history of literature – Page 40

March 28, 2016

The History of Literature Podcast Episode 36 – Poetry and Empire (Virgil, Ovid, Horace, Petronius, Catullus)

What happens when a republic morphs into empire? What did it mean for the writers of Ancient Rome – and what would it mean for us today? Jacke Wilson takes a look at the current state of affairs in America and the Roman examples of Virgil, Ovid, Horace, Petronius, and Catullus. Podcast: Play in new window |… Continue reading

Arts, Authors, books, history of literature, Podcast, Writing

ancient rome, augustus caesar, catullus, donald trump, empire, horace, julius caesar, ovid, petronius, Poetry, poets, republic, virgil

March 25, 2016

Not Literary Enough

Podcast listeners! We have a couple of episodes in the works that I wanted to tell you about. First, we’re going to look at Poetry and Empire – what happens when a republic falls and an empire rises? What do poets do? What should they do? And yes, we have to take a look at… Continue reading

books, history of literature, Uncategorized

batman and robin, greatest literary duos

March 23, 2016

Epic News – A New Gilgamesh Fragment!

Brilliant listener EF writes: I love your podcast! The episode on Gilgamesh got me hooked, and I’ve been listening since then. (Did you hear about the newly discovered fragment, that suggests Gilgamesh felt guilty about the mess he and Enkidu made in the cedar forest?) What!? No, I did not! Here’s OpenCulture on the significance of… Continue reading

Arts, books, history of literature, Podcast

discovery, gilgamesh, han solo

March 21, 2016

The History of Literature Episode 35 – A Conversation with Ronica Dhar

In this episode, Jacke welcomes special guest Ronica Dhar, who presents Five Books (or actually Four Books and a Movie) To Lower Your Blood Pressure. Highlights include a poem by Ronica’s former teacher and mentor, letters to a samurai written by a zen master who invented a type of pickle, and a fourteenth-century Kashmiri mystic who wrestled with… Continue reading

Arts, Authors, books, Fiction, history of literature, novelists, Podcast, Writing

bijou roy, elizabeth alexander, karen hesse, lal ded, lalla, ranjit hoskote, ron fricke, ronica dhar, samsara, takuan soho

March 20, 2016

Sneak Preview: A Conversation with Ronica Dhar

This is awesome! Tomorrow on the History of Literature podcast we’ll be posting my conversation with Ronica Dhar, who selects Five Works to Lower Your Blood Pressure. In the meantime, you should all check out Ronica’s novel, Bijou Roy, a simply beautiful book. From Amazon.com: “Ronica Dhar captures the struggles of family and cultural identity… Continue reading

Arts, Authors, books, Fiction, history of literature, novelists, Writing

bijou roy, history of literature, ronica dhar, sneak preview

March 14, 2016

The History of Literature Episode 34 – Borges and the Search for Meaning

When times are tough, what does literature have for us? Jacke takes a break from the history of literature to reflect on a death in his family, the loss of Sir George Martin, and some thoughts on the meaning of life from Umberto Eco and Jorge Luis Borges. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration:… Continue reading

Arts, Authors, books, history of literature, Podcast

a grief observed, c.s. lewis, Death, grief, jorge luis borges, loss, mourning, sir george martin, umberto eco

March 7, 2016

History of Literature Episode 33 – The Bhagavad Gita

Written over the span of 800 years from ca. 400 B.C. to ca. 400 A.D, the Mahabharata tells a riveting tale of disputed kingship and warring families. But just as the action-packed narrative reaches its climax, the story pauses to convey a dialogue between the reluctant warrior Arjuna and his charioteer Krishna, who dramatically reveals himself as… Continue reading

Arts, Authors, books, history of literature, Podcast, Writing

Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna, Oppenheimer, Thoreau, Gandhi, Mahabharata, Krishna, sanskrit, epic poem

March 3, 2016

HoL 32 The Best Debut Novels of All Time (A Conversation with the President of the Literature Supporters’ Club)

What makes a great first novel? Which do we prefer: the freshness of a new style (even if it contains mistakes), or the demonstration of competence (even if it breaks no new ground)? Does it matter if the book is the best (or only) novel by that author? Or do we prefer the debuts that initiated a long, distinguished… Continue reading

Arts, Authors, books, Fiction, history of literature, novelists, Podcast, Writing

debut novels, literary conversation

February 29, 2016

HoL Episode 31: Secret Societies!

We thought we were done with conspiracies and conspiracy theories – but that was before we heard more about Justice Scalia’s bizarre final days. What hold do secret societies have over our imagination? Why do people join them? And what are we to make of those who do? Jacke Wilson takes another dive into the rabbit… Continue reading

history of literature, Podcast

antonin scalia, bizarre news, dick cheney, hunting, international order of st. hubertus, secret society, supreme court

February 24, 2016

HoL Episode 30 – More Conspiracy!

What do Edgar Allan Poe, J.K. Rowling, William Shakespeare, Stephen King, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Justice Antonin Scalia have in common? Jacke Wilson connects the dots with another look at conspiracy literature, literary conspiracies, and the people who love them. (Part 2 of 2.) Continue reading

Arts, Authors, books, history of literature, novelists, Podcast, Writing

Barack Obama, Edgar Allan Poe, Hillary Clinton, J.K. Rowling, Justice Antonin Scalia, Stephen King, William Shakespeare