This was fascinating! I’ve not read it, and I’m quite new to the Great Books set really, but it’s really interesting! My Dutch grandpa always got great use out of his encyclopaedia set (wasn’t the Great Books set though), always looking up anything that came up in conversation that he wanted to know more about (and to teach us about), so I’ve fond memories… liking this deep dive!
Good day, Jim. I was curious about the Great Books history. Pretty good salesmen. In the late 80's when I began to frequent used bookshops I"d see them. They were everywhere, it seemed. I think it was when owners of the books died and their kids and grandchildren sold them to places like Half-Price books.
Thanks for the comment, Libro. I still see them from time to time, scattered volumes. Sellers on eBay have complete sets available. I doubt they'll attain collectible status, with one exception that I will talk about in a video soon.
The mistake that the great books creators did was to expect the readers to do the heavy lifting of these deep profound books. No doubt the syntopicon did work as an introduction. What was needed isntop experts could take up a relevant topicnsay, war and present a book and have angroup discuss it topics could be on love liberty Marxism or God, whatever. Look at the way the behaviourial scientists did with psychology. They made it accessible and easy to follow with role plays, games, counselling. You have to involve and engage with people.not expect ordinary people to do heavy lifting with themclassics. I studied literature in college but worked as a behavioural science trainer in a big bank and found how psychology was made appealing and people loved it. This is where the great books remained on the shelf. Next today's world is crazy about stem subjects since they guarantee a.job the liberal arts doesn't get you a job or pay well.as the world goes highly technological the great books have to be presented in new ways. The fact is the great books will always be read. They are read at Oxford and antitor is waiting for the student to discuss and make him write in it.why I've learnt so much from utube great and small things . You can see where Google succeede and not great books.
Fascinating overview. I'd be curious to hear your take on the books selected for the first edition vs. the books selected for the second edition and how the left and right have both politicized the debate. In some future video, you may want to discuss which Great Books you would include on your own recommended list.
Thanks! I plan on doing a video very soon about the 1st vs. 2nd edition. Stay tuned for that. The politicization of the canon is a theme I'll be visiting from time to time. I do like making lists, so down the line maybe I'll share recommendations!
Have you read Professing Literature by Gerald Graff? It’s not the main focus, but it covers great books programs at one point in addition to other ways English literature programs were taught, and I think the whole book is interesting.
The author's name is recognizable, but I haven't read Professing Literature. I'll have to borrow it and see what he says about the great books movement. Thanks for the recommendation!
I'm skeptical of Mr. Beam's claim that the "fad" of reading classic literature grew out of Columbia University. It's not like those works were just sitting neglected on a shelf gathering dust and waiting for the intellectuals at Columbia to "rediscover" them. They have ALWAYS been part of a classical education and were something that any "well-read" person would consider necessary to have a well-rounded education. While Encyclopedia Britannica may have capitalized on the convenience of bundling many of these great works into one product in order to turn a profit, that doesn't change the fact that these works have been read extensively for many, many years and are still considered required reading for anyone interested in classical education.
Yes, thanks for pointing that out. I'll just add that John Erskine at Columbia was an innovator in how the books were taught (two instructors leading seminar style shared inquiry discussions in a generalist spirit). Adler and Hutchins took that approach to the masses, and it caught on (the fad), which led to the publishing ventures. Of course, we have many other classics publishers welling up at the time: Harvard Classics, Modern Library, Everyman Library, Penguin Classics, etc. I hope to dig into these areas more in depth sometime soon.
Great books expect readers to do heavy lifting. Look at how psychology was made attractive by behavioural scientists with engaging people with games, role plays, personality qustionaires. Great books should pick a topic like war, love or god and have discussions.you dont have to read every book just those that have relevant today when everyone wants to follow stem subjects which gets you jobs. What eill great books have to say about artificial intelligence?
