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Great Books Season 4 Episodes

5 Episodes 1997 - 1997

Episode 1

Don Quixote

Sat, Jun 28, 1997

This classic novel follows the adventures of a man who, driven mad by reading too many chivalric romances, decides to become a knight-errant and roam the world righting wrongs under the name Don Quixote. Accompanied by his loyal squire, Sancho Panza, he battles windmills he believes to be giants and champions the virtuous lady Dulcinea, who is in reality a simple peasant girl. The book is a richly layered critique of the popular literature of Cervantes' time and a profound exploration of reality and illusion, madness and sanity.

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Episode 2

Great Expectations

Sat, Jun 28, 1997

A young orphan boy, living with his cruel older sister and her kind blacksmith husband, has an encounter with an escaped convict that changes his life. Later, he becomes the protégé of a wealthy but reclusive woman and falls in love with her adopted daughter. He then learns that an anonymous benefactor has left him a fortune, leading him to believe that his benefactor is the reclusive woman and that she intends for him to marry her adopted daughter. He moves to London to become a gentleman, but his great expectations are ultimately shattered when he learns the true identity of his benefactor and the reality of his love interest.

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Episode 3

The Great Gatsby

Sat, Sep 13, 1997

F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby focuses on how the American dream may be unattainable, as seen through Jay Gatsby's desire for Daisy Buchanan. Fitzgerald and his character Gatsby have similar family backgrounds and love lives. The extravagance and imagery portrayed in The Great Gatsby has been the basis for advertising campaigns, and the novel's popularity has inspired several film adaptations.

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Episode 4

Walden

Sat, Sep 13, 1997

Henry David Thoreau's "Walden" emphasizes choosing spirituality over materialism.

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Episode 5

Galileo's 'Dialogue'

Sun, Sep 14, 1997

Perhaps the most visionary ad controversial Book of it's time. Galileo asserted that the Earth was not the center of the universe. Egotistical visionary against bullheaded Pope.

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