Books Read in 2015: Heroes and Legends: The Most Influential Characters of Literature by Thomas A. Shippey

Heroes and Legends: The Most Influential Characters of Literature by Thomas A. Shippey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a great collection of 30-minute lectures on fictional characters that, while not overly analytical on the literary criticism scale, raise interesting questions and lightly explore themes and symbols connected with the selected characters in a way that is at once both entertaining and thought-provoking. It’s nice to be able to skip back and forth between “chapters” to listen to the lectures most interesting at the moment, and then go back to others when time or activity will allow for a more focused listening experience.

My favorites were the lectures on fairy tale heroines, Harry Potter, Frodo Baggins, and Guinevere.

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