I learn so much and laugh and sometimes, I talk back at something you said! “Sorry Jacke, I don’t agree.” “Good question, Jacke! I never thought of that.” “Nice read of Stephen Crane’s ‘The Open Boat.’ Well done, Jacke!”
Your interviews are thoughtful and engaging. I am still grappling with Humbert Humbert and the tragedy of Sylvia Plath. It motivated me to look up an interesting article on her daughter. What an incredible woman.
My background is history, which means I tend to dive into what some call “boring” material. It’s true! I love it! All things ancient. But I also read fiction, usually science fiction and fantasy, but not always. “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr was brilliant. I have listened to “Lincoln in the Bardo” by George Saunders numerous times. I dabble in most genres.
Listening to you makes me appreciate my high school English teachers who assigned so many classics. How many times have I wished I could tell them so?
Ah well. I am in my “older adult” years and that was a long time ago. But thank god for their wisdom, and thank god I found your wonderful podcast. I listen to it when I do chores. Chores, aging word? I wrote a story about an elderly man I knew who used the term “gams.” Younger writers didn’t know what “gams” meant. The continuous transformation of language, no? It is a historical marker of sorts.
I have been a listener for more than a year.
Thanks again,
Pat
Tarragona, Spain
April 27, 2022 by Chicago ‘68 on Apple Podcasts
The History of Literature Podcast