novelists
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The History of Literature #159 – Herman Melville
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL9179456128.mp3 Today, Herman Melville (1819-1891) is considered one of the greatest of American writers, and a leading candidate for THE American novelist thanks to his classic work, Moby-Dick. How did this unpromising student become one of the most inventive and observant writers of his time? What obstacles did he face, and what did he do Continue reading
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The History of Literature #153 – Charles Dickens
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL7087645759.mp3 Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870) was the greatest novelist of the Victorian age. In his 58 years he went from a hardscrabble childhood to a world-famous author, beloved and admired for his unforgettable characters, his powers of observation and empathy, and his championing of the lower classes. He wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds Continue reading
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The History of Literature #152 – George Sand
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL6745135714.mp3 George Sand wrote an astonishing number of novels and plays, and had friendships and affairs with an astonishing range of men and women. She dressed in men’s clothing, and she inspired a host of 19th century authors and artists, including Russian writers like Turgenev and Dostoevsky and British writers like Mary Ann Evans, who Continue reading
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The History of Literature #147 – Leo Tolstoy
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL7511162268.mp3 When asked to name the three greatest novels ever written, William Faulkner replied, “Anna Karenina, Anna Karenina, Anna Karenina.” Nabokov said, “When you are reading Turgenev, you know you are reading Turgenev. When you read Tolstoy, you are reading because you just cannot stop.” And finally, there’s this compliment from author Isaac Babel: “If Continue reading
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The History of Literature #146 – Power Ranking the Nobel Prize for Literature
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL5546404287.mp3 The Nobel Prize for Literature has a special place in the literary landscape. We revere the prize and its winners – and yet we often find ourselves puzzled by the choices. The list of fantastic writers who never won a Nobel Prize is as long and distinguished as the list of those who did. Continue reading
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History of Literature Episode #137 – Haruki Murakami
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL4372276419.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Play | Stitcher | RSS | More Haruki Murakami (b. 1949) is one of the rare writers who combines literary admiration with widespread appeal. Host Jacke Wilson is joined by lifelong Murakami fan Mike Palindrome to discuss what makes his novels so compelling, so mysterious, and so popular. Works discussed include The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Norwegian Wood, Kafka on the Shore, Continue reading
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The History of Literature #133 – The Hidden Machinery – Discovering the Secrets of Fiction (with Margot Livesey)
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL9154508206.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Play | Stitcher | RSS | More Ever wonder how fiction works? Or what great literature can teach us about writing? Novelist Margot Livesey returns to the show for a discussion of her book The Hidden Machinery: Essays on Writing. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. Learn more about the show at historyofliterature.com or facebook.com/historyofliterature. Contact the host at jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or @WriterJacke. Continue reading
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The History of Literature #132 – Top 10 Literary Villains
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL6947295812.mp3 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Play | Stitcher | RSS | More Villains! Bad guys ! Femme fatales! We love them in movies – but what about literature? What makes villains so effective (and so essential)? What do they tell us about their authors – and what can they tell us about ourselves? In this episode, Jacke and Mike select the Top 10 Continue reading
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The History of Literature #124 – James Joyce’s “The Dead” (Part 2)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:23:20 — 57.5MB) | Embed Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Play | Stitcher | RSS | More In this second part of a two-part episode, we look at the resounding conclusion of James Joyce’s masterpiece “The Dead,” which contains some of the finest prose ever written in the English language. Be warned: this episode, which runs from Gabriel’s speech to the Continue reading
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The History of Literature #123 – James Joyce’s The Dead (part 1)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 59:47 — 41.3MB) | Embed Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Play | Stitcher | RSS | More Happy holidays! In this special two-part episode, host Jacke Wilson takes a look at a story that he can’t stop thinking about: James Joyce’s masterpiece “The Dead.” How does it work? Why is it so good? And why does it resonate so deeply with Continue reading
Jacke Wilson 