Masterpieces of Ancient Greek Literature

by David J. Schenker

All our lives, we've been taught the importance of the ancient Greeks to so much of the world that came after them, and particularly to our own way of living in and seeing that world. Mention politics, philosophy, law, medicine, history, even the visual arts, and we barely scratch the surface of what we owe this extraordinary culture.

Course Lecture Titles:

1. Definitions, Boundaries, and Goals
2. Homer I—Introduction to Epic and Iliad
3. Homer II—Iliad, The Wrath of Achilles
4. Homer III—Iliad, The Return of Achilles
5. Homer IV—Odyssey, Introduction and Prelude
6. Homer V—Odyssey, The Adventures
7. Homer VI—Odyssey, Reintegration
8. Hesiod—Theogony and Works and Days
9. Homeric Hymns
10. Lyric Poetry I—Archilochus and Solon
11. Lyric Poetry II—Sappho and Alcaeus
12. Tragedy—Contexts and Conventions
13. Aeschylus I—Persians
14. Aeschylus II—Agamemnon
15. Aeschylus III—Libation Bearers and Eumenides
16. Sophocles I—Ajax and Philoctetes
17. Sophocles II—Oedipus the King
18. Sophocles III—Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone
19. Euripides I—Electra, Orestes, Trojan Women
20. Euripides II—Medea and Hippolytus
21. Euripides III—The Bacchae
22. Aristophanes I—Introduction to Old Comedy
23. Aristophanes II—Acharnians and Lysistrata
24. Aristophanes III—The Frogs and The Clouds
25. Herodotus I—Introduction to History
26. Herodotus II—The Persian Wars
27. Thucydides I—The Peloponnesian War
28. Thucydides II—Books 1-5
29. Thucydides III—Books 6-7
30. Plato I—The Philosopher as Literary Author
31. Plato II—Symposium
32. Plato III—Phaedrus
33. Rhetoric and Oratory
34. Hellenistic Poetry I—Callimachus and Theocritus
35. Hellenistic Poetry II—Apollonius
36. Looking Back and Looking Forward

Genres: History, Literature, Classics, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Mythology, Philosophy

19 pages, Audio CD

Published January 1, 2007

About the author

Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley
University of Missouri-Columbia
David J. Schenker, Ph.D., is Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Classical Literature at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he has taught since 1991. Dr. Schenker earned his doctorate in Classics from the University of California at Berkeley.
Professor Schenker was a recipient of the 2006 American Philological Association Awards for Excellence in Teaching. At the University of Missouri-Columbia, he has won several teaching awards, including the Provost’s Outstanding Junior Faculty Teaching Award and the William T. Kemper Award for Excellence in Teaching.

His primary research interest is Greek literature of the 5th and early 4th centuries B.C.E., with a focus on Plato and the tragedians, especially Aeschylus. He has published articles on these subjects in several academic journals and was coeditor of the journal Classical and Modern Literature for six years.

Reviews

[Irena Pasvinter · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a real pleasure to listen to a lecturer who is as knowledgeable and passionate about his subject as David J. Schenker. In this course (36 half-hour lectures) he gives an excellent overview of Ancient Greek literature, from Homer to the Hellenistic age: epics, hymns, lyric poetry, tragedies, comedies, speeches, history and philosophy -- it's all there, discussed in concise and insightful manner.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent series of lectures on Audible…worth every penny!

Why do we like reading tragic plays?
Professor David Schenker explains the answer!
Excellent narration and I am inspired to read and in some cases
re-read plays by:
Aeschylus – Often referred to as the father of tragedy, Aeschylus introduced the second actor, which allowed for more complex dialogues and interactions.
Sophocles – Known for his development of character and plot, Sophocles wrote famous tragedies such as “Oedipus Rex” and “Antigone,” emphasizing moral dilemmas and human suffering.
Euripides – Euripides is celebrated for his character-driven narratives and psychological depth, often challenging traditional values and norms in plays like “Medea” and “The Bacchae.”

[Kutsua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing course. I felt so inspired after reading the text.

[AttackGirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have already read the stories and have discussed them at length to know what the Professor is talking about then it’s a wonderful refresher which even now after all these years I wonder if like Muhammad Socrates was having seizures of some sort vs. being just caught up in thought for 25 minutes as he heard other voices or perhaps a possession. So I’m also interested in a good book to teach rhetoric how to set it up, the parts and how to identify them how to participate vs just the Socratic method which I use for everything even if sometimes it can be embarrassing to ask simple questions with simple or already covered answers. It’s easy to see that many discussions do not fully cover main aspects of a topic. It also reminds me of the book I recommend to everyone which is difficult to stomach if your not used to self questioning which is Katie Bryon’s “Loving What is” where she gives the reader four basic questions to help them start the ‘awareness’ questioning process. “Truth is the variations of perceptions”. (1965). Think I got that correct but I’m standing in the yard trying to move a very heavy industrial steel supply cabinet that I have erected by use of a small truck wench system and trees, so if the quote is not verbatim well just go look it up yourself. At least I’m taking a muscle very stressful muscle shaking fear wire snapping break to write and move on to my next book.

And, yes this is my first 4 star for courses.

[Rob Squires · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sound introduction to the topic that's generally delivered with enthusiasm.

[Don Heiman · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 2007 The Teaching Company released University of Missouri Classics Professor David Schenker’s 36 lecture course “Masterpieces of Ancient Greek Literature.” The first part of the course focuses on the themes and storylines of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. Professor Schenker then shifts his attention to lyric poetry and tragedies. He concludes the first part of the course with lectures about the Athenian literature of the 7th century Archaic Period. The second part of the course presents 12 lectures that focus on Greek drama, tragedies, and comedies. The lectures explain Greek play storylines, and Ancient Greek 4th century religious and political world views. Part 3 of the course features historic narratives on the writings by Herodotus and Thucydides. He then presents 3 exceptional lectures on Platonic philosophy. The course concludes with lectures on rhetoric and Hellenistic poetry. The lecture print guide books are also exceptional. (P)

[Dennis Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterpieces of Ancient Greek Literature by David Schenker is a real gem, and I'm honestly not sure why he wasn't invited back to do other lecture series. This one is rather top notch, and can act as an overview for the materials that other courses do deeper dives on. The weakest section might be on Plato and Rhetoric, but even that isn't really saying much. The course is great, and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in Ancient Greek literature from the Homeric classics on down to Apollonius.

[Toby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Professor Schenker’s lectures, which suffice as a “Reader’s Digest version” or a refresher of some poignant, some heroic, and some challenging works from the Greek canon, are erudite, concise and relaxing. It was a pleasure to return to those stories, even if only through a liaison.

[Joshua Dew · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been years since I've read most of the Greek literature covered in these lectures. Combine that with the dry, polished cadence and I found myself zoning out quite often. Not bad overall, but the professor really should have started out by petitioning the Muses for inspiration.

[Melodie Wendel-Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. I've only read a few from series, and his summary was good on those, and there are a few others I'd like to read. Good questions to ponder... didn't like summary read of chapter, then chapter....but it will help for future reference.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author made fascinating subject even more interesting. Recommended.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and well presented. It was a good overview of ancient Greek literature and I'm inspired to look into it more.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have preferred had this been more analytical than summaries of the texts, however it was still very interesting and engaging.

[Carl Palmateer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful series of lectures

[Roberta Westwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, thorough

Enjoyed these. Contains as much about Greek philosophers as literature. Does a good job of putting works in context.

[Saravanan Mani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great survey of some of the best works of Greek literature. Good overview lectures for the tragic playwrights. Philosophy as literature is dealt with really briefly.