Jacke Wilson

July 3, 2021

The History of Literature #294 – Three Sisters

In the third installment of Chekhov’s Four Major Plays, Jacke takes a look at Three Sisters, which tells the story of three sisters living in a provincial capital and longing for Moscow. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. (We appreciate it!) Find out more at historyofliterature.com, jackewilson.com, or by following Jacke and Mike on Twitter at @thejackewilson and @literatureSC. Continue reading

history of literature, Podcast

comedy, drama, stanislavsky, TagsChekhov, tragedy

July 2, 2021

The History of Literature #293 – Ebeneezer Scrooge

In this holiday-themed episode, a sentimental Jacke takes a look at Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol (1843), and the creation of Ebeneezer Scrooge. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. (We appreciate it!) Find out more at historyofliterature.com, jackewilson.com, or by following Jacke and Mike on Twitter at @thejackewilson and @literatureSC. Or send an email to jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com. New!!! Looking Continue reading

history of literature, Podcast

a Christmas carol, dickens, London, Scotland, scrooge

July 1, 2021

The History of Literature #292 – Uncle Vanya

In the second installment of our look at Chekhov’s four major plays, Jacke takes a look at Uncle Vanya (1898), the story of an estate manager struggling to make sense of his life. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. (We appreciate it!) Find out more at historyofliterature.com, jackewilson.com, or by following Jacke and Mike on Twitter at @thejackewilson and @literatureSC. Continue reading

history of literature, Podcast

plays, stanislavsky, TagsChekhov, uncle vanya, Wallace Shawn

June 30, 2021

The History of Literature #291 – The Book of Firsts (with Ulrich Baer and Smaran Dayal)

Ever wonder who wrote the first play in the North American colonies? Or who was the first published African American poet? Or what year it was when an Arab American first published a novel in the United States? Or who wrote the first published gay-themed poetry in America? The answers to all of the above Continue reading

history of literature, Podcast

iroquois creation myth, jupiter hammon, phyllis wheatley, robert hunter, sui sin far, Tagscarl sadakichi hartmann, Walt Whitman

June 29, 2021

The History of Literature #290 – The Seagull (Chekhov)

In 1896, the 36-year-old Chekhov suffered one of the worst experiences of his life, when his play The Seagull was performed in front of an audience so hostile that one of the lead actresses lost her voice. Two years later, a production of the same play (in better hands) became one of the great triumphs in the Continue reading

history of literature, Podcast

fiasco, play, seagull, stanislavsky, TagsChekhov, triumph

June 28, 2021

The History of Literature #289 – Swann’s Way (Marcel Proust)

Since its first appearance, Marcel Proust’s magnum opus In Search of Lost Time has delighted and confounded editors, readers, and critics. Published in seven volumes over a fourteen-year period, the enormous novel has generally been recognized as both the highest form of artistic achievement and one of the most difficult reading experiences imaginable. In this episode, Jacke Continue reading

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

combray, lydia davis, madeleine, Marcel Proust, remembrance of things past, swann's way

February 18, 2021

The History of Literature #288 The Triumph of Broadway (with Michael Riedel)

Author and notorious New York Post columnist Michael Riedel joins Jacke to discuss his new book, Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway, which explores the world of big-budget Broadway musicals in the 1990s. Along the way, he and Jacke discuss how he got his start as a Broadway columnist; musicals from The Lion King to The Producers; the devastating impact of Continue reading

history of literature, Podcast

broadway, the lion king

February 17, 2021

The History of Literature #287 Marguerite de Navarre and The Heptameron

In her lifetime, Marguerite de Navarre (1492-1549) was known as a benevolent and capable leader, a protectress of free thinkers, and one of the most intelligent women in France. She was also the producer of great literature, as her collection of 72 stories known as The Heptameron picks up where Boccaccio’s Decameron leaves off. In Continue reading

history of literature, Podcast

decameron, french literature, Short Stories

February 16, 2021

The History of Literature #286 J.R.R. Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973) was a professor, academic essay, and professional linguist – but the world knows him best as the author of The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954-1955). In this episode, Jacke finishes his look at literary genres by exploring the life, lifelong interests, and fantasy worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien, whose books sold Continue reading

history of literature, Podcast

c.s. lewis, fantasy fiction, modern fantasy, the hobbit

February 15, 2021

The History of Literature #285 Herodotus

Herodotus (c. 484 – 425? BCE) has been called both “The Father of History” and “The Father of Lies.” His accounts of the ancient world, including a deep dive into all aspects of geography, biology, and culture (among many other topics), are fascinating, indispensable, and – at times – confoundingly implausible. Who was Herodotus? What Continue reading

history of literature, Podcast

ancient greece, father of history, father of lies, libya