Literature
The Jilting of Granny Weatherall by Katherine Anne Porter
VHS, 57 min., 1980
On her deathbed, a stubborn and once domineering matriarch faces the long suppressed realization that all of the accomplishments of her adult life cannot console her nor compensate for the shame-filled day she was left standing at the altar. As a young woman, she donned her white veil, set out her cake and waited with the priest for tall, handsome George to arrive. He never came.
On her deathbed, a stubborn and once domineering matriarch faces the long suppressed realization that all of the accomplishments of her adult life cannot console her nor compensate for the shame-filled day she was left standing at the altar. As a young woman, she donned her white veil, set out her cake and waited with the priest for tall, handsome George to arrive. He never came.
Category:
Literature
The Greatest Man in the World by James Thurber
VHS, 51 min., 1980
1937: Admiral Byrd is a hero; Lucky Lindy is a hero. Enter the next hero-aviator in the person of Jack "Pal" Smurch, a primitive, illiterate incorrigible lout who just happens to succeed in flying non-stop around the world. Cheers. Adulation. And into the limelight he’s catapulted, this gin-soaked, uncouth, stubble-faced boor, now a potential national embarrassment. This wild tale of heroism gone awry, for all its humor, is a deft assault on the hypocrisy behind official "respectability."
1937: Admiral Byrd is a hero; Lucky Lindy is a hero. Enter the next hero-aviator in the person of Jack "Pal" Smurch, a primitive, illiterate incorrigible lout who just happens to succeed in flying non-stop around the world. Cheers. Adulation. And into the limelight he’s catapulted, this gin-soaked, uncouth, stubble-faced boor, now a potential national embarrassment. This wild tale of heroism gone awry, for all its humor, is a deft assault on the hypocrisy behind official "respectability."
Category:
Literature
The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg by Mark Twain
VHS, 40 min., 1980
Hadleyburg is just about the most honest town there is. Townspeople are proud of their virtue of being unfriendly to strangers and staying honest by simply avoiding temptation. Or do they? Infused with the characteristic cynicism of his later work, Twain’s tale is a dark vision of the xenophobia and hypocrisy he saw in small town America.
Hadleyburg is just about the most honest town there is. Townspeople are proud of their virtue of being unfriendly to strangers and staying honest by simply avoiding temptation. Or do they? Infused with the characteristic cynicism of his later work, Twain’s tale is a dark vision of the xenophobia and hypocrisy he saw in small town America.
Category:
Literature
Pudd’nhead Wilson by Mark Twain
VHS, 90 min., 1985
Mark Twain’s unique insight and wit explore slavery, mother/son relationships, justice, and human folly.
Mark Twain’s unique insight and wit explore slavery, mother/son relationships, justice, and human folly.
Category:
Literature
The Music School by John Updike
VHS, 30 min., 1977
Religion, technology, contemporary violence and social change come together in flashbacks and images in a modern writer’s mind as he searches for continuity and meaning in life.
Religion, technology, contemporary violence and social change come together in flashbacks and images in a modern writer’s mind as he searches for continuity and meaning in life.
Category:
Literature
Almos’ a Man by Richard Wright
VHS, 39 min., 1976
A black teen-age farm worker of the late 1930’s convinces his mother that he is "almos’ a man" so he can buy a second-hand gun. He accidentally shoots a mule and opens himself to misunderstanding and ridicule in the midst of his genuine attempts to be a man - free from family and place.
A black teen-age farm worker of the late 1930’s convinces his mother that he is "almos’ a man" so he can buy a second-hand gun. He accidentally shoots a mule and opens himself to misunderstanding and ridicule in the midst of his genuine attempts to be a man - free from family and place.
Category:
Literature
American Stage Plays
VHS, 90-118 min. each, 1986
These remarkable American Broadway and off-Broadway smash hit plays were broadcast over PBS as part of "American Playhouse" or "Great Performances." Many of America’s greatest actors are featured in critically acclaimed performances.
1. The Dining Room - Playwright A. R. Gurney, Jr. has found a way to introduce war, life, and love into a formal setting. Praised for its wit, poignancy, and unerring detail, this play is set in the dining room, where people live out dramatic and comic moments in their lives.
2. The Ghostwriter - A best selling novel by Phillip Roth , The Ghostwriter is the story of an artist’s trials and falling in love. Roth recalls the time 22 years earlier when he met a world famous author living in seclusion with two women: his wife and a beautiful young girl. The young writer discovers himself and his talents during an especially trying period in his life.
3. Heartbreak House - A poignant commentary on contemporary life under the threat of nuclear war. Exuding intellectual energy and compassion, the play’s rich dialogue focuses on love, money, and morals. Captain Shotover and his daughter welcome an odd assortment of people into their home for several days. In the course of their visit, each person share his ambitions, hopes, and fears.
4. The Rise and Rise of Daniel Rocket - Daniel Rocket believes he can fly without the aid of a trapeze or flying machine, and does fly just like Peter Pan. The symbolic nature of his feat presents an inspiring portrayal of the exceptional person, the genius left alone.
5. Rocket to the Moon - Clifford Odets creates a timeless story of a 39-year-old Manhattan dentist coming to terms with his own life in post-Depression New York. On the surface, everything appears mundane and at a standstill. He has met most of the expectations of his own desires. But, you soon become aware of the choices of conscience and compromises he must make that provide insight into the sublime.
These remarkable American Broadway and off-Broadway smash hit plays were broadcast over PBS as part of "American Playhouse" or "Great Performances." Many of America’s greatest actors are featured in critically acclaimed performances.
1. The Dining Room - Playwright A. R. Gurney, Jr. has found a way to introduce war, life, and love into a formal setting. Praised for its wit, poignancy, and unerring detail, this play is set in the dining room, where people live out dramatic and comic moments in their lives.
2. The Ghostwriter - A best selling novel by Phillip Roth , The Ghostwriter is the story of an artist’s trials and falling in love. Roth recalls the time 22 years earlier when he met a world famous author living in seclusion with two women: his wife and a beautiful young girl. The young writer discovers himself and his talents during an especially trying period in his life.
3. Heartbreak House - A poignant commentary on contemporary life under the threat of nuclear war. Exuding intellectual energy and compassion, the play’s rich dialogue focuses on love, money, and morals. Captain Shotover and his daughter welcome an odd assortment of people into their home for several days. In the course of their visit, each person share his ambitions, hopes, and fears.
4. The Rise and Rise of Daniel Rocket - Daniel Rocket believes he can fly without the aid of a trapeze or flying machine, and does fly just like Peter Pan. The symbolic nature of his feat presents an inspiring portrayal of the exceptional person, the genius left alone.
5. Rocket to the Moon - Clifford Odets creates a timeless story of a 39-year-old Manhattan dentist coming to terms with his own life in post-Depression New York. On the surface, everything appears mundane and at a standstill. He has met most of the expectations of his own desires. But, you soon become aware of the choices of conscience and compromises he must make that provide insight into the sublime.
Category:
Literature
Edgar Allan Poe: Architect of Dreams
VHS, 30 min., 1991
This documentary, with dramatic episodes, explores Poe’s reliance on dreams as a way of touching the secrets of the universe, and the illustration of this theme in his poems and stories. Major developments in Poe’s life and excerpts from three of his tales are interwoven with the theme, as an on-camera host (Dave Smith) guides the viewer through authentic locales, archival materials, and dramatized sequences.
This documentary, with dramatic episodes, explores Poe’s reliance on dreams as a way of touching the secrets of the universe, and the illustration of this theme in his poems and stories. Major developments in Poe’s life and excerpts from three of his tales are interwoven with the theme, as an on-camera host (Dave Smith) guides the viewer through authentic locales, archival materials, and dramatized sequences.
Category:
Literature
Exploring the Novel: For Entertainment and Comprehension
VHS, 36 min., 1977
This video focuses on three main aspects of understanding the novel. First, to help students develop an appreciation of the novel as a form of literature. Second, to teach students to recognize plot, character, setting, style, point of view and theme; and finally how to analyze a novelist’s work.
This video focuses on three main aspects of understanding the novel. First, to help students develop an appreciation of the novel as a form of literature. Second, to teach students to recognize plot, character, setting, style, point of view and theme; and finally how to analyze a novelist’s work.
Category:
Literature
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
VHS(3 parts), 90 min., 1978
Diahann Carroll, Esther Rolle, and Ruby Dee star in this feature-length film based on Maya Angelou’s autobiographic book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. It is a story of struggle and personal triumph for Angelou growing up in Stamps, Arkansas, and St. Louis, Missouri, during the depression.
Diahann Carroll, Esther Rolle, and Ruby Dee star in this feature-length film based on Maya Angelou’s autobiographic book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. It is a story of struggle and personal triumph for Angelou growing up in Stamps, Arkansas, and St. Louis, Missouri, during the depression.
Category:
Literature
Maya Angelou: Creativity with Bill Moyers
VHS, 60 min., 1981 CC
Bill Moyers accompanies poet and actress Maya Angelou on her return to her home town, where they make note of the ways that memory and experience impinge upon art. "The truth is that you can never leave home. You take it with you everywhere you go. It’s under your skin. It moves the tongue or slows the colors; it impedes upon the logic." These are Angelou’s words upon her return to Stamps, Arkansas, her home town.
Bill Moyers accompanies poet and actress Maya Angelou on her return to her home town, where they make note of the ways that memory and experience impinge upon art. "The truth is that you can never leave home. You take it with you everywhere you go. It’s under your skin. It moves the tongue or slows the colors; it impedes upon the logic." These are Angelou’s words upon her return to Stamps, Arkansas, her home town.
Category:
Literature
Maya Angelou: Writers in Conversation
VHS, 35 min., 1989
Maya Angelou has been a waitress, singer, actress, dancer, black activist, and mother. She writes through the black experience about the human condition. She speaks of the nobleness of the human spirit and wonders "what makes us laugh, smile, smirk, frown, scowl, stumble and fall, and rise again?" She has had several collections of poetry published as well as four autobiographical books. In this video she reads from her book Singin’ and Swingin’.
Maya Angelou has been a waitress, singer, actress, dancer, black activist, and mother. She writes through the black experience about the human condition. She speaks of the nobleness of the human spirit and wonders "what makes us laugh, smile, smirk, frown, scowl, stumble and fall, and rise again?" She has had several collections of poetry published as well as four autobiographical books. In this video she reads from her book Singin’ and Swingin’.
Category:
Literature
Lorraine Hansberry: The Black Experience in the Creation of Drama
VHS, 35 min., 1975
This film shows the playwright’s artistic growth and her unique artistic vision largely in her own words and her own voice. With excerpts from The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, Les Blancs, and Raisin.
This film shows the playwright’s artistic growth and her unique artistic vision largely in her own words and her own voice. With excerpts from The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, Les Blancs, and Raisin.
Category:
Literature
Toni Morrison
DVD, 25min., 1992
This film introduces one of the most widely acclaimed contemporary American writers. A leading figure in the movement for a new multicultural American literary canon, she explains that "American literature is incoherent without the contribution of African Americans." Readings from her novels Beloved and Jazz are featured in the film.
This film introduces one of the most widely acclaimed contemporary American writers. A leading figure in the movement for a new multicultural American literary canon, she explains that "American literature is incoherent without the contribution of African Americans." Readings from her novels Beloved and Jazz are featured in the film.
Category:
Literature
Gloria Naylor
DVD, 21 min., 1992
In this conversation, Naylor discusses the value and difficulty of maintaining an African American identity in a world dominated by whites. Readings from her works The Women of Brewster Place, Linden Hills, and Mama Day reveal the breadth of her vision.
In this conversation, Naylor discusses the value and difficulty of maintaining an African American identity in a world dominated by whites. Readings from her works The Women of Brewster Place, Linden Hills, and Mama Day reveal the breadth of her vision.
Category:
Literature