LibGuides: Modern World Literature: Media

Featured Authors & Their Works

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Chinua Achebe : Africa's Voice This program analyzes the impact Chinua Achebe and his writings have had on world literature, as well as his influence as an editor and a spokesman for a generation of African writers. (61 minutes)
Franz Kafka: The Trial (59:10) A suppressor of his own writings, Franz Kafka even requested that upon his death all his extant works be destroyed—yet those very works accurately prefigured the anxieties and alienation so commonly associated with the latter part of the 20th century. This program delves into Kafka’s fictional world, primarily through a gripping dramatization of The Trial, a combination of simple tale and complex parable describing Joseph K.’s bizarre arrest and execution. Professor George Steiner, of Geneva University, sheds light on the wellsprings of Kafka’s disturbingly prescient vision.
James Joyce: Ulysses (01:00:00) Banned in 1920 yet subsequently lionized for its compelling characterization, breadth of humor, and use of the stream-of-consciousness technique, James Joyce’s Ulysses expanded the literary possibilities of the novel. This program presents an extraordinary dramatization of Joyce’s well-known rendering of the Odysseus epic. The late writer and critic Anthony Burgess and Professor Clive Hart, of Essex University, elaborate on the story’s construction, innovative use of language, and themes.
Joseph Conrad : Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad’s novella is a literary introduction to the savage 20th century. In this program, noted Conrad scholars examine the author’s life within the context of his times. (30 minutes)
Virginia Woolf: Mrs. Dalloway - Full Video (58:18) Virginia Woolf pushed the boundaries of the novel as a tool for psychological inquiry through her experimentation with subjective and relativistic perceptions of time and events. This program intercuts scenes from a compelling dramatization of Mrs. Dalloway with a portrayal of Virginia Woolf—played by actress Eileen Atkins—who, based on entries from her diary, explicates the story. Literary critic Hermione Lee addresses topics in the novel such as the significance of shared external events and the theme of emotional bankruptcy, both of which propel this drama of the mind.

More Media

In addition to streaming media, we have DVDs, images, audio and more media.

Apocalypse Now Redux
Film adaptation of Joseph Conrad's book Heart of Darkness.
Becket
Based upon the play "Becket" by Jean Anouilh.
Great American Authors Read from Their Works Vol 1 - James Baldwin, William Styron, James Jones, and Philip Roth Vol 2 - Nelson Algren, Bernard Malamud, John Updike, and James Jones