History of World Literature

It starts with Epic Literature, and concludes with post-modernism, with a hefty dose of realism in between.
The lectures provide a small dose of plot summary - just enough to get a feel for some of the works being discussed, without becoming tedious.

The approach worked well. It was enough for me to know that I just would not be interested in some of the works, while there were plenty of others that I should add to my future reading list. His manner was much more neutral than some other Teaching Company courses.

Generally one lecture corresponds to a single author. However, some, such as T.S. Eliot are mentioned multiple times without a dedicated chapter of their own. Dostoevsky, Joyce, Kafka, Becket, Borges and Rushdie are some of the auhtors that I have been inspired to read (or re-read).