Michael Krasny has 2 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 1 narrator, with an average listener rating of 5★ across 1 ratings. The most-rated is Masterpieces of Short Fiction.
Masterpieces of Short Fiction
Summary
More than simply a shorter version of the novel, the short story is a unique and rewarding literary form in itself. It offers a world in miniature faithfully captured by the author's mastery of character, plot, setting, image, and theme. The time it takes to read a short story may be brief, but its impact lasts much longer. Short story writers see by the light of the flash," says author and Nobel Laureate Nadine Gordimer. "Theirs is the art of the only thing that one can be sure of - the present moment." These 24 lectures guide you deep into 23 renowned works written by some of the acknowledged masters of the genre, illuminating the remarkable variety, breathtaking artistry, and profound themes to be found in such miniature masterpieces as Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown," Isaac Babel's "My First Goose," Ernest Hemingway's "The Killers," Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," and more. Using examples from the stories themselves, Professor Krasny illuminates each author's virtuosic development of character, plot, setting, imagery, theme, and language. As you progress through the course, you hone your ability to recognize and assess these elements.
©2008 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2008 The Great Courses
Let There Be Laughter
Summary
Michael Krasny has been telling Jewish jokes since his bar mitzvah, and it's been said that he knows more of them than anyone on the planet. He certainly states his case in this wise, enlightening, and hilarious book that not only collects the best of Jewish humor passed down from generation to generation but explains the cultural expressions and anxieties behind the laughs. With his background as a scholar and public-radio host, Krasny delves deeply into the themes, topics, and form of Jewish humor: chauvinism undercut by irony and self-mockery; the fear of losing cultural identity through assimilation; the importance of vocal inflection in joke telling; and calls to communal memory, including the use of Yiddish. Borrowing from traditional humor and such Jewish comedy legends as Jackie Mason, Mel Brooks, Joan Rivers, Larry David, Sarah Silverman, Jerry Seinfeld, and Amy Schumer, Let There Be Laughter is an absolute pleasure for the chosen and goyim alike.
©2016 Michael Krasny (P)2016 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books