history of literature
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The History of Literature #180 – Donald Barthelme
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL4377919286.mp3 Donald Barthelme’s “The Balloon” (1966) is one of the strangest and most enduring short stories to come out of the second half of the twentieth century. Filled with Barthelme’s gift for observation and detail, his wild imagination, and his playful wit, “The Balloon” represents for many the work of a postmodern master at… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #179 – The Oscars by Decade (with Brian Price)
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL7916436314.mp3 Screenwriter and film scholar Brian Price (author of Classical Storytelling and Contemporary Screenwriting: Aristotle and the Modern Screenwriter) joins Jacke for a decade-by-decade look at the Oscar Winners for Best Picture. Which decade had the best movies? When did Hollywood get it right? And what does it tell us about the movies of the past… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #178 – Shirley Jackson and “The Lottery”
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL7740184186.mp3 In this episode, we take a look at the classic twentieth-century American short story, “The Lottery” (1948) by Shirley Jackson. Why did it cause such an uproar? Who banned it and why? And how well does it hold up today? We’ll be discussing all this and more with special guest Evie Lee. SHIRLEY JACKSON… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #177 – Sherwood Anderson (with Alyson Hagy)
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL6927210211.mp3 One hundred years ago, a collection of short stories by a little-known author from Ohio burst onto the literary scene, causing a minor scandal for their sexual frankness. In the years since, Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio (1919) became more famous for its insightful portrayal of a town filled with friendly but solitary individuals, who wrestle with… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #176 – William Carlos Williams (“The Use of Force”)
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL2977229302.mp3 Today, the American modernist poet William Carlos Williams (1883-1963) is famous among poetry fans for his vivid, economical poems like “The Red Wheelbarrow” and “This Is Just to Say.” But for most of his lifetime, he struggled to achieve success comparable to those of his contemporaries Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot. Toiling away as… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #175 – Virgin Whore – The Virgin Mary in Medieval Literature and Culture (with Professor Emma Maggie Solberg)
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL2977229302.mp3 Today, we know the Virgin Mary as quiet, demure, and (above all) chaste, but this wasn’t always the way she was understood or depicted. In her new book Virgin Whore, Professor Emma Maggie Solberg investigates a surprising – and surprisingly prevalent – theme in late English medieval literature and culture: the celebration and veneration of… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #174 – David Foster Wallace (A Mike Palindrome Special!)
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL2844708445.mp3 Ask and ye shall receive! It’s an all-Mike episode devoted entirely to one of his literary heroes, David Foster Wallace. 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 by following Jacke and Mike on Twitter at @thejackewilson and @literatureSC. Or send an email… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #173 – The Yellow Wallpaper (with Evie Lee)
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL4750355007.mp3 Happy new year! Host Jacke Wilson is joined by special guest Evie Lee, a vice-president at the Literature Supporters Club, for a conversation about the classic short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN (1860-1935) wrote nine novels and novellas, several plays, and over 180 short stories in her writing… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #171 – To Sleep, Perchance to Dream – On Writers and Death
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL1224092783.mp3 “To die, to sleep – to sleep, perchance to dream – ay, there’s the rub, for in this sleep of death what dreams may come…” In these immortal lines, Shakespeare’s Hamlet gives voice to one of the greatest of all human questions. What happens when we die? Should we be excited by the mystery?… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #170 – Toni Morrison
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL3474907449.mp3 TONI MORRISON (b. 1931) is one of the most successful and admired authors in the history of American literature. Her novels include The Bluest Eye (1970), Sula (1973), Song of Solomon (1977) and Beloved (1987), which is widely considered to be her masterpiece. After successful careers in both academia and publishing during the 1960s… Continue reading
Jacke Wilson 