-
The History of Literature #454 — Emma’s Pick – A Victorian Ghost Story
Happy Halloween! In this episode, producer Emma selects a classic Victorian ghost story for Jacke to read: “Eveline’s Visitant” by the publishing powerhouse Mary Elizabeth Braddon. Additional listening suggestions: 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
-
The History of Literature #453 — The Autobiography of Malcolm X (with Dr Rae Wynn-Grant)
Jacke talks to Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant about her journey to becoming a wildlife ecologist and two classic works from the 1960s that helped inspire her: The Autobiography of Malcolm X (as told to Alex Haley) and Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. Be sure to check out Dr. Wynn-Grant’s podcast Going Wild, brought to you by PBS Nature. Journey deep into Continue reading
-
The History of Literature #452 — Charles and Mary Lamb | A Letter To My Transgender Daughter (with Carolyn Hays)
In this episode, Jacke takes a look at two topics. First, the story of Charles and Mary Lamb, whose children’s book Tales from Shakespeare (1807) was published more than two hundred years ago and has never been out of print. Part of the literary circle that included Romantic-era luminaries like Hazlitt, Wordsworth, and Coleridge, the siblings dedicated Continue reading
-
The History of Literature #451 — Mary Shelley
For more than two centuries, the author Mary Shelley (1797-1851) has been eclipsed by others: her famous parents William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, her even more famous husband Percy Bysshe Shelley, and even her own creations, the “modern Prometheus” Victor Frankenstein and the creature that often (and erroneously) bears his name. But Mary Shelley deserves Continue reading
-
The History of Literature #450 — The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
It’s October! Time for dead leaves, spooky twilight, and little goblins running around in search of candy. And of course, the OG Mr. October, Edgar Allan Poe. In this episode, Jacke (finally!) accommodates the voluminous requests for an episode on Poe’s classic story of guilt, madness, and horror, “The Tell-Tale Heart.” Additional listening suggestions: Help Continue reading
-
The History of Literature #449 — Method Acting and “Bad Hamlet” (with Isaac Butler)
We all talk about actors who use the Method, but do we really understand what that means? And how exactly has the Method changed the way we take in drama? In this episode, Jacke talks to theater expert Isaac Butler about his book The Method: How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act. And in a special Continue reading
-
The History of Literature #448 — Lewis Carroll (with Charlie Lovett)
Although best known for his classic children’s books involving Alice and her Wonderland adventures, Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) was a man of many talents and interests. In this episode, Jacke talks to Carrollinian scholar and biographer Charlie Lovett about his new book, Lewis Carroll: Formed by Faith. Additional listening suggestions: Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. The History Continue reading
-
The History of Literature #447 — Lady Chatterley’s Lover (with Saikat Majumdar)
D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930) started a firestorm with his 1928 novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover, which was quickly banned around the world. But the novel eventually found its way into print, after winning numerous obscenity trials in the 1950s and 60s, and today it’s widely available (if not always widely read). In this episode, Jacke talks to Indian Continue reading
-
The History of Literature #446 — Percy Bysshe Shelley – The Early Years
Jacke takes a look at the early years of Percy Bysshe Shelley, from his idyllic childhood, to his rebellious student years, to his experiments in free love, radical politics, and Wordsworthian poetry. Works discussed include “Queen Mab,” “Hymn to Intellectual Beauty,” “Alastor, or the Spirit of Solitude,” “Mont Blanc,” “Mutability [“We are as clouds that Continue reading
-
The History of Literature #445 — What Would Cervantes Do? (with David Castillo and William Egginton)
As the author of what is generally considered the first and perhaps greatest novel of the modern era, Miguel de Cervantes and his masterpiece Don Quixote belongs on every shelf. But as two scholars point out in their new book, What Would Cervantes Do? Navigating Post-Truth with Spanish Baroque Literature the lessons to be learned from Cervantes go beyond Continue reading
Jacke Wilson 