The 1962 CBC Massey Lectures, "The Educated Imagination"

In the 1962 Massey Lectures, Northrop Frye writes:

"What good is the study of literature? Does it help us to think more clearly or feel more sensitively or live a better life than we would without it? What is the function of the teacher and scholar or the person who calls himself, as I do, a literary critic? What difference does the study of literature make in our social or political or religious attitude?

"In my early days, I thought very little about such questions, not because I had any of the answers but because I assumed that anybody who asked them was naive. I think now that the simplest questions are not only the hardest to answer but the most important to ask..."

With its relaxed, informal and frequently humorous style of presentation, The Educated Imagination is considered the most approachable introduction to Frye's work.

The Educated Imagination is published by House of Anansi.

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Ideas29:41The Educated Imagination - Part 1

The1962 CBC Massey Lectures by Northrop Fry.

Ideas29:40The Educated Imagination - Part 2

The1962 CBC Massey Lectures by Northrop Fry.

Ideas28:52The Educated Imagination - Part 3

The1962 CBC Massey Lectures by Northrop Fry.

Ideas29:38The Educated Imagination - Part 4

The1962 CBC Massey Lectures by Northrop Fry.

Ideas29:18The Educated Imagination - Part 5

The1962 CBC Massey Lectures by Northrop Fry.

Ideas29:24The Educated Imagination - Part 6

The1962 CBC Massey Lectures by Northrop Fry.