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The History of Literature #354 – Treasure Island Remixed (with C.B. Lee)
Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure Treasure Island gave the world a number of familiar pirate tropes, like parrots on shoulders and X marks the spot. But it also helped lock us into a somewhat limited view of life on the high seas. Pirates and piracy have existed in many eras in many different oceans–and not every would-be Continue reading
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The History of Literature #353 – Oscar Wilde in Prison (with Scott Carter)
Even the best biographical depictions of Oscar Wilde often skip over the years he spent in prison, perhaps because the episode is so sad and painful. But in doing so, they miss the profundity of his life and writings. In this episode, Scott Carter, author of the new play Wilde Man, joins Jacke to talk about Continue reading
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The History of Literature #352 – Charles Baudelaire (with Aaron Poochigian)
The American poet Dana Gioia calls Charles Baudelaire “the first modern poet,” adding “In both style and content, his provocative, alluring, and shockingly original work shaped and enlarged the imagination of later poets, not only in his native France but across Europe and the Americas.” In this episode, acclaimed translator and poet Aaron Poochigian joins Continue reading
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The History of Literature #351 – Mary Wollstonecraft (with Samantha Silva)
The writer, philosopher, and trailblazing feminist Mary Wollstonecraft is perhaps best known as the mother of the author of Frankenstein, but this amazing figure deserves more attention than a line in Mary Shelley’s biography. As the author of classic works like Thoughts on the Education of Daughters and A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Wollstonecraft advanced arguments hundreds Continue reading
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The History of Literature #350 – Mystery! (with Jonah Lehrer)
Mysteries! Beloved by adults and children alike, it’s hard to imagine a genre with a more universal appeal. But what makes mysteries so compelling? What is it about mysteries – and human beings, for that matter – that makes mysteries so seductive? And how do authors like Shakespeare and J.K. Rowling turn the mechanics of Continue reading
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The History of Literature #349 – Kafka’s Metamorphosis (with Blume)
A special guest stops by to help Jacke talk about life, literature, and one of the world’s great masterpieces: The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka. Hope you enjoy! Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at www.thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. Continue reading
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The History of Literature #348 – Philip Roth (with Mike Palindrome)
As a child growing up in Newark, New Jersey in the 1930s and 40s, Philip Milton Roth (1933-2018) never thought about being a writer. By the time he died, he had become one of the most famous and celebrated figures in the literary world – though his writing and personal flaws attracted criticism as well Continue reading
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The History of Literature #347 – The Prisoner and His Prize – The Story of O Henry (with Jenny Minton Quigley)
William Sidney Porter (1862-1910) packed a lot of life into his 47 years, traveling from a childhood in North Carolina to work as a rancher and bank teller in Texas to a desperate escape to Honduras, where he hoped to avoid federal prosecution for embezzlement. Eventually he spent three years in prison, where he began Continue reading
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The History of Literature #346 – For Whom the Beast Leaps
John Marcher has been waiting all his life for something rare and strange to happen to him – something that will leap out of the darkness and attack him like a Beast in a Jungle. His friend May Bartram has agreed to wait with him. Together, the pair have been analyzing and enduring this unusual Continue reading
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The History of Literature #345 – Great Literary Centuries (with Mike Palindrome)
How’s literature doing these days? Does the twenty-first century look as good for literature as the nineteenth did? How about the seventeenth? And the twentieth was no slouch… In this episode, Mike Palindrome, the President of the Literature Supporters Club, joins Jacke for a discussion of the Top 10 Greatest Literary Centuries, starting from the Continue reading
Jacke Wilson 