Arts
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The History of Literature #350 – Mystery! (with Jonah Lehrer)
Mysteries! Beloved by adults and children alike, it’s hard to imagine a genre with a more universal appeal. But what makes mysteries so compelling? What is it about mysteries – and human beings, for that matter – that makes mysteries so seductive? And how do authors like Shakespeare and J.K. Rowling turn the mechanics of… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #349 – Kafka’s Metamorphosis (with Blume)
A special guest stops by to help Jacke talk about life, literature, and one of the world’s great masterpieces: The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka. Hope you enjoy! Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at www.thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. Continue reading
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The History of Literature #348 – Philip Roth (with Mike Palindrome)
As a child growing up in Newark, New Jersey in the 1930s and 40s, Philip Milton Roth (1933-2018) never thought about being a writer. By the time he died, he had become one of the most famous and celebrated figures in the literary world – though his writing and personal flaws attracted criticism as well… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #347 – The Prisoner and His Prize – The Story of O Henry (with Jenny Minton Quigley)
William Sidney Porter (1862-1910) packed a lot of life into his 47 years, traveling from a childhood in North Carolina to work as a rancher and bank teller in Texas to a desperate escape to Honduras, where he hoped to avoid federal prosecution for embezzlement. Eventually he spent three years in prison, where he began… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #346 – For Whom the Beast Leaps
John Marcher has been waiting all his life for something rare and strange to happen to him – something that will leap out of the darkness and attack him like a Beast in a Jungle. His friend May Bartram has agreed to wait with him. Together, the pair have been analyzing and enduring this unusual… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #345 – Great Literary Centuries (with Mike Palindrome)
How’s literature doing these days? Does the twenty-first century look as good for literature as the nineteenth did? How about the seventeenth? And the twentieth was no slouch… In this episode, Mike Palindrome, the President of the Literature Supporters Club, joins Jacke for a discussion of the Top 10 Greatest Literary Centuries, starting from the… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #344 – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Beast
A man has lived his life convinced that something rare and strange lies in wait for him – a monumental catastrophe that has never happened to anyone before. He shares his secret apprehension with one person, until his fear begins to dominate her life as well. What will happen to him? To her? To them? In… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #343 – The Feast in the Jungle
Squirrel-voiced waiter-host Jacke Wilson invites his listeners to a literary feast! In this episode, Jacke takes a look at Henry James’s long-short-story masterpiece, “The Beast in the Jungle.” (Don’t worry if you’ve never read the story or haven’t been able to find room in your heart for Henry James before–this episode is for anyone hungry… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #342 – The End of the Affair by Graham Greene (with Laura Marsh)
In the aftermath of World War II, author Graham Greene was in personal and professional agony. His marriage was on the rocks, his soul was struggling to find its home, and his restless spirit had taken him into the bedrooms of multiple women. After several tumultuous years (“grotesquely complicated” was how he described his personal… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #341 – Constance and Henry – The Story of “Miss Grief”
In the immediate aftermath of her death at the age of 53, Constance Fenimore Woolson (1840-1894) was considered one of the greatest writers of her day, but her reputation soon faded. A hundred years later, she was little more than a footnote in her friend Henry James’s biography, until scholars began to rediscover her life… Continue reading
Jacke Wilson 