Fiction
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The History of Literature #250 – The Brothers Karamazov
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4I9rpwfcXCYz0cJWzT6Gwv Responding to a special request from a listener, Jacke discusses Fyodor Dostoevsky, his novel The Brothers Karamazov, and the search for meaning in a meaningless world. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. (We appreciate it!) Find out more at historyofliterature.com, jackewilson.com, or by following Jacke and Mike on Twitter at @thejackewilson and… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #249 – Stendhal
In this episode, Jacke takes a look at the life and works of French author Stendhal (1783-1842), whose innovative novels The Red and the Black and The Charterhouse of Parma made him one of the greatest and most influential novelists of all time. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. (We appreciate it!) Find… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #247 – Raymond Carver (with Tom Perrotta)
Novelist and screenwriter Tom Perrotta joins Jacke for a discussion of his blue collar New Jersey background, the cultural shock of attending Yale University, and the profound impact that Raymond Carver’s first collection of short stories, Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?, had on him as an aspiring young writer trying to find his place… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #246 – Giovanni Boccaccio | The Decameron
As the Black Death swept through the city of Florence, Italian poet and scholar Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375) began writing his classic tale of survival and revelry. The Decameron (1349-1353) tells the story of ten individuals who have retreated to a country villa to avoid the disease. While in this state of self-quarantine, they embark upon… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #245 – Joyce Carol Oates (with Evie Lee)
Friend of the podcast Evie Lee joins Jacke to take a look at Joyce Carol Oates’s classic short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” (1966). NOTE TO LISTENERS: This episode contains disturbing descriptions of an attempted abduction by a serial killer. Please exercise discretion in deciding whether to listen. Help support the… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #244 – Alexandre Dumas
Jacke takes a look at the astonishing story of Alexandre Dumas, author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, whose own father (who was born into slavery before becoming a four-star general in Napoleon’s army) led a life as adventurous as any fictional character. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop.… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #243 – Keeping Secrets! Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago, and the CIA (with Lara Prescott)
Author Lara Prescott joins Jacke to talk about her novel The Secrets We Kept, which is based on the incredible but true story of the CIA’s efforts to use a novel (Boris Pasternak’s Doctor Zhivago) as part of its Cold War battle against the Soviet Union. LARA PRESCOTT is the author of The Secrets We… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #242 – William Faulkner | Dry September
The fourth part of a three-part episode run! Jacke takes the advice of a listener and adds William Faulkner’s “Dry September” (1931) to the Baldwin-Faulkner consideration. NOTE FOR LISTENERS: This story (and our discussion of it) contains disturbing references to sexual violence, racial slurs, and race-based hate crimes. Please exercise discretion in listening or playing… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #241 – Literary Battle Royale 2 – The Cold war (U.S. vs. U.S.S.R.)
Sputnik! Cuba! Glasnost and perestroika! In this follow-up to the very popular England vs. France literary battle royal, Jacke and Mike choose up sides and imagine the Cold War being fought by each nation’s greatest authors. Enjoy! Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. (We appreciate it!) Find out more at historyofliterature.com, jackewilson.com, or… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #240 – More Thoreau | Experiencing Nature (with Nina Shengold)
“We can never get enough of nature,” wrote Henry David Thoreau in 1854. “I suppose that what in other men is religion is in me love of nature.” A century and a half later, author Nina Shengold left her desk behind for her own journey into the natural world, following a plan to walk along… Continue reading
Jacke Wilson 