Hector and Achilles clash on the battlefields of Troy. Arthur discovers a magical sword and becomes a powerful British king. Jesse James pulls off daring crimes across the American frontier. Myths and stories such as these have captivated billions of people throughout human history. But these and other moments are more than just mere entertainment; they also serve a more important purpose.
Great myths and grand tales teach people about the hopes and values
of their cultures, and they impart invaluable life lessons that can
teach, guide, and inspire. The ways in which the human imagination can
transform historical events, people, and themes into powerful myths that
endure through the ages is nothing short of awe-inspiring. And to
examine the core of the world's greatest myths and tales—and the
larger-than-life characters who figure in them—is to confront some of
history's most basic human truths. It's also an engaging opportunity to
better understand them, learn from them, and possibly even apply them to
your own everyday life.
Change the way you think about some of the greatest stories ever told with Life Lessons from the Great Myths
by award-winning Professor J. Rufus Fears of the University of
Oklahoma. A powerful work of storytelling prowess and historical
insight, these 36 captivating lectures explore events and individuals
that so gripped civilizations, they transcended to the level of myth and
played an important role in shaping culture, politics, religion, and
more. Taking you from the battlefields of Alexander the Great and the
ships of Viking explorers to the conquests of Napoleon Bonaparte and the
rough-and-tumble drama of the American West, this is the kind of
engaging, personally rewarding Great Course that only Professor Fears
can deliver.
Mythology, according to Professor Fears, is an essential part of the
universal path to wisdom. We study myths and the heroes who populate
them for the same reason we study any subject in the humanities: to gain
wisdom. Using his decades of teaching experience and his highly popular
perspective on history, Professor Fears shows you how to find, hidden
within these breath-catching stories, the core sets of principles for
the lives of people from around the world and across time.
To make the epic scope of world mythology more approachable, Life Lessons from the Great Myths
focuses on what Professor Fears considers the most important and
popular myths from key eras and cultures from more than 3,000 years of
history.
Throughout the course, you approach each myth from a perspective that considers both its (possible) historical roots and its hidden kernels of wisdom. Not only will you get a stronger sense of how myths work together to create a broad moral framework for civilizations, you'll see how in some cases—such as Julius Caesar's life serving as a direct inspiration for Napoleon Bonaparte's military career—earlier mythic and historical exploits inform and influence subsequent generations.
Every myth and story you explore in Life Lessons from the Great Myths—whether
a completely unfounded story, such as the sinking of Atlantis, or one
that can be verified by the historical record, such as the battle of the
Alamo—have long since transcended into legend. And each tale conveys
higher truths too profound to be described in ordinary, factual
language.
Decoding them, Professor Fears reveals how they serve as vibrant and enduring sources of wisdom.
Professor Fears has won more than 25 awards for teaching excellence
throughout his illustrious career as an instructor, lecturer, and
historian. And with Life Lessons from the Great Myths,
you'll see for yourself (if you aren't already a fan of this masterful
orator) just why he has received such acclaim—from both his students and
our own community of lifelong learners.
Professor Fears does
more than just deliver insightful lectures. He tells vibrant stories
with passion and drama, so much so that you'll find yourself not just
learning about these myths and stories, but actually reliving them.
You'll
The search for wisdom is, according to Professor Fears, the paramount purpose in life. And there is much wisdom to be gleaned from the world's great myths. By the final powerful and stirring lecture of this course, you're sure to find yourself wiser than you were before you started.