Cervantes' Classic Novel "Don Quixote" (Part Two): A Three-Part Course with Dr. Joseph Luzzi
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Interested in reading Volume One of Don Quixote with Dr. Luzzi? Click here for details.
- Lecture 1: Second Part of Don Quixote, Dedication, Prologue, and Chapters 1–22
- Lecture 2: Second Part of Don Quixote, Chapters 23–50
- Lecture 3: Second Part of Don Quixote, Chapters 51–74
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 is a three-part series held weekly and hosted on Zoom. Please check the schedule for the specific dates and times for each lecture.
Is there a reading list in advance?
Though the course is open to participants with no background on this topic, we do encourage you to read along during each week of the course.
How long are the lectures?
Each lecture is 60 minutes long with time for Q&A.
How much is the course?
The course is $105 USD for three lectures.
Is a recording available if I am unable to attend the live discussion each week?
Yes. A link to view the Zoom room recording will be emailed to you within 48 hours of each session's conclusion.
Recordings will be available to re-watch at leisure up until 30 days after the course's conclusion.
This conversation is suitable for all ages.
60 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.
Among the many outstanding learnings for me is the realization that Don Quixote is so accessible and readable. I surprised me when I was reading it and that was reaffirmed by Professor Luzzi in his lectures. He noted our rare that was and included Shakespeare as another great example. While there are many, many writings of "genius", few are so easily understandable and therefore such a pleasure.
One of the best courses I have taken from Context or anywhere else!
As Dr. Luzzi digs deeper into Part 2 of the novel, he help[s us to understand that Don Quixote is aging, and maturing. While still capable of incredible fantasies and insane atrocities (i.e. destroying the puppet show), he shows glimpses of seriousness and even profundity. The dialogue between D.Q. and Sancho also evolves, as does our sense of Sancho as a person with both good and questionable qualities and a personal life, not just a character and foil for the Knight Errant.
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I really enjoyed the first session of this course; it was informative, entertaining, and insightful. I really got the sense that Don Quixote is a major fulcrum between the old world and the new world, not only in Spain but in Europe.
I'm glad we were told what translation would be used - so helpful - but it's not always the case.
Looking forward to sessions 2 and 3.