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!)

The History of Literature Podcast goes to England!

Tour dates: May 6-14, 2026.

Tour cities: London, Oxford and Bath

Recent Episodes

View all

March 29, 2026

788 John Ruskin (with Bob Blaisdell) | My Last Book with Francesca Wade

Nineteenth-century art critic and polymath John Ruskin (1819-1900) was a visionary thinker and influential social commentator who revolutionized how society viewed art and its connection to life. In this episode, Jacke talks ...

Listen to the Episode

March 25, 2026

787 Why Poetry with Matthew Zapruder Encore

In his book Why Poetry , the poet Matthew Zapruder issued "an impassioned call for a return to reading poetry and an incisive argument for its accessibility to all readers." The poet Robert Hass said, "Zapruder on poetry is p...

Listen to the Episode

March 22, 2026

786 Cherokee Novelist and Poet John Rollin Ridge (with Travis Franks)

A member of the Cherokee nation, John Rollin Ridge (1827-1867) lived a dramatic life full of contradictions. He also became the first Native American to publish a novel, The Life and Adventures of Joaquín Murieta: the Celebra...

Listen to the Episode

March 18, 2026

785 Literature in an Age of Anti-Immigration Sentiment (with Daniel Olivas) | My Last Book with Janet Todd

Daniel A. Olivas, the grandson of Mexican immigrants, is a fiction writer, poet, playwright, book critic, and attorney. In this episode, Jacke talks to Daniel about his lifelong devotion to literature and its ability to human...

Listen to the Episode

March 15, 2026

784 Marcus Aurelius: Philosopher-King (with William O. Stephens)

In the fourth century B.C., Plato famously posited a philosopher-king as the ideal ruler for his imagined Republic. Five hundred years later, the Roman Empire was led by Marcus Aurelius, the man often viewed as the best examp...

Listen to the Episode

March 11, 2026

783 Southern Imagining (with Elleke Boehmer) | My Last Book with John McMurtrie

The world has a northern bias: our politics, culture, and literature all tend to view the northern viewpoint as the default position, leaving the far southern latitudes (Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, and Southern Africa ...

Listen to the Episode

View all Episodes

The History of Literature Podcast

Recent Episodes

788 John Ruskin (with Bob Blaisdell) | My Last Book with Francesca Wade

787 Why Poetry with Matthew Zapruder Encore

786 Cherokee Novelist and Poet John Rollin Ridge (with Travis Franks)

785 Literature in an Age of Anti-Immigration Sentiment (with Daniel Olivas) | My Last Book with Janet Todd

784 Marcus Aurelius: Philosopher-King (with William O. Stephens)

783 Southern Imagining (with Elleke Boehmer) | My Last Book with John McMurtrie

Listen On