Voltaire once said, “It is with books as with men – a very small number play a great part; the rest are lost in the multitude”. This new 10-part course with distinguished lecturer and author Susannah Fullerton looks at some of that select number of books. It includes classic works that have contributed to social change, to nationalism and to feminism, and which have allowed us to better understand ourselves and the world around us. The course looks at a range of European literature’s greatest writers such as Flaubert, Cervantes, Tolstoy, Goethe and Ibsen, at their lives and writings and how these writers influenced others in their artistic endeavours – painters, sculptors, musicians, dancers and authors throughout the world. It is not essential to have read the works in the series – Susannah’s informative lectures will fill in the gaps and inspire you to read on. And if you have read them the insights she brings will make you appreciate these classics even more. “Read in order to live”, Gustave Flaubert advised. Understanding the Masterpieces of European Literature will help you follow his advice. Susannah Fullerton is one of Sydney’s best known presenters. Her course “The Mighty Pen”, about literature from Chaucer to Virginia Woolf, was a huge success at the Art Gallery in 2007. She is President of the Jane Austen Society of Australia, Patron of the Kipling Society of Australia, and she lectures on a great range of famous writers. She is the author of Jane Austen and Crime and her latest book is Brief Encounters: Literary Travellers in Australia. Susannah studied at the University of Auckland, then completed a postgraduate degree in English Literature at the University of Edinburgh. Susannah has also received training in dramatic arts and leads annual literary tours to the UK or the USA.
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