books
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The History of Literature #514 — Southern Gothic (with David van den Berg) | My Last Book with Jason Feifer
In the aftermath of a Civil War loss that shattered the region and exposed the moral and cultural fault lines in the populace, writers in the American South responded with stories filled with grotesque, macabre, and shockingly violent elements, developing a genre that came to be known as Southern Gothic. In this episode, Jacke talks Continue reading
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The History of Literature #513 — The Writers of Northern Ireland (with Alexander Poots) | My Last Book with Laura Lee
The literary world has long celebrated the incredible contributions of Ireland and its writers, with a special focus on Dublin-centric writers like James Joyce and W.B. Yeats. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland has been quietly turning out some excellent work as well, thanks to figures like C.S. Lewis and Seamus Heaney, among many others. Are there common Continue reading
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The History of Literature #512 — Hannah Arendt (with Samantha Rose Hill) | My Last Book with Scott Carter
Born to a German-Jewish family in 1906, Hannah Arendt became one of the most renowned political thinkers of the twentieth century. Her works, including The Origins of Totalitarianism, The Human Condition, and Eichmann in Jerusalem, have never been more relevant than they are today. In this episode, Jacke talks to author Samantha Rose Hill about her biography Hannah Continue reading
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The History of Literature #511 — Annie Ernaux, Winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize for Literature (with Alison Strayer) | My Last Book with Bob Blaisdell
Jacke talks to Alison Strayer, translator of several books by French author Annie Ernaux, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2022. PLUS he talks to author and Chekhov expert Bob Blaisdell about his choice for the last book he will ever read. ANNIE ERNAUX (The Years, Getting Lost) has written some twenty works of Continue reading
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The History of Literature #510 — The Figure in the Carpet by Henry James (Part 2)
Does a famous author’s body of work contain a hidden meaning? Part Two of Jacke’s look at the classic Henry James novella, “The Figure in the Carpet.” Additional listening suggestions: Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/donate. 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 #509 — The Figure in the Carpet by Henry James (Part 1)
Does a famous author’s body of work contain a hidden meaning? With an assist from Jorge Luis Borges, Jacke explores the classic Henry James novella, “The Figure in the Carpet.” Additional listening suggestions: Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/donate. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn Continue reading
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The History of Literature #508 — Lord Byron (with David Ellis) | My Last Book with Ariel Lawhon, Susan Meissner, and Kristina McMorris)
The poet Lord Byron is well known as a passionate revolutionary and a brooding hero who harbors dark secrets. But what about his playful sense of humor? In this episode, Jacke talks to Byron biographer David Ellis (Byron) about the Romantic poet’s flamboyant life and work. PLUS Ariel Lawhon, Susan Meissner, and Kristina McMorris, the Continue reading
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The History of Literature #507 — The Class of 1989 – A Special Year in Black Cinema (with Len Webb and Vincent Williams)
For years, pop culture critics Len Webb and Vincent Williams have hosted the podcast The Micheaux Mission, which aims to watch and review every Black film ever released. In this episode, Jacke talks to Len and Vincent about their new limited-run series The Class of 1989, which focuses on six films (Harlem Nights, Lean on Me, Continue reading
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The History of Literature #506 — Black Shakespeare (with Ian Smith) | My Last Book with David Castillo and William Egginton
For centuries, Shakespeare’s works have been scrutinized by scholars and fans eager to engage with and learn from the texts. And yet, in spite of the prominence of race in today’s media headlines and public discourse, the questions of racialized blackness and whiteness raised by Shakespeare’s plays are often resisted. In this episode, Jacke talks Continue reading
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The History of Literature #505 — Ford Madox Ford (with Max Saunders) | My Last Book with Bethanne Patrick
Ford Madox Ford lived a fascinating life, surrounded by some of the most famous writers of the era: Joseph Conrad, H.G. Wells, Henry James, Stephen Crane, D.H. Lawrence, Jean Rhys, Ernest Hemingway, and many others. Today, he’s best known for his editing of others and for his modernist classics The Good Soldier (1915) and the Parade’s End tetralogy (1924-8). Continue reading
Jacke Wilson 