I love these lectures and their breadth of theoretical coverage. Frye is calm and clear and explicates without being overly pedantic. A wonderful introduction to lit theory and discourses that go beyond.

Convinced me I had no business doing something as practical as practicing law. Instead, I should have dove head first into theory. I probably will.

I attended Yale and remember this style of lecture well. Ironic, that a lecture series covering distinctions between speech and language does such a poor job with both. It was this type of lecture that reinforced the reality that academia is a circle jerk designed by and for cis, straight, white men, financed by alumni “captains of industry” who absorbed almost none of the humanist inquiry offered. All knowledge worth learning is available for free on Wikipedia and in your local public library. Listeners, don’t settle.

Enjoyed these a great deal. Do require you to pay attention and have some knowledge/reading but it is an advanced class. Perhaps not a casual fun podcast but one should know what you want before wading in.

These lectures make a terrible podcast, for many reasons. The professor is simply a poor lecturer. He wanders, he lacks coherent points or threads, he does not concern himself with making any of the texts or authors easier to understand (I am fairly familiar with these thinkers and found that he only made them more obscure), he stumbles and forgets things, he arrogantly assumes vast knowledge of literary references that he narcissistically name-drops without explanation, he makes elliptical allusions without any clarification, etc. etc. The lecture are also not at all structured to make sense as a podcast, especially not an “open college” one or an introductory one. Too much reliance on the reading materials and too little to facilitate the lectures for a listener who’s not actually a Yale student (which is of course the whole point of making these available for free). The subject matter is treated both at times as far too surface level and at other times far too concerned with minutia to be a good introduction or layperson podcast. There are *far* better places to get the same material for free, with much better speakers and strutted far more to work as a podcast. In short: DO. NOT. BOTHER!

Loved this series. A good refresher course from undergrad lit theory and a few new faces along the way. I'm not sure what textbook he used...pretty sure it wasn't the Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. Also wish I had a list of other assigned readings. I mostly followed what was going on, but I could have learned more if I had been able to do the homework.

The only thing that would make this better is the inclusion of the transcripts or handouts that would be supportive of the lectures because they are so information heavy it is difficult to keep up and take notes.

You'll never read a book the same way again.

This is the best ITunesU course I've heard. Fry does an excellent job. The lectures are intelligent, insightful, clear, and articulate. You have to turn your volume up a bit, but that is no big deal and is the only less than wonderful trait of this course. Intellectually stimulating and professional.

Worth it for the lecture on New Historicism alone.

Not just a summary of principle authors, a thoughtful history of the ideas. Just terrifically useful.

amazing!!!