Around the Web – Part 5:
World Literature

A collection of world literature videos, articles, and podcasts from around the web.

In addition to the individual links, you can find a playlist of videos embedded below (Click the top-right corner of the video to expand playlist.) Note, however, that some content is only accessible via the direct links.

• Thoth’s Pill – An Animated History of Writing – NativLang / Nov 6, 2015
• The Evolution of the Book – TED-Ed / Jun 13, 2016
• Literary Genres – Gela Russell / Nov 10, 2013
• How and Why We Read – Crash Course / Nov 15, 2012
• Reading World Literature – NPTEL-NOC IITM / May 6, 2019

• The Global Significance of Arabic Language and Literature – John Hope Franklin Center at Duke University / Apr 4, 2012
• The Genius of Persian Literature – 10 Giants – Fiction Beast / Aug 31, 2021
• Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh – Epic of Persian Literature – Fiction Beast / Sep 16, 2020
• The Book of Dede Korkut – Fiction Beast / Nov 20, 2020
• Ten Favorite Arabic Novels…Ever – Your Middle East / Mar 23, 2013
• Voice Of A Modern Iran: Ten Must Read Iranian Authors – Culture Trip / May 25, 2017
• My Undying Love for Orhan Pamuk – Memories Of A Reader / Jun 10, 2021

• Heian Literature and Japanese Court Women – East Asian Studies Center, The Ohio State University / May 20, 2016
• The Genpei War and the Tale of the Heike, Japan’s Greatest War Story – East Asian Studies Center, The Ohio State University / May 20, 2016
• Just Say Noh. But Also Say Kyogen – Crash Course / Apr 28, 2018
• Japan, Kabuki, and Bunraku – Crash Course / Jul 28, 2018
• The 10 Most Popular Kabuki Plays – Kabuki In-Depth / Sep 8, 2022
• The Tale of the 47 Ronin – AspectHistory / May 19, 2018
• Top 10 Japanese Novels of All Time (by 10 Authors) – Fiction Beast / Apr 28, 2021

• Chinese History in 5 Minutes | Literature – Culture Click / Jun 21, 2020
• Why You Should Read Romance of the Three Kingdoms Novel – Cool History Bros / May 19, 2021
• Water Margin 001: Introduction – Water Margin Podcast – Outlaws of the Marsh / Jan 1, 2019
• Legends Summarized: The Monkey King (Journey To The West Part 1) – Overly Sarcastic Productions / Oct 1, 2015
• Legends Summarized: The Journey To The West (Part II) – Overly Sarcastic Productions / Jan 15, 2016
• Legends Summarized: The Journey To The West (Part III) – Overly Sarcastic Productions / Apr 13, 2016
• Dream of the Red Chamber: Afterlives — The Novel – IAS UMN / Sep 13, 2016
• China, Zaju, and Beijing Opera – Crash Course / Aug 10, 2018
• Where to Start with Chinese Literature (by Genre) – The Bookish Land / Jan 5, 2019

• Tale of Hong Gil-dong (홍길동전), The First Novel Published in Hangeul 한글 – This is Korea / Aug 9, 2013
• Korean Literature: 3 Stories You Should Know (한국 이야기) – Fiction Beast / Jun 6, 2020
• Introduction to Korean Literature | K-Literature Month – 주이집트한국문화원 المركز الثقافي الكوري بمصر / Jul 8, 2021

• The Death and Resurrection of Theater as…Liturgical Drama – Crash Course / Apr 6, 2018
• Hrotsvitha, Hildegard, and the Nun who Resurrected Theater – Crash Course / Apr 13, 2018
• Get Outside and Have a (Mystery) Play – Crash Course / Apr 20, 2018

• History-Makers: Dante – Overly Sarcastic Productions / Dec 20, 2019
• Renaissance Discoveries: Petrarch – Ross King / Apr 3, 2021
• Book Talk: The Ethical Dimensions of the ‘Decameron’ – Cornell University Library / May 23, 2016
• Pee Jokes, the Italian Renaissance, Commedia Dell’Arte – Crash Course / May 5, 2018
• The 15 Best Italian Novels of All Time! – Tom LA Books / Apr 27, 2022

• Luís de Camões and The Lusiads – Portuguese With Leo / Jun 9, 2021
• Portuguese Classics Not to Miss – Mariana Loves Books / Feb 20, 2018

• The Spanish Golden Age – Crash Course / Jun 29, 2018
• Pre-Columbian Theater, Spanish Empire, and Sor Juana – Crash Course / Jul 21, 2018
• Spanish Literature – The History of Spanish Literature – History of Spain / Jul 22, 2019
• Classics Summarized: Don Quixote – Overly Sarcastic Productions / Sep 14, 2018

• Classics Summarized: Beowulf – Overly Sarcastic Productions / Aug 28, 2015
• Legends Summarized: King Arthur – Overly Sarcastic Productions / Feb 2, 2018
• Everything You Need to Know to Read “The Canterbury Tales” – TED-Ed / Oct 2, 2018
• Legends Summarized: Robin Hood – Overly Sarcastic Productions / Feb 21, 2020

• The English Renaissance and NOT Shakespeare – Crash Course / May 12, 2018
• Straight Outta Stratford-Upon-Avon – Shakespeare’s Early Days – Crash Course / May 18, 2018
• Ghosts, Murder, and More Murder – Hamlet Part 1 – Crash Course / Mar 14, 2014
• Ophelia, Gertrude, and Regicide – Hamlet Part 2 – Crash Course / Mar 20, 2014
• Free Will, Witches, Murder, and Macbeth, Part 1 – Crash Course / Jan 24, 2018
• Gender, Guilt, and Fate – Macbeth, Part 2 – Crash Course / Jan 31, 2018
• Shakespeare’s Tragedies and an Acting Lesson – Crash Course / May 25, 2018
• Of Pentameter & Bear Baiting – Romeo & Juliet Part 1 – Crash Course / Nov 29, 2012
• Love or Lust? Romeo and Juliet Part 2 – Crash Course / Dec 6, 2012
• Comedies, Romances, and Shakespeare’s Heroines – Crash Course / Jun 1, 2018
• Why Should You Read Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”? – TED-Ed / Feb 5, 2019
• Shakespeare’s Sonnets – Crash Course / Jul 28, 2016

• Classics Summarized: Paradise Lost – Overly Sarcastic Productions / Feb 8, 2016
• The Age of Enlightenment | The Augustan Age – Learning Literature with Purba / Nov 13, 2020
• England’s Sentimental Theater – Crash Course / Aug 18, 2018
• Romanticism & English Literature – Flippin’ English / Apr 11, 2016

• The Gothic – The British Library / Jun 6, 2014
• Don’t Reanimate Corpses! Frankenstein Part 1 – Crash Course / Mar 27, 2014
• Frankenstein, Part 2 – Crash Course / Apr 4, 2014
• Halloween Special: Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde – Overly Sarcastic Productions / Oct 31, 2019
• Halloween Special: Dracula – Overly Sarcastic Productions / Oct 31, 2016

• The Wicked Wit of Jane Austen – TED-Ed / Mar 21, 2019
• Jane Austen: The Novel and Social Realism – The British Library / Jun 9, 2014
• LITERATURE – Jane Austen – The School of Life / Oct 9, 2015
• A Beginner’s Guide to Victorian Literature – Blatantly Bookish / Oct 7, 2019
• Where to Start with . . . 10 Victorian Authors – Books and Things / Oct 23, 2019
• The Rise of Melodrama – Crash Course / Sep 7, 2018
• LITERATURE – Virginia Woolf – The School of Life / Sep 18, 2015

• The Song of Roland – Wikipedia / Jan 20, 2023
• Rules, Rule-Breaking, and French Neoclassicism – Crash Course / Jul 6, 2018
• Moliere – Man of Satire and Many Burials – Crash Course / Jul 13, 2018
• Top 20 French Authors of All Time (Top 20 French Novels) – Fiction Beast / Jul 13, 2021
• Candide – Crash Course / Dec 13, 2017
• The Count of Monte Cristo – Extra Credits / Oct 6, 2021
• The Beauty and Anguish of Les Misérables! – PBS Voices / Apr 18, 2019
• LITERATURE – Gustave Flaubert – The School of Life / Jun 24, 2016
• Charles Baudelaire – The Beauty and Horror of Modern Life – Out of the Page / Jul 7, 2020
• Zola, France, Realism, and Naturalism – Crash Course / Sep 28, 2018
• LITERATURE – Marcel Proust – The School of Life / May 29, 2015
• The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux – TheBookchemist / Jun 5, 2021
• Albert Camus – The Plague – The School of Life / Apr 1, 2020

• Symbolism, Realism, and a Nordic Playwright Grudge Match – Crash Course / Oct 12, 2018

• Synge, Wilde, Shaw, and the Irish Renaissance – Crash Course / Nov 9, 2018
• Top 10 Notes: The Picture of Dorian Gray – WatchMojo.com / Oct 29, 2013
• The Picture of Dorian Gray – English at Royal Holloway / Apr 1, 2016
• Why Should You Read James Joyce’s “Ulysses”? – TED-Ed / Oct 24, 2017
• Beckett, Ionesco, and the Theater of the Absurd – Crash Course / Jan 25, 2019

• The Tale of Igor’s Campaign – One minute history / Sep 12, 2018
• Top 10 Russian Authors of All Time (and Top 10 Russian Novels) – Fiction Beast / May 12, 2021
• Why Should You Read “Crime and Punishment”? – TED-Ed / May 14, 2019
• Why Should You Read Tolstoy’s “War and Peace”? – TED-Ed / Apr 27, 2017
• Chekhov and the Moscow Art Theater – Crash Course / Oct 20, 2018
• Anna Akhmatova – Queen of the Silver Age – Out of the Page / Apr 30, 2019
• Why ‘Doctor Zhivago’ Was Dangerous – PBS NewsHour / Jul 9, 2014
• The Question of the Boundaries of the Contemporary Russian Literature – UCLan Russian Studies / Mar 17, 2021
• The Life of Insects (Victor Pelevin) – Lines in Literature / Jun 12, 2020
• Luidmila Ulitskaya: Leading Author in Russia – Al Jazeera English / May 25, 2014

• The Song of the Nibelungs to go – Sommer’s World Literature to go / Jul 6, 2016
• Why So Angry, German Theater? – Crash Course / Aug 25, 2018
• Nathan the Wise by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing – Henry Abramson / Aug 14, 2013
• In Our Time: Goethe – In Our Time (BBC Radio 4) / Apr 6, 2006
• Schiller’s Wilhelm Tell – tim mcgee / Jul 22, 2020
• Michael Kohlhaas – Heinrich von Kleist – Better Than Food / Jul 18, 2020
• Germany. A Winter’s Tale by Heinrich Heine – Wikipedia / Nov 21, 2022
• Kafka’s Genius Philosophy – Fiction Beast / Jun 16, 2021
• Where to Start with Rilke // Reading Rainer Maria Rilke – emmie / Dec 9, 2020
• Find the Way to Yourself: A Guide to Hermann Hesse – Sisyphus 55 / Apr 2, 2022
• Why Read The Magic Mountain? – thepearlreview / Nov 25, 2020
• Mark Lilla Keynote “Thomas Mann: Artist in Democracy” – Goethe-Institut New York / Sep 23, 2021
• The Author of All Quiet on The Western Front – Erich Maria Remarque – The Great War / Jun 15, 2015
• The World of Yesterday: Memoirs of a European, by Stefan Zweig – Travel Through Stories / Oct 12, 2021
• Bertolt Brecht and Epic Theater – Crash Course / Jan 18, 2019
• 8 Must Read Books from Holocaust Literature – LitZ: A Literary Discourse / Jul 26, 2022
• The Nobel Prize – Nelly Sachs – Literatur.e with John K. Noyes / Apr 7, 2022
• The Nobel Prize – Günter Grass – Literatur.e with John K. Noyes / Apr 7, 2022
• The Nobel Prize – Heinrich Böll – Literatur.e with John K. Noyes / Apr 7, 2022
• The Nobel Prize – Herta Müller – Literatur.e with John K. Noyes / Apr 7, 2022
• Migrant Literature in Germany: An Unmistakable Cultural Diversity – Qantara.de / Jul 26, 2006

• Overview American Literature II – Megan Hall / Jan 15, 2021
• Charles Brockden Brown’s Wieland – ProfessorBernstein / Oct 29, 2012
• Making an “American” Literature, Lecture #2: Irving & Cooper – Rob Russell / Feb 24, 2011
• Intro to American Romanticism – ProfessorBernstein / Jan 21, 2012
• Why Should You Read “Moby Dick”? – TED-Ed / May 26, 2020
• Why should you read Edgar Allan Poe? – TED-Ed / Sep 18, 2018
• Before I Got My Eye Put Out – The Poetry of Emily Dickinson – Crash Course / Jan 24, 2013

• Phillis Wheatley – Crash Course / Jan 18, 2021
• Frederick Douglass – Crash Course / Sep 10, 2021
• Uncle Tom’s Cabin Part 3 – Khan’s Academy / Jul 7, 2016
• Booker T. Washington and W.E.B DuBois – Crash Course / Oct 23, 2021
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Part 1 – Crash Course / Jul 14, 2016
• The Raft, the River, and The Weird Ending of Huckleberry Finn – Crash Course / Jul 20, 2016

• Why We Still Love Little Women, 150 Years Later – Storied / May 27, 2020
• Henry James – Portrait of a Lady – Qwik Lit / May 7, 2013
• The Call of the Wild by Jack London Explained – Learning Language Arts / Sep 20, 2022
• The Road Less Traveled By – vlogbrothers / Sep 1, 2015
• American Poetry – Wikipedia / Jan 12, 2023
• “The Age of Innocence” by Edith Wharton in Five Minutes! (1/2) – First Rate Tutors / Nov 5, 2018
• “The Age of Innocence” by Edith Wharton: Characters, Themes & Symbols (2/2) – First Rate Tutors / Nov 12, 2018
• Like Pale Gold – The Great Gatsby Part 1 – Crash Course / Dec 14, 2012
• Was Gatsby Great? The Great Gatsby Part 2 – Crash Course / Dec 20, 2012
• Where To Start With William Faulkner – Man Carrying Thing / Oct 7, 2020
• Unraveling the Myth of Ernest Hemingway – Storied / Mar 31, 2021
• How The Good Earth Changed American Perception of China – By the Book / Jul 28, 2020
• John Steinbeck – Nobel Prize Author – Biography / Feb 27, 2014
• Little Theater and American Avant Garde – Crash Course / Dec 16, 2018

• Arts and Letters of the Harlem Renaissance – Crash Course / Nov 19, 2021
• Political Thought in the Harlem Renaissance – Crash Course / Dec 4, 2021
• Zora Neale Hurston – Crash Course / Jan 8, 2022
• The Harlem Renaissance [Theater] – Crash Course / Dec 21, 2018
• Invisible Man – Crash Course / Aug 25, 2016
• Notes of a Native Son: The World According to James Baldwin – TED-Ed / Feb 12, 2019
• To Kill, To Kill a Mockingbird? – Storied / Aug 25, 2021

• Broadway, Seriously – Crash Course / Feb 2, 2019
• Language, Voice, and Holden Caulfield – The Catcher in the Rye Part 1 – Crash Course / Jan 11, 2013
• Holden, JD, and the Red Cap – The Catcher in the Rye Part 2 – Crash Course / Jan 18, 2013
• On The Road – Jack Kerouac – Better Than Food / Jan 5, 2018
• Catch 22 by Joseph Heller – TheBookchemist / Jul 1, 2018
• The Birth of Off Broadway – Crash Course / Feb 8, 2019
• Why Should You Read Kurt Vonnegut? – TED-Ed / Nov 29, 2018
• Cormac McCarthy: Where NOT to Start – Bookish / Jul 29, 2021
• Toni Morrison – Crash Course / Oct 6, 2022
• 40 Best Native American Authors to Read in 2023 – Reedsy Discovery / Feb 26, 2021
• Broadway Book Musicals – Crash Course / Mar 1, 2019

• What is Postcolonialism? Expanded Version – Dr. Masood Raja / Feb 8, 2021
• Distinction Between Early and Later Fanon – Dr. Masood Raja / Jul 21, 2020
• What is Orientalism? | Edward Said – Dr. Masood Raja / Dec 2, 2019
• Postcolonial Theory II: Bhabha and Spivak – IIT Kanpur July 2018 / Sep 23, 2018
• Teaching Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden” in a Postcolonialism Class – Dr. Masood Raja / Jun 30, 2020

• Rabindranath Tagore | How a School Drop-Out Won the Nobel Prize – Dhruv Rathee / Jul 16, 2021
• Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay – History of an Eminent Writer – Let’s Crack UPSC CSE / Jan 16, 2018
• #1 History of Indian Writing in English | Beginning 1800-1947 | Poetry & Prose – Literature Simply / Oct 2, 2022
• #2 History of Indian Writing in English (1800-1947) | Part 2 – Literature Simply / Oct 4, 2022
• #3 History of Indian Writing in English | Indian English Poetry (1947-1980) – Literature Simply / Oct 10, 2022
• #4 Post Independence Indian Fiction in English | 1947-1980 – Literature Simply / Oct 12, 2022
• Famous Books by Indian Authors – Educate Yourself 360° / Aug 10, 2022
• Indian Feminist Lit Book Haul + Recommendations – metanarrator / Jan 24, 2021
• 15 Indian Translated Books in English – metanarrator / May 8, 2021

• What is the Burden of Representation? | Kobena Mercer – Dr. Masood Raja / Dec 8, 2020
• What is the Négritude Movement in Postcolonialism? – Dr. Masood Raja / Feb 21, 2020
• Heart of Darkness: Summary, Analysis, and Background | Joseph Conrad – Dr. Masood Raja / Jul 14, 2020
• Understanding Things Fall Apart from a Postcolonial Perspective | Chinua Achebe – Dr. Masood Raja / Dec 15, 2020
• Wole Soyinka: Glutton of Tranquility – CGTN Africa / Feb 2, 2016
• Ngugi, Chinweizu, and Cesaire: Postcolonial Writers – Dr. Masood Raja / Nov 4, 2020
• Amos Tutuola: The Palm-Wine Drinkard – Dr. Masood Raja / Jul 10, 2020
• God’s Bits of Wood by Sembene Ousmane – Dr. Masood Raja / Jul 10, 2020
• Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih – Fiction Beast / Dec 10, 2020
• Okot p’Bitek: Song Of Lawino & Song of Ocol – Dr. Masood Raja / Feb 10, 2021
• Efuru (a Novel) | Flora Nwapa – Dr. Masood Raja / Jul 9, 2020
• Bessie Head: Brief Bio and Intro “The Deep River,” A Short Story – Dr. Masood Raja / Feb 18, 2021
• The Joys of Motherhood | Buchi Emecheta – Dr. Masood Raja / Sep 12, 2019
• Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah: Summary and Analysis – Dr. Masood Raja / May 5, 2022
• Top 10 Contemporary African Authors – Displore / Jan 26, 2021
• A List of Books by Authors from Every African Country – Medium / Mar 21, 2020
• Diversifying the Voices of African Literature – TED Archive / Feb 27, 2018

• Latin American Literature, Pt. 1 – Brandon Morgan / Nov 21, 2018
• Latin American Literature, Pt. 2 – Brandon Morgan / Nov 21, 2018
• Doña Bárbara by Rómulo Gallegos — Summary and Analysis – Fiction Beast / Nov 12, 2020
• Infinity According to Jorge Luis Borges – TED-Ed / Jul 11, 2019
• Why Magical Realism is a Global Phenomenon – Storied / Mar 31, 2022
• The Latin American Boom – Lit Tips / Feb 22, 2019
• The 10 Best Brazilian Writers – Culture Trip / Nov 11, 2016

• 9 Best Indonesian Authors of All Time – Become a Writer Today / Apr 7, 2022
• The Best Books in Philippine Literature – Culture Trip / Sep 1, 2022
• Eight Writers Share Their Must-Read Books from Vietnam and the Diaspora – Words Without Borders / Apr 28, 2017
• 7 Best Thai Authors of All Time – Become a Writer Today / Apr 8, 2022
• Backpacking Around Southeast Asia With 11 Books from 11 Countries – Book Riot / Sep 19, 2019

• What Are the Best Australian Novels and How Many Have I Read? – Supposedly Fun / Apr 15, 2021
• The 15 Best Books by Indigenous Australian Authors – Happy Mag / Jul 7, 2022

• An Introduction to Aesop’s Fables – World History Encyclopedia / Aug 26, 2022
• Panchatantra – Part 1 – The EPIC Channel / Oct 11, 2021
• Panchatantra – Part 2 – The EPIC Channel / Oct 18, 2021
• Fairy Tale: A Very Short Introduction | Marina Warner – Talks at Google / Apr 18, 2018
• One Thousand and One Nights | The Tale of Scheherazade – Mythology Unleashed / Apr 21, 2021
• Grimms’ Fairy Tales | The Ultimate Fairy Tale Collection – Mythology Unleashed / Nov 24, 2021
• Introduction to His Life and Works | Hans Christian Anderson – NLB Singapore / Apr 9, 2021

• The Origins and Development of the Fantasy Genre – Philip Chase / Aug 22, 2020
• How Fantasy Reflects our World – PBS Voices / Aug 13, 2018
• The Constructed Languages of JRR Tolkien – Storied / Jul 16, 2020
• Terry Pratchett’s Discworld | Where To Start? – Jean’s Thoughts / Aug 15, 2014

• What is Science Fiction, Actually? – Tale Foundry / Sep 22, 2017
• 5 Science Fiction Eras of History – Tale Foundry / Oct 7, 2017
• The Origin of the Word ROBOT – Zarp Labs / Oct 29, 2020
• Who is Isaac Asimov? – Book Odyssey / May 22, 2022
• Five Lems: Jonathan Lethem on Stanisław Lem – London Review of Books / Apr 29, 2022
• Why Should You Read “Dune” by Frank Herbert? – TED-Ed / Dec 17, 2019
• Lecture 3: Utopias and Dystopias – Eduardo Barreto / Apr 24, 2020
• Why Should You Read “Fahrenheit 451”? – TED-Ed / Jan 22, 2019
• Why Sociology Matters in Science Fiction – Book Odyssey / Mar 23, 2022
• Octavia Butler, The Grand Dame of Science Fiction – Storied / Jun 29, 2021
• Explaining Cyberpunk in 5 Minutes – Book Odyssey / May 26, 2021
• Explaining Space Opera in 5 Minutes – Book Odyssey / Sep 19, 2021
• A Beginner’s Guide to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Book Break / May 21, 2020

Last Updated: Mar 3, 2023