Two Crash Courses on Classic Literature

A few years ago John Green started a Crash Course series on classic literature. The early episodes featured Hamlet, The Great Gatsby, and The Odyssey amongst about a dozen other works. That series is embedded below.


This summer John Green began publishing a new set of Crash Course literature videos. The new series includes videos about Huckleberry Finn, Lord of the Flies, and 100 Years of Solitude. The new series is included in an oddly constructed playlist that for some unclear reason includes videos about physics, the Olympics, and gaming. Sort through the playlist and you'll find the literature lessons.


All of these videos include Green's commentary on the stories along with the summaries of key points in the plots. Much like Cliff Notes, watching these videos is not a replacement for actually reading the stories. You may also want to remind your students that Green's opinions about the stories are just that, opinions.

A Crash Course on Hamlet

Last month John Green started a new Crash Course series on classic literature. The first installment was about The Odyssey. The latest installment tackles the first half of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Ghosts, Murder, and More Murder, embedded below, follows the same format as all Crash Course videos in which Green opens with a fast introduction to the whole work then uses a mix of analogies to modern terms to explain the story's key points. Just like reading CliffsNotes isn't a replacement for reading the story, watching a Crash Course video is not a replacement for reading.

A Crash Course on The Odyssey

John Green is back with a new Crash Course on literature. The first installment in the new course is A Long and Difficult Journey, or The Odyssey. In typical Crash Course style John Green packs all of the basics about The Odyssey into one fast-paced video.


Applications for Education
A Long and Difficult Journey, or The Odyssey is obviously designed as an introduction to the story. I would consider having students watch it after reading and then ask them to identify things that they think John Green should have spent more time on. Then challenge your students to produce their own videos to emphasize the key points that they've identified.

As is common in Crash Course videos, Green makes a few comments that some might consider PG-13. Watch the video and decide for yourself before sharing it with your students.

A Crash Course on The Catcher in the Rye

Just before the end of 2012 John Green launched a new Crash Course series of videos on literature. The latest addition to Crash Course Literature is about The Catcher in the Rye. The video, embedded below is labeled as part one so it's safe to assume that part two will be coming out shortly. I watched part late last night and I have to say that I recommend it more as a discussion prompt than as a review resource.