TED Talks
Philippe Starck: Design and destiny
Designer Philippe Starck -- with no pretty slides to show -- spends 18 minutes reaching for the very roots of the question "Why design?" Listen carefully for one perfect mantra for all of us, genius or not.
Crash Course
Frankenstein Part II: Crash Course Literature 206
In which John Green continues to teach you about Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. You'll learn about romantic vs Romantic, the latter of which is a literary movement. John will also look at a few different critical readings of Frankenstein,...
Crash Course
Why So Angry, German Theater? Crash Course Theater #27
Theater had a slow start in Germany, mainly because Germany wasn't really a thing until *relatively* recent times. After Germany finally became a unified state, it had a couple of really important theatrical movements. Today we'll talk...
Professor Dave Explains
Late Modern Philosophy Part 1: The Roots of Continental Philosophy
Modern philosophy began to approach its final stages in the early 19th century as two important groups began to form. These are the continental and analytic traditions, and these two groups will guide our investigation for the next...
Curated Video
Solitude and Intensity: the Romantic Style of Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson's poetry frequently incorporates the color white, not as a symbol of purity or innocence, but as an emblem of intense emotion and passion, exemplified by her use of "white heat" as a metaphor for the soul's fervor....
Curated Video
Impressions and Lasting Legacy of Emily Dickinson
Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Emily Dickinson's mentor, found her both fascinating and elusive, describing their interactions as filled with "fiery mist" and "rare sparkles of light." Despite the intimacy of their correspondence, Dickinson...
Curated Video
The Innovative Style of Emily Dickinson's Poetry
Emily Dickinson describes the transformative power of poetry as something that can evoke profound physical sensations. She developed a distinctive style characterized by unique punctuation, particularly the use of dashes, and near...
Curated Video
Intimate Verses: the Letters and Poetry of Emily Dickinson
In 1862, Emily Dickinson initiated a lifelong correspondence with essayist Thomas Wentworth Higginson, sending him four poems and seeking his opinion on her work. Through letters, she conducted most of her significant relationships,...
Curated Video
Themes and Symbolism in Emily Dickinson's Poems
Emily Dickinson's late poetry often reflects themes of volcanic emotions and explosive psychological states, suggesting a deeply turbulent inner life. Some speculate that Dickinson's reclusiveness and intense emotional expressions in her...
Curated Video
Introduction to Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson is a well-known author these days, but her work was unknown during her lifetime. Dickinson, known as an eccentric and reclusive figure in her hometown of Amherst, Massachusetts. After her death, nearly 2,000 poems she...
Oxford Comma
How Mary Shelley's Fascination with Graveyards Inspired Frankenstein
From early in life, Mary Shelley found inspiration and solace at the foot of the grave. Biographical insight into this relationship with the departed clearly shows that Victor Frankenstein's journey is a terrible lesson in how to respect...
Schooling Online
Ray Bradbury's The Pedestrian - Theme of Nature and urbanisation
Have the comforts of modern living made us forget about our place in nature? If so, what does that mean for us? In The Pedestrian, Ray Bradbury shares some important ideas with us about our place in the natural world, and why we should...
Schooling Online
Ray Bradbury's The Pedestrian - Theme of Media and Technology
Ever since the advent of the smartphone we’ve seen a rapid uptick in the influence of technology over our everyday lives. But Ray Bradbury predicted this, all the way back in the 1950s! In The Pedestrian, Bradbury projects his mind...
Schooling Online
Ray Bradbury's The Pedestrian - Theme of Individuality and Conformity
It’s usually easier to just fit in and go with the flow, right? But when we conform, we are easier to control. No thanks! In ‘The Pedestrian’, Ray Bradbury shows us what happens when our freedom and individuality are taken from us. Join...
Schooling Online
Ray Bradbury's The Pedestrian - Plot Summary
It’s 2053 and people are so addicted to their ‘viewing screens’ that they barely venture outside. At 8pm on a frosty November evening, Leonard Mead defies convention by going for a stroll. Unfortunately for him, a passing police car...
Schooling Online
Ray Bradbury's The Pedestrian - Context
Ray Bradbury always had an eerie knack for predicting the future. How? By paying careful attention to dominant ideas and events in his time. Join us for an overview of Bradbury’s life and influences. We’ll also look at how 1950s,...
Schooling Online
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein - Context
Did you know that Frankenstein has its own thrilling backstory? Get ready to enter the turbulent world of Mary Shelley! In this lesson, you’ll learn all about her life, her loves, and what inspired her to write THE ULTIMATE science...
Oxford Comma
A Look at Inspiration in She Walks in Beauty
Often regarded as one of the most beautiful and famous poems of all time, "She Walks in Beauty" has featured in films like The Dead Poet's Society and shows like White Collar. Inevitably, the character reciting the poem does one thing:...
Oxford Comma
Counting our Own Hours: When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be
Because he died so young, Keats' poetry is often read biographically. Readers usually come to the consensus that his death at 25 years of age robbed the world of one of its greatest writers. And Keats certainly thought his early death...
Curated Video
Great Art Cities Explained: Paris
In the second of a new series, James Payne and Joanne Shurvell combine their love of Art and Travel, as they look at less well known museums in cities around the world. In "Great Art Cities Explained: Paris", we look at three small...
Curated Video
Portugal, Sintra - Monserrate Palace
According some legends there was a chapel dedicated to Virgin built by Afonso Henriques after the reconquest of Sintra. On its ruins another chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Monserrate was constructed on the top of the hill In 1540. The...
Curated Video
Portugal, Sintra - Pena Palace
The castle's history started in the Middle Ages when a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Pena was built on the top of the hill above Sintra. According to tradition, construction occurred after an apparition of the Virgin Mary. In 1493,...
Oxford Comma
Drugs and Poetry: Kubla Khan
Inspiration can be cruel, and artists often feel lost without it. And when it won't show up, which will happen, creative types turn to a myriad of restorative methods: running, isolation, reading, and, most infamously, drugs. But while...
Curated Video
The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault: Great Art Explained
This is the story about the painting of the raft that shook the world and scandalised high society. Not only for its anti-royalist statements but also for its choice of a black man as the hero. In an age of slavery. In its brutality,...