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Books that Changed the World: Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse and Toni Morrison’s Beloved with Dr. Joseph Luzzi

Books that Changed the World: Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse and Toni Morrison’s Beloved with Dr. Joseph Luzzi


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Can't make this time? A video recording will be sent to all participants after the seminar.

What books changed the history of literature as we know it and left an indelible impact on the world around us? Award-winning scholar, teacher, and New York Times Editors’ Choice author Professor Joseph Luzzi will explore this question in a 3-part series devoted to exploring the riches of literary expression.
In this series, we will discuss such renowned classics as Dante’s Divine Comedy, Shakespeare’s Othello, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse, and Toni Morrison’s Beloved. Professor Luzzi will show how these fascinating works help us understand some of the most pressing concerns today, including the nature of religious faith, questions of personal identity, even the quest for the American Dream. Participants will be encouraged to develop their own list of "essential reading,” as Professor Luzzi helps them acquire the skills necessary for enriching their encounters with books of all kinds.
In the third session, Professor Luzzi will discuss Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse and Toni Morrison’s Beloved. Participants are invited to read the works before attending the seminar or are welcome to use the session as a precursor to later reading.
Led by an expert on literature, Professor Joseph Luzzi, this interactive seminar will discuss the works of literature which have shaped the world. Designed to inform curiosity as well as educate, participants will come away with a deeper appreciation for the selected works and for the literature as an art form.
This conversation is part of a three-part series on literature with Dr. Joseph Luzzi. Each session is designed as a stand-alone seminar as well as part of a three-week series.

Joseph Luzzi received his Ph.D. from Yale University and is a Professor of Comparative Literature and Faculty Member in Italian Studies at Bard College, where he has taught since 2002 after being a visiting faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania. A frequent contributor to publications including the New York Times, TLS, and Chronicle of Higher Education, he is the author of 5 books, including "My Two Italies," a New York Times Editors' Choice selection and "In a Dark Wood: What Dante Taught Me About Grief, Healing, and the Mysteries of Love," a Vanity Fair “Must-Read” selection. His work has been translated into multiple languages and his many awards include a Yale College Teaching Prize, Dante Society of America Essay Prize, and Wallace Fellowship at Villa I Tatti, Harvard's Center for Italian Renaissance Studies. In 2017 he was named Cittadino Onorario/Honorary Citizen in Acri, Calabria, his Italian parents' birthplace. His next book is "Botticelli's Secret: The Lost Drawings and the Rediscovery of the Renaissance," which will be published by W. W. Norton. Professor Luzzi is the founder of the Virtual Book Club, an online community of readers dedicated to exploring some of the best books ever written. Learn more at JosephLuzzi.com.

This conversation is suitable for all ages.

60 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.

Customer Reviews

Based on 5 reviews
80%
(4)
0%
(0)
20%
(1)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
A
Anonymous (Fremont, US)

Guest did not leave comment

M
Max Yeston (Brooklyn, US)
Review: Books that Changed the World: Virginia Woolf and Toni Morrison

Fantastic talk! An in-depth and nuanced look at pertinent themes in 20th-century literature.

B
Barbara Blonsky (Mount Laurel, US)
Great Seminar

Dr Luzzi is passionate about the two books discussed and provided background information on both authors to help understand the impact of both works. He is an animated, joyful presenter and his classes are always valuable and exciting.

S
Susan G (Wilmette, US)
Outstanding

Thought provoking, fascinating, informative, well presented and organized by an outstanding scholar.

D
David (Oak Park, US)
May Encourage First-Time Readers

Professor Luzzi is obviously intelligent, sincere, and charismatic. His challenge in this format is primarily one of audience: first-time readers of these books, or those thinking about reading them, may very well be encouraged by his generalizations and passions. However, if you already know anything at all about these books, this kind of approach is unlikely to challenge you to think more deeply. Or even to re-read them.

Customer Reviews

Based on 5 reviews
80%
(4)
0%
(0)
20%
(1)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
A
Anonymous (Fremont, US)

Guest did not leave comment

M
Max Yeston (Brooklyn, US)
Review: Books that Changed the World: Virginia Woolf and Toni Morrison

Fantastic talk! An in-depth and nuanced look at pertinent themes in 20th-century literature.

B
Barbara Blonsky (Mount Laurel, US)
Great Seminar

Dr Luzzi is passionate about the two books discussed and provided background information on both authors to help understand the impact of both works. He is an animated, joyful presenter and his classes are always valuable and exciting.

S
Susan G (Wilmette, US)
Outstanding

Thought provoking, fascinating, informative, well presented and organized by an outstanding scholar.

D
David (Oak Park, US)
May Encourage First-Time Readers

Professor Luzzi is obviously intelligent, sincere, and charismatic. His challenge in this format is primarily one of audience: first-time readers of these books, or those thinking about reading them, may very well be encouraged by his generalizations and passions. However, if you already know anything at all about these books, this kind of approach is unlikely to challenge you to think more deeply. Or even to re-read them.