Crash Course: Literature

Season 1

John Green argues that reading is about effectively communicating with other people. Unlike direct communication, writers have to communicate with strangers, through time and space. So how's that going to work?

Where to Watch Crash Course: Literature • Season 1

10 Episodes

  • The Catcher in the Rye
    E1
    The Catcher in the RyeJohn Green breaks down how and why we read before digging into JD Salinger's classic novel, THE CATCHER IN THE RYE.
  • The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
    E2
    The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnIn which John Green takes us to the Mississippi River to embark on Mark Twain's THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN. We'll discuss what Twain's work said about life in America and the Civil War as well as examine the symbolism of the novel.
  • 1984
    E3
    1984In which John Green discusses language, surveillance and government in George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984.
  • Langston Hughes and Beloved
    E4
    Langston Hughes and BelovedJohn Green teaches us about the poetry of Langston Hughes as well as his involvement in the Harlem Renaissance. John gives us an overview of Toni Morrison's BELOVED and its relation to slavery and American culture.
  • To Kill a Mockingbird
    E5
    To Kill a MockingbirdJohn Green gives a breakdown of Harper Lee's TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. We'll look to the novel as commentary on racism and the patriarchy of the American South while examining race, gender and class through the lens of the author.
  • 100 Years of Solitude
    E6
    100 Years of SolitudeIn which John Green explores Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novel 100 YEARS OF SOLITUDE. We'll take a look at the role of time in the book as well as how individual perspectives influence the idea of history.
  • Pride and Prejudice
    E7
    Pride and PrejudiceIn which John Greene talks about Jane Austen's life, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE as a product of Regency England and making choices. We will also discuss whether the novel has a liberal or conservative message.
  • Sula and the Parable of the Sower
    E8
    Sula and the Parable of the SowerIn which John Green talks us through SULA, Toni Morrison's moving novel on friendship, betrayal and loss. In part two, we examine Octavia Butler's near-future dystopian coming of age novel, THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER.
  • Jane Eyre and To the Lighthouse
    E9
    Jane Eyre and To the LighthouseIn which John Green teaches us about Charlotte Brontë's classic coming of age novel JANE EYRE. In part two, John takes us through Virginia Woolf's modernist novel TO THE LIGHTHOUSE, a pioneering literary work that explores point of view and narrative flow.
  • Frankenstein
    E10
    FrankensteinIn which John Green delves into Mary Shelley's literary piece FRANKENSTEIN, which kicked off the cultural phenomenon. In addition to the plot, John examines the moral limitations of science and the Romantic movement in English literature, of which the novel is a great example.

 

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