History brought to life

Where does 1066: The Year That Changed Everything rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's definitely one of the better books I've listened to. For certain it ranks among the best non-fiction titles in my library.

Who was your favorite character and why?

William the Conqueror — because that's who the story is mostly about. I was also very intrigued by Emma of Normandy. She's a historical figure I knew little about before listening to this, and I was surprised by just how large her role was in the political side of the events leading up to the Norman invasion of England.

What about Professor Jennifer Paxton’s performance did you like?

She really brings the history to life with a very vivid and entertaining performance. It's easy to see that she enjoys her work. ... If only all my high school and college history instructors had lectured so well!

Any additional comments?

I choose this lecture as the first one I listened to in the Great Courses series to see how I like the series simply because it was short and cheap. It has definitely persuaded me to listen to more of the series.

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A Most Daring Enterprise

At the start of the first lecture Professor Paxton calls William of Normandy’s gamble in the autumn of 1066, “one of the most daring enterprises the world has ever known”. She then goes on to demonstrate, in six concise talks, how true that claim really is.

Living in a world shaped by the levee en masse, two world wars, popular elections and public opinion polling, we tend to discount events that don’t involve millions. But a few thousand men in a few hundred boats can turn the tide of history, too. And behind the military story there’s a diplomatic tangle as complex as anything dynastic or democratic Europe would produce thereafter.

We have marriages and alliances that reach back to the century before the Conquest; a Danish Conquest of England; an earl overawing his weak sovereign; a duke growing up among (and thereby learning how to deal with) rebellious vassals; oaths that may or may not have been given; promises that may or may not have been kept; and more plausible pretenders to the English throne than you could shake a battle-axe at.

It may be only due to lack of time—these lectures run a mere three hours—but I find Professor Paxton’s focus on turning points and pivotal men and women refreshing. Looking at history "from the bottom up" is more fashionable, but telling the story "from the top down" is infinitely more dramatic.

The last lecture, covering the ramifications of the Conquest, is especially illuminating. For example: The inevitable cultural exchange after 1066 introduced Celtic legends and folklore to French writers. As a consequence, after Duke William conquered England King Arthur conquered France, and a literary vein was opened up that has continued to yield entertaining ore right down to our own day.

It is all terribly engrossing, even if the professor sounds a little too much like she’s reading a script. Of course, she may be speaking extemporaneously; I had a professor for Renaissance and Reformation History who had given the same lectures in the same classroom so long that, speaking without a scrap of notes, he rarely fluffed a syllable.

Be that as it may, this presentation lacks the gusto and verve I enjoy so much with Timothy Shutt, Elizabeth Vandiver or Thomas Shippey—and so Professor Paxton lose a star for “Performance”. But the scholarship is solid and the story is thrilling; neither should be missed.

As with everything from the Great Courses, these lectures are encumbered with unnecessary musical intros and canned applause at the beginning and end of each talk. Cringe-making? Yes. But ignorable.

10 people found this helpful

1066: A year that spans a decade ...

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If you are into political conflicts, too many characters to handle them in a 4-season family soap and have the slightest interest in real history (along with its outcome in the "modern" picture of Europe): The minutes spent in listening to this short course are definitely of the better ways of killing time.
Mrs. Paxton lectures in a well paced manner, giving her subjects enough differentiation for the listener to not get lost and, most of the time, manages to avoid boredom from simply listing up places, times and names. Well, yes, most of the time - and you do not always get the impression that she is reading her lines from a sheet of paper. Not always :-)

Would you be willing to try another book from The Great Courses? Why or why not?

What I like about some of the Great Courses is the impression that the tutors seem to know their topic inside out. In the case of this (very brief, condensed) overview it seems a bit like a collection of data, brought into "digestible dramatic form" and more or less professionally presented, but not necessarily a matter of the heart.
Being slightly familiar with the families, parties and even geographies covered in the course I could "make my way around", but would probably have had my problems in following who is who and what is what about without that background knowledge.
Some actions during that time had a "long time coming", there were certain historic and/or personal events driving individuals and parties to act the way they did. Mrs. Paxton only hinted at a few of those, and too often just in subordinate clauses, where half an hour of additional time spent at those background might have helped.
So one could say: Since this course is not "just about 1066", but about 10-15 years around that date, it could have done with twice the length it offers.

Have you listened to any of Professor Jennifer Paxton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

What exactly is it that has caught Mrs. Paxton's personal interest in the time around 1066? I did not get that.

Any additional comments?

Don't expect much of an insight into "why" things happened. This course is about "what", "when" and, in terms of pure names, "who". Without some basic understanding who the acting parties were, where they came from and what they turned into, you might get lost.
With some overview of the "tapestry" around the 11th century (and, not less important, the 50-100 years before that) this course gives a nice, dense overview on the "English reconfiguration".

19 people found this helpful

Breaks down a complex subject to small bites

Would you listen to 1066: The Year That Changed Everything again? Why?

Yes, I intend to listen to it again in a few months -- the information is very complex and I want to reinforce my understanding.

What other book might you compare 1066: The Year That Changed Everything to and why?

I think that "Team of Rivals" also breaks complicated issues into segments that make them easier to understand.

What about Professor Jennifer Paxton’s performance did you like?

An excellent instructor! She knows her subject thoroughly -- for example, many of the characters we meet have the same or similiar names and she distinguishes among them for the listener. She understands the complex political and social aspects of the time period and makes it more understandable. Jennifer Paxton also has great expression in her lectures -- no danger of falling asleep due to a monotone with her.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The beginning of modern England.

Any additional comments?

I have purchased classes from The Teaching Company for years in the DVD format. The classes are much more reasonable in price purchasing them from audible.com. I did not miss the visual aspects.

14 people found this helpful

Great lecture!

This is the first Audible.com and Great Courses lecture series I've done! It was more enjoyable than I thought it would be. If you love History, Medieval in particular, you will enjoy this!

4 people found this helpful

Worth listening

I like listening to lectures and this one definitely informed. I never remember all the different names involved in the courses but they still seem to fill a gap in my lack of history knowledge and this one did the same. The Norman invasion was certainly an important event.

2 people found this helpful

Wm the conquerer

This course is very informative of the period and is also a very enjoyable listen.

1 person found this helpful

History - lite

A very brief over view... it feels a bit like I walked in on a conversation mid stream .
It seemed to lack the structure and depth of other lectures ie- the Vikings and other great courses Historical lectures.
A short lecture not bad but it just seemed like I heard someone discussing their lineage .

1 person found this helpful

insightful but short

great visuals and memorable characters. much shorter than other great courses. liked the lecturer. subject was new to me so I learned a lot.

1 person found this helpful

Misleading title

Not as historically impacting as the title implies, but still very interesting. This is more about William the Conqueror and how his conquest changed the English language and culture in England. Very well researched and presented, though.

1 person found this helpful