Jacke Wilson

October 10, 2020

The History of Literature #254 – Anna Karenina

In 1870, the 42-year-old Russian author Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) told his wife that he “wanted to write a novel about the fall of a society woman in the highest Petersburg circles, and…to tell the story of the woman and her fall without condemning her.” The result was his novel Anna Karenina (1877), which is widely Continue reading

Authors, Fiction, history of literature, Podcast, Writing

Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy, russian novels, war and peace

October 9, 2020

The History of Literature #253 – Shakespeare’s Best | Sonnet 18 (“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”)

https://open.spotify.com/episode/32fpGZBESW7aQZIe11UqOI What did Shakespeare do when the bubonic plague shut down London’s theaters? Apparently he wrote poetry instead, including some or all of his 154 sonnets. In this episode, Jacke takes a look at Sonnet 18 (“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day”) to see whether the poem deserves its reputation as one of Continue reading

Authors, Fiction, history of literature, Podcast, Writing

fair youth, iambic pentameter, Shakespeare, sonnet

October 8, 2020

The History of Literature #252 – The Brontes’ Secret Scandal (with Finola Austin)

Novelist Finola Austin joins Jacke for a discussion of her new novel Bronte’s Mistress, which provides a fascinating new perspective on one of literature’s most famous families. FINOLA AUSTIN, also known as the Secret Victorianist on her award-winning blog, is an England-born, Northern Ireland-raised, Brooklyn-based historical novelist and lover of the 19th century. By day, Continue reading

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branwell bronte, brontes, love affair, lydia robinson, scandal lydia robinson

October 8, 2020

The History of Literature #251 – Beatrix Potter

Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) was a naturalist, a conservationist, and a highly successful children’s book author and illustrator, whose stories of Peter Rabbit and other anthropomorphized animals have sold more than 150 million copies in at least 35 languages. But who was Beatrix Potter? What kind of childhood did she have? How did she, as an Continue reading

Authors, Fiction, history of literature, Podcast, Writing

beatrix potter, children’s literature, peter rabbit, scientist

October 7, 2020

The History of Literature #250 – The Brothers Karamazov

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4I9rpwfcXCYz0cJWzT6Gwv Responding to a special request from a listener, Jacke discusses Fyodor Dostoevsky, his novel The Brothers Karamazov, and the search for meaning in a meaningless world. 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 Continue reading

Authors, Fiction, history of literature, Podcast, Writing

brothers karamazov, Dostoevsky, firing squad, grief, pain, russian novelist

October 6, 2020

The History of Literature #249 – Stendhal

In this episode, Jacke takes a look at the life and works of French author Stendhal (1783-1842), whose innovative novels The Red and the Black and The Charterhouse of Parma made him one of the greatest and most influential novelists of all time. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. (We appreciate it!) Find Continue reading

Authors, Fiction, history of literature, Podcast, Writing

french literature, novels, stendhal, the charterhouse of parma, the red and the black

October 5, 2020

The History of Literature #248 – The History of Literature Presents: Storybound (with Mitchell S. Jackson)

The History of Literature presents some content from another Podglomerate podcast, Storybound. In this episode from Storybound’s first season, author Mitchell S. Jackson reads from his memoir, Survival Math: Notes on an All-American Family, with sound design and original music composed by Zane featuring Stephanie Strange. STORYBOUND is a radio theater program designed for the Continue reading

books, history of literature, novelists, Podcast

radio theater, storybound project, survival math

October 4, 2020

The History of Literature #247 – Raymond Carver (with Tom Perrotta)

Novelist and screenwriter Tom Perrotta joins Jacke for a discussion of his blue collar New Jersey background, the cultural shock of attending Yale University, and the profound impact that Raymond Carver’s first collection of short stories, Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?, had on him as an aspiring young writer trying to find his place Continue reading

Authors, books, Fiction, history of literature, novelists, Podcast, Writing

american chekhov, election, joe college, little children, raymond carver, Short Stories, tom perrotta, will you please be quiet please

October 3, 2020

The History of Literature #246 – Giovanni Boccaccio | The Decameron

As the Black Death swept through the city of Florence, Italian poet and scholar Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375) began writing his classic tale of survival and revelry. The Decameron (1349-1353) tells the story of ten individuals who have retreated to a country villa to avoid the disease. While in this state of self-quarantine, they embark upon Continue reading

Authors, Fiction, history of literature, Podcast, Writing

boccaccio, decamaron, italian humanism, pandemic, petrarch. plague, Storytelling

October 2, 2020

The History of Literature #245 – Joyce Carol Oates (with Evie Lee)

Friend of the podcast Evie Lee joins Jacke to take a look at Joyce Carol Oates’s classic short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” (1966). NOTE TO LISTENERS: This episode contains disturbing descriptions of an attempted abduction by a serial killer. Please exercise discretion in deciding whether to listen. Help support the Continue reading

Authors, Fiction, history of literature, Podcast, Writing

bob dylan, gothic, literary horror, Short Stories, where are you going where have you been