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The History of Literature Podcast

The History of Literature Podcast

Amateur enthusiast Jacke Wilson journeys through the history of literature, from ancient epics to contemporary classics. (Episodes are not in chronological order - feel free to jump in wherever you'd like!)

Recent Episodes

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648 Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls (with Alex Vernon) | My Last Book with Sandra Spanier
Nov. 4, 2024

648 Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls (with Alex Vernon) | My Last Book with Sandra Spanier

Throughout the 1930s, Ernest Hemingway was in the public eye as a journalist, short story writer, activist, and one of the most famous writers on the planet. But his 1937 novel To Have and Have Not fell flat, and critics won…
647 The Brontes [HOL Encore]
Oct. 31, 2024

647 The Brontes [HOL Encore]

Although their lives were filled with darkness and death, their love for stories and ideas led them into the bright realms of creative genius. They were the Brontes - Charlotte, Emily, and Anne - who lived with their brother…
646 Discovering a Long Lost Slave Narrative (with Jonathan D.S. Schroeder)
Oct. 28, 2024

646 Discovering a Long Lost Slave Narrative (with Jonathan D.S. Schroeder)

When he undertook his research on Harriet Jacobs and her brother John Swanson Jacobs, scholar Jonathan D.S. Schroeder wasn't expecting to find John's long lost autobiography. But there it was, buried in the archives of an Au…
645 Richard Wright
Oct. 24, 2024

645 Richard Wright

"Wright was one of those people," said poet Amiri Baraka, "who made me conscious of the need to struggle." In this episode, Jacke takes a look at the life and works of Black American novelist and poet Richard Wright (1908-19…
644 Jack Kerouac (with Steven Belletto)
Oct. 21, 2024

644 Jack Kerouac (with Steven Belletto)

Critics didn't know quite what to make of twentieth-century American novelist and poet Jack Kerouac (1922-1969), but readers had less difficulty. In spite of mixed reviews, On the Road (1957) quickly became a kind of bible f…
643 Aesop and His Fables (with Robin Waterfield) | My Last Book with Boel Westin
Oct. 17, 2024

643 Aesop and His Fables (with Robin Waterfield) | My Last Book with Boel Westin

Aesop's fables - including such classics as "The Tortoise and the Hare," "The Fox and the Grapes," and "The Ant and the Grasshopper" - are among the most familiar and best-loved stories in the world. But who was Aesop? Why w…
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