Podcast
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The History of Literature #150 – Chekhov’s “The Lady with the Little Dog”
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL4067569493.mp3 It’s a deceptively simple story: a man and a woman meet, have an affair, are separated, and reunite. And yet, in writing about Anton Chekhov’s story, “The Lady with the Little Dog” (1899), Vladimir Nabokov said, “All the traditional rules have been broken in this wonderful short story…. No problem, no regular climax, no… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #149 – Raising Readers (aka The Power of Literature in an Imperfect World)
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL7657488110.mp3 Jacke and Mike respond to an email from a listener who is about to become a father and wondering about the role of literature in the life of a young child. Works and authors discussed include J.K. Rowling, Phillip Pullman, Andrew Motion, Dr. Seuss, Sandra Boynton, The Great Brain series, Bedtime for Frances,… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #148 – Great Literary Hoaxes
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL7458632764.mp3 What can we count on? What do we know is true? In this episode, host Jacke Wilson takes a look at a motley crew of inventive liars who set out to fool the literary world – and often did, at least for a while. From the ancient pseudo-Sappho to the escapee from a debauched… 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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The History of Literature #145 – Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know – The Story of Lord Byron
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL1016135217.mp3 The Later Romantic poet George Gordon Byron, once described by Lady Caroline Lamb as “mad, bad, and dangerous to know,” lived 36 years and became world famous, his astonishing career as a poet matched only by his astonishing record as a breaker of norms, an insatiable lover, a bizarre hedonist, a restless exile, a… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #143 – A Soldier’s Heart – Teaching Literature at the U.S. Military Academy (with Professor Elizabeth Samet)
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL2878944280.mp3 Since ancient times, societies have used rousing lines of poetry to inspire soldiers to acts of heroism, courage, and sacrifice. But what about literature that expresses doubts about war? Or fear? Or that conveys its brutal nature? Should those works be a part of the curriculum as well? And what about literature that,… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #142 – Comedian Joe Pera Talks With Us
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL8120951432.mp3 Comedian Joe Pera has been hailed as one of the top “Comedians Under 30,” “20 of the Most Innovative Comedians Working Today,” and the “Cozy Sweater of Comedy.” His lovable, pleasantly awkward delivery style has made him a breakout star on the standup circuit and on late-night shows like Conan and Late Night with Seth Meyers. In… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #141 – Kurt Vonnegut (with Mike Palindrome)
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL2248778305.mp3 “The year was 2081,” the story begins, “and everyone was finally equal.” In this episode of the History of Literature, Jacke and Mike take a look at Kurt Vonnegut’s classic short story, “Harrison Bergeron.” In this 1961 story, Vonnegut imagines a world of the perfectly average, where no one is allowed to be… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #140 – Pulp Fiction and the Hardboiled Crime Novel (with Charles Ardai)
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL3981967103.mp3 In 1896, an enterprising man named Frank Munsey published the first copy of Argosy, a magazine that combined cheap printing, cheap paper, and cheap authors to bring affordable, high-entertainment fiction to working-class folks. Within six years, Argosy was selling a half a million copies a month, and the American fiction market would never be… Continue reading
Jacke Wilson 