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The History of Literature #284 Westerns (with Anna North)
Jacke continues the Thursday Theme for November with a look at a genre that began in the nineteenth century and nearly dominated the twentieth: the Western. What happened to western fiction? What was a “classic western” and why did it disappear? And what reinventions of the genre are happening now? Anna North, author of the Continue reading
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The History of Literature # 283 Planes, Trains & Automobiles – Top 10 Literary Modes of Transportation
From the dramatic trains of Anna Karenina to the wide-open roads of Jack Kerouac, getting around has always played a central role in literature. But not all means of transportation are equal! In this lighthearted episode of the History of Literature, Jacke and Mike attempt to determine the most literary forms of transportation. Help support Continue reading
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The History of Literature #282 Science Fiction
In Part 2 of our look at great literary genres, Jacke probes the development of science fiction, from ancient Greek travels to the moon to the amazing stories of the twentieth century. Along the way, he chooses four candidates for the Mount Rushmore of Science Fiction, reads a passage from science fiction’s O.G., and sees Continue reading
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The History of Literature #281 The Great Gatsby
Jacke takes a look at F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, The Great Gatsby (1925), which has been called by one newspaper “the American masterwork, the finest work of fiction by any of this country’s writers.” But what makes it so compelling? Is it enough to say that it’s about the American dream and disillusionment? (Spoiler alert: Continue reading
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The History of Literature #279 Jeahn Rhys
Jacke takes a look at the life and works of Jean Rhys (1890-1979), whose masterpiece Wide Sargasso Sea (1966), reimagined Jane Eyrefrom the point of view of “the madwoman in the attic,” and still stands as one of the seminal works of feminist and postcolonial studies. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. (We appreciate it!) Find out more at historyofliterature.com, jackewilson.com, Continue reading
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The History of Literature #278 “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe (with Evie Lee)
In this special Halloween episode, Jacke and Evie take a look at Edgar Allan Poe’s great revenge story, “The Cask of Amontillado” (1846), written when Poe was destitute and in the depths of despair. Enjoy! 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 Continue reading
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The History of Literature #277 George Orwell
George Orwell (1903-1950) was one of the twentieth century’s great literary figures. An English novelist, who also excelled at essays and journalism, he fought all his life against injustice, snobbery, hypocrisy, deception (including self-deception), and lazy prose. In this episode, Mike Palindrome, president of the Literature Supporters Club, joins Jacke to discuss Orwell’s life and Continue reading
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The History of Literature #276 Edgar Allan Poe Invents the Detective Story | “The Purloined Letter”
In 1965, the critic Joseph Wood Krutch studied the available evidence and came to a surprising conclusion. “Edgar Allan Poe,” he wrote, “invented the detective story in order that he might not go mad.” Arthur Conan Doyle, a man who knew a thing or two about detective stories, was quick to credit his boyhood hero Continue reading
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The History of Literature #275 Hemingway and the Truth (with Richard Bradford)
Professor Richard Bradford, author of the new biography The Man Who Wasn’t There: A Life of Ernest Hemingway, joins Jacke to talk about Hemingway’s uneasy relationship with the truth. RICHARD BRADFORD is Research Professor in English at Ulster University and Visiting Professor at the University of Avignon. He has published over 25 acclaimed books, including biographies Continue reading
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