The Modern Scholar: The Medieval World I: Kingdoms, Empires, and War

Another good course from a master

There are reasons why I bought just about every lectures given by Thomas F. Madden, if one can forgive his stylistic dullness, his lecture was concise, to the point and informative. The lecture bridges the gap between middle age and high middle age, often 14th century feel too much like a vacume, except 100 year war, it almost feel as if nothing interesting occur after the 4th crusade in 1204 to 1454, if you feel this way, this course would bridge it.

10 sur 10 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

An interesting and inspiring course

Dr. Madden's lectures inspired me to get interested in the medieval world to a degree that I had not anticipated. Extremely interesting topic. I learned so much. How little we know of the peoples, kingdoms and empires that formed the foundation of our society throughout the middle ages.

7 sur 7 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Prof Madden is fabulous

What did you like best about this story?

Prof Madden is not at all condescending. This is part 1 of 2 parts- both are excellent and informative and Prof M makes amusing and interesting asides. I've listened to all about 4/5 times.

3 sur 3 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Fantastic Listen

What made the experience of listening to The Modern Scholar the most enjoyable?

The author ties everything together so well.

Have you listened to any of the narrator’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I like all of Professor Madden's lectures.

2 sur 2 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Worthy every penny

Any additional comments?

While this lecture is not a graduate level course by any means, it is a fantastic 200-300 level undergraduate lecture. Dr. Madden is the foremost Crusade historian alive today, and masterfully delivers his extensive knowledge in the Modern Scholar series. Do not listen to those who complain that it's too basic or that he lapses in speech, they're used to gaudy and verbose lectures. True genius is in communicating concisely and exactly, not with a plethora of obtuse and obscure words; take it from a medieval grad student-- less is more/better in academia.

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Nice Overview

Nice overview on the political history of Europe in the Medieval time. Highlights the important turning points, and the events that lead to shape Europe as we know it today. It's a bit difficult to keep up with all the names and people if you're not already familiar with them.

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Wonderful History

If you could sum up The Modern Scholar in three words, what would they be?

Great Learning System

What other book might you compare The Modern Scholar to and why?

Thomas Cahill's histories, gives a lot more background than just dates and actions.

Which character – as performed by the narrator – was your favorite?

This question is not relevant to this title

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Overall it is an eye opener to the fact that what we are taught were the "Dark Ages" were actually a pretty vibrant era of transition. His explanation of the the feudal system and how it developed was particularly insightful.

Any additional comments?

Other reviewers have disparaged the professor's style, I find it very engaging. It is as though he is talking directly to the listener and he sometimes drops in a modern idiom which is delightfully out of place.

1 sur 1 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Madden at his scholarly best.

I've listened to a dozen courses from Professor Madden, and this is right up there among my favorites. His style is very informal, with a great narrative flow and lots of fascinating asides along the way. The course itself has a very broad scope, so if you are looking for general knowledge or just want to brush up on the period, you won't be disappointed. Highly recommended!

Very very simple

This seems to be aimed at the home-school middle school market. He's clearly avoiding any big words and complex concepts. A good way to learn some basic names and stories of medieval history. The focus is very much on the popes, England, and France. Anyone hoping to learn about Spain or Eastern Europe will be out of luck. I was happily surprised that at least some attention is given to Late Antiquity (the Byzantine Empire).

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Excellent course, not so excellent professor

The course is very interesting and has a lot of good history in it, but the professor tends to stammer and repeat himself which makes it a bit annoying to listen to.

2 sur 8 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.