Instant Scholar: A Shortcut to Art and Literature (LL(R) Instant Scholar) [AUDIOBOOK] (Audio CD)

~ Ana Suffredini (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Scenario: It's everyone's worst nightmare. You're alone at a party, looking into a crowded living room, when you catch the eye of a particularly attractive individual next to the potted ficus. Smiles are exchanged, the floor is crossed. Now is the moment for that crucial first impression. "Hi." "Hi there." Gotta do better than that. Conversation. Small yet engaging talk. Come on, come on . . . Wait, what's this? Have I seen the Mondrian exhibit? The who? You found it what? Did you just say "ebullient in its oppressive geometric inertia?" What the heck does that mean? Oh my God. I have to say something now. "Um . . . Gee, guess I missed out."

Well, you don't have to miss out. Let's face it, art and literature are broad subjects, but Living Language Instant Scholar: A Shortcut to Art and Literature can get you started.

This entertaining, irreverent, and funny program will help you:
Reclaim vague memories of people, paintings, and periods
Take part in conversations instead of just nodding and smiling
Figure out who and what you'd like to know more about.
Toss around references to Mondrian, Melville, and Monet
Hear it now, drop it later

Included in the package:
Two 60-minute audio CDs
One cheat sheet

From the Inside Flap

Scenario: It's everyone's worst nightmare. You're alone at a party, looking into a crowded living room, when you catch the eye of a particularly attractive individual next to the potted ficus. Smiles are exchanged, the floor is crossed. Now is the moment for that crucial first impression. "Hi." "Hi there." Gotta do better than that. Conversation. Small yet engaging talk. Come on, come on . . . Wait, what's this? Have I seen the Mondrian exhibit? The who? You found it what? Did you just say "ebullient in its oppressive geometric inertia?" What the heck does that mean? Oh my God. I have to say something now. "Um . . . Gee, guess I missed out."

Well, you don't have to miss out. Let's face it, art and literature are broad subjects, but Living Language Instant Scholar: A Shortcut to Art and Literature can get you started.

This entertaining, irreverent, and funny program will help you:
Reclaim vague memories of people, paintings, and periods
Take part in conversations instead of just nodding and smiling
Figure out who and what you'd like to know more about.
Toss around references to Mondrian, Melville, and Monet
Hear it now, drop it later

Included in the package:
Two 60-minute audio CDs
One cheat sheet

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Living Language (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609606778
• ISBN-13: 978-0609606773
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,852,636 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun approach to learning, July 8, 2001

By	"amyelizabeth" (Barrington, IL USA) - See all my reviews

I bought these cd's just for the fun of it, but they do contain a lot of good information. Each one delineates in chronological order some periods and movements in art and literature, respectively. They certainly are not exhaustive, but they cover each period by choosing a few representative works and talking about them in greater detail. They do this in a novel way, kind of a radio program type format. There is main character named Albert who appears on both discs. On the art disc, he is with his love interest, an art connoisseur, at a gallery opening. He talks to various people who are experts on their particular field of art history, and the whole time he tries to keep from looking like an uneducated fool. On the literature disc, he has a new girlfriend, this one being interested in books, not art, and the story takes place at a performance of a Greek tragedy and then at a coffee shop. The whole idea is really quite original and it works well. They take a somewhat somber subject matter and present it in a light-hearted way. You could even listen to these tapes in the car (although anyone riding with you might think you were weird).