
Key scenes of Shakespeare's tragedy, Othello, are analyzed by two Shakespearean experts, Stanley Wells and Russell Jackson. Themes and topics include the motives of Iago, interracial relationship between Othello and Desdemona, Othello as victim, ruled by emotion rather than logic, and the conflict between Othello's identity as a christian commander of the Venetian force and as a social and racial outsider.