Instant Scholar: A Shortcut to Art and Literature (Living Language Instant Scholar)

Rating:
Summary: A fun approach to learning
Review: I bought these cd's just for the fun of it, but they do contain a lot of good information. Each one delineates in chronological order some periods and movements in art and literature, respectively. They certainly are not exhaustive, but they cover each period by choosing a few representative works and talking about them in greater detail. They do this in a novel way, kind of a radio program type format. There is main character named Albert who appears on both discs. On the art disc, he is with his love interest, an art connoisseur, at a gallery opening. He talks to various people who are experts on their particular field of art history, and the whole time he tries to keep from looking like an uneducated fool. On the literature disc, he has a new girlfriend, this one being interested in books, not art, and the story takes place at a performance of a Greek tragedy and then at a coffee shop. The whole idea is really quite original and it works well. They take a somewhat somber subject matter and present it in a light-hearted way. You could even listen to these tapes in the car (although anyone riding with you might think you were weird).