Writing
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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
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On the Pleasures of Finding a New Author: Elena Ferrante
Hello, everyone! Today is a day for celebration. It’s rare for this crusty old salt to find a new author who can make him feel like he’s twenty again, with all the world of books still out there, waiting for him to discover the fresh and new and exciting. It used to happen every month,… Continue reading
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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
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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
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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
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A Literary Quiz: Who Invented the Cliffhanger?
To which author does this sentence refer? The term “cliffhanger” is considered to have originated with the serialised version of this early novel, in which Henry Knight, one of the protagonists, is left literally hanging off a cliff. Edgar Allan Poe Bram Stoker Wilkie Collins Thomas Hardy The answer is #4. Thomas Hardy. I did not know he… Continue reading
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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
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Proust as a Graphic Novel
Is Proust on your bucket list? Do you suspect he’ll stay there forever? Maybe this is the answer… That’s right – Swann’s Way as a graphic novel. Here’s a sample in French: And here’s one from the translated version: Is it as good as the original? Well, of course not. But if you can’t make it to… Continue reading
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Virginia Woolf Speaks
Ah, this is EXACTLY what I would have guessed her voice sounds like. This extended metaphor is a little long, but it earns its length. Enjoy! Happy Thursday! Continue reading
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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
Jacke Wilson 