English Majors: A Comedy Collection for the Highly Literate
by Garrison Keillor
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Description
Includes the Six-Minute Hamlet, tributes to Hawthorne and Kerouac and Emily Dickinson, a Guy Noir adventure that exposes an M.F.A. scam, Garrison Keillor's recollection of growing up bookish in a football-loving town, and the Ballad of John Henry ('John Henry was an English major and poetry was his line. He sat by the window with his yellow legal pad and he wrote one sentence at a time.') With guest appearances by Billy Collins, Roy Blount Jr., Robert Bly, Donald Hall, and Calvin Trillin.Tags
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Member Reviews
If it were possible, I would probably give this about three and a half stars, which is a bit on the low side considering the high esteem in which I hold Keillor. The fact of the matter is that the individual tracks on this CD collection vary quite a bit in terms of content and style, and while some were hilarious, such as the humorous anecdotes and literary parodies, other parts were baffling or just plain depressing.
I recently majored in English, and I can certainly relate to most of his English-related humor. For example, this collection parodies classic literature: plays, poetry, and even a song. It also entertains with anecdotes of an English major's career, which includes, in this case, fast food (ha-ha). But there were some show more portions of the collection that seemed only tangentially related to the topic; that is, while the concept of writing was involved, neither writing nor humor was the focus. For example, there is a really depressing vignette about a pregnant teenager whose parents will disown her if she doesn't marry, but who is acutely aware of the sorrow and pain that such a marriage will bring. As she prepares for the big event, she is surrounded by aged married women telling her that marriage won't be that bad. Ouch. I know that Garrison Keillor doesn't always have happy endings, and I know, of course, that he often uses a measure of angst and a great deal of realism (and I would argue that realism is important and that GK generally uses it skillfully and to great effect) but this was just depressing as all get-out, even for him.
Do you see this? I'm an English major reduced to using phrases like "all get-out"!
Still, what's funny in this collection is very funny indeed. I particularly enjoyed the three(!) Shakespeare parodies. show less
I recently majored in English, and I can certainly relate to most of his English-related humor. For example, this collection parodies classic literature: plays, poetry, and even a song. It also entertains with anecdotes of an English major's career, which includes, in this case, fast food (ha-ha). But there were some show more portions of the collection that seemed only tangentially related to the topic; that is, while the concept of writing was involved, neither writing nor humor was the focus. For example, there is a really depressing vignette about a pregnant teenager whose parents will disown her if she doesn't marry, but who is acutely aware of the sorrow and pain that such a marriage will bring. As she prepares for the big event, she is surrounded by aged married women telling her that marriage won't be that bad. Ouch. I know that Garrison Keillor doesn't always have happy endings, and I know, of course, that he often uses a measure of angst and a great deal of realism (and I would argue that realism is important and that GK generally uses it skillfully and to great effect) but this was just depressing as all get-out, even for him.
Do you see this? I'm an English major reduced to using phrases like "all get-out"!
Still, what's funny in this collection is very funny indeed. I particularly enjoyed the three(!) Shakespeare parodies. show less
An enjoyable mix of humorous radio skits, poetry, and song around the theme of English literature. Somewhat repetitive over the course of the two CDs, but a good choice for a short road trip for former English majors. Must like Garrison Keillor's ponderous News from Lake Wobegon style to enjoy some of the pieces, though. There's some heavy breathing into the microphone in spots!
I wanted to finish this book, but the audiobook version of this from the library WOULD NOT stop skipping. This was rather disappointing :(
short pieces including Macbeth and Hamlet parodies
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Author Information
187+ Works 23,030 Members
Humorist Garrison Keillor was born Gary Edward Keillor in Anoka, Minnesota on August 7, 1942. He began using the pen name Garrison at the age of thirteen. He received a B.A. from the University of Minnesota in 1966 and paid for his tuition by working at the campus radio station. In 1974, he wrote an essay for the New Yorker about the Grand Ole show more Opry, which led to his live radio program, A Prairie Home Companion. Stories from Prairie Home were collected and published, but his debut as a novelist was in 1985 with Lake Wobegon Days. His other novels include WLT: A Radio Romance, The Book of Guys, Wobegon Boy, Me by Jimmy (Big Boy) Valente, and Good Poems, American Places. He has also written the children's books Cat, You Better Come Home, The Old Man Who Loved Cheese, and The Sandy Bottom Orchestra. He won a Grammy Award for his recording of Lake Wobegon Days and was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1994. Keillor received a National Humanities Medal from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1999. In September 2007, Keillor was awarded the John Steinbeck Award. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Awards
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- English Majors: A Comedy Collection for the Highly Literate
- Alternate titles
- English Majors / Dave Barry; John Henry / Brad Paisley; The Old Life / Donald Hall; Guy Noir, Private Eye / with Billy Collins; The Lanyard / Billy Collins; The Revenant / Billy Collins (show all 21); Emily Dickinson Suite / Sally and Richard Dworsky; The Six-Minute Hamlet; Long Time Leaving / Roy Blount Jr.; English Majors : For Whom?; The Hochstetter House; Celebrity Classics : the Ten-Minute Macbeth; Red, Red Rose / Garrison Keillor & the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band; Starting A Poem / Robert Bly; Song Of Myself / Walt Whitman (read by Allen Ginsberg) (read by Allen Ginsberg); Kerouac; The Scarlet Letter / Calvin Trillin; Family Man / Calvin Trillin; The Family Shakespeare; Wild Geese / Mary Oliver (read by Meryl Streep) (read by Meryl Streep); Helen Marie
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Statistics
- Members
- 39
- Popularity
- 745,102
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.78)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook
- ISBNs
- 2
