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Artwork for The History of Literature

The History of Literature

Jacke Wilson / The Podglomerate
Literature
Shakespeare
Poetry
Ernest Hemingway
William Shakespeare
Emily Brontë
Jane Austen
Translation
Charlotte Brontë
James Baldwin
Identity
Emily Dickinson
Sylvia Plath
Feminism
Virginia Woolf
Henry James
John Keats
The Jolly Corner
The Great Gatsby
Abolitionism

Amateur enthusiast Jacke Wilson journeys through the history of literature, from ancient epics to contemporary classics. Episodes are not in chronological order and you don't need to start at the beginning - feel free to jump in wherever you like! Find out more at historyofliterature.com and facebook.com/historyofliterature. Support the show by visiting patreon.com/literature or historyofliteratur... more

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes772Founded11 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
BooksArtsHistory

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Artwork for The History of Literature

Latest Episodes

In preparation for next week's conversation with Adam Plunkett, author of a new major biography of Robert Frost (1874-1963), we revisit an earlier episode about the widely anthologized (and often misunderstood) New England poet.

In this episode, whi... more

It's Memorial Day in the United States, a day devoted to remembering the soldiers who have died in service. Together, the society grieves, mourns, and attempts to unite. Similarly, communities can come together through actions like loving; giving; ma... more

The rise of Artificial Intelligence has sent shockwaves through the literary world, with the impact being felt by both publishers and creative types. In this episode, Jacke talks to writer and entrepreneur Eric Burgess about the rise of AI, what it m... more

Twentieth-century French novelist Colette (1873-1954) was a strikingly modern celebrity and full of contradictions. In this episode, Jacke talks to author Kathleen Antonioli about her book Colette: A Critical Life, which tells the story of the life ... more

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Recent Guests

Eric Burgess
Writer, game designer, CEO and founder of Credtent
Credtent
Episode: 803 Literature, Authorship, and the Rise of AI (with Eric Burgess) | My Last Book with Mark Hussey
Mark Hussey
Author of Mrs Dalloway, Biography of a Novel
Author
Episode: 803 Literature, Authorship, and the Rise of AI (with Eric Burgess) | My Last Book with Mark Hussey
Kathleen Antonioli
Associate Professor of French at Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Episode: 802 Colette (with Kathleen Antonioli) | My Last Book with Colombe Schneck
Colombe Schneck
Best-selling French writer and author of Swimming in Paris
Self-employed/Author
Episode: 802 Colette (with Kathleen Antonioli) | My Last Book with Colombe Schneck
Gina Buonaguro
romance novelist and Jane Austen super fan
None specified
Episode: 801 Persuasion by Jane Austen (Revisited)
Laurie Frankel
Author of Enormous Wings
Episode: 799.5 Laurie Frankel's Enormous Wings (Revisited) | My Last Book with Julie Gilbert
David Womersley
Thomas Wharton Professor of English Literature, University of Oxford
University of Oxford
Episode: 798.5 Thinking Through Shakespeare (with David Womersley) | My Last Book with Ramie Targoff
Emma Smith
Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Oxford University, author of This Is Shakespeare
Oxford University
Episode: 798 Emma Smith and Portable Magic - A History of Books and Their Readers (Revisited)
Marion Turner
JRR. Tolkien Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford; author of Chaucer, A European Life
University of Oxford
Episode: 797 Marion Turner and Chaucer (Revisited)

Host

Jacke Wilson
Host of The History of Literature

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 3k ratings
  • Remarkable Racist

    Jack says that if you ever use the word woke in a sentence, you are a 100% racist.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    chubby baker
    United Statesa month ago
  • Love this Podcast

    Wuthering Heights was a great discussion. I had to laugh at Jacke’s description of Heathcliff as compared to his young, squeaky clean self. We’ve all known how the opposite sex seems to be attracted to the bad boys/girls. Poor good Jacke. Great work for an interesting piece of literature! Refreshing not to approach it with a bit of humor! Thumbs up!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    marketpop
    United Statesa month ago
  • An incel rant

    Listened to the Wuthering Heights “analysis” and instead got an incel ranting about how he was “too nice” and that’s why no girl liked him back. Completely ignored a lot of the deeper themes of the book (ex. class, racism, and portrayal of female sexuality in the Victorian era) to talk about the “mysteries of the female mind”.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    gb4600
    United Statesa month ago
  • Too much fluff

    Found this podcast after searching for an episode on The Brothers Karamazov. I’m 40 minutes in and he has not even started talking about the book. It feels more like a personal therapy session than a book analysis/discussion.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    tayshotzy
    United States3 months ago
  • A Virtual Round Table

    I love this podcast! Great guests. The company carries me right back to college class discussions about literature; I can’t shake the note-taking habit, but I do respond (a little) less out loud.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    audrey e. w.
    United States3 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

The format and host chemistry are repeatedly highlighted as a core strength of the show.
Guests and discussions are described as thoughtful and high-quality, with a strong sense of intellectual curiosity.
Some reviews note overly long introductions or a slow pace before getting to the core topic.
Listeners praise the engaging, scholarly discussions and accessible storytelling.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#53
United States/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#146
United States/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#38
United Kingdom/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#102
United Kingdom/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#116
Canada/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#51
Australia/Arts/Books

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

803 Literature, Authorship, and the Rise of AI (with Eric Burgess) | My Last Book with Mark Hussey
Q: What could the dystopian and utopian futures look like if we don't address these issues, and how might AI coexist with human creativity?
A dystopian future could involve widespread loss of control over creative work and commodification without compensation, while a utopian future envisions AI enabling creativity at scale while protecting rights and providing fair licensing, with strong regulation and litigation guiding practices.
803 Literature, Authorship, and the Rise of AI (with Eric Burgess) | My Last Book with Mark Hussey
Q: So how old is Credtent and what need did you see that needed to be filled?
Credtent started from a desire to give creators control and compensation in the AI era, combining content credibility with creator rights, and aiming to build a public-benefit structure to prioritize mission over pure profit.
800 Shakespeare in Jest (with Indira Ghose) | My Last Book with Nicholson Baker
Q: Do you think Shakespeare would still be funny to modern audiences without footnotes or modern framing?
Ghose suggests that humor requires context, so without explanatory footnotes, audiences may miss the jokes, but the underlying mechanisms and character-driven humor still resonate, especially the wise fools and witty women who challenge norms.
800 Shakespeare in Jest (with Indira Ghose) | My Last Book with Nicholson Baker
Q: What do you see as the core mechanisms of Shakespearean humor that survive today?
Ghose argues that the core mechanisms—such as wit, irony, timing, and social power dynamics—translate across time because they tap into universal human responses, even as the social context shifts.
799 Emma Smith and Shakespeare's First Folio (Revisited)
Q: So let's start with the first folio itself. What exactly is it?
Emma Smith explains that the First Folio is the first collected edition of Shakespeare's plays, published posthumously in 1623, containing 36 plays and serving as the primary witness to many works not preserved elsewhere. It represents a collaboration between actors, Hemming and Condell, and the publishers Jaggard and Blunt, driven by both affection for Shakespeare and business considerations, and it helped preserve Shakespeare's reputation and influence for centuries.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About The History of Literature

What is The History of Literature about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A thoughtful exploration of literature across eras, with episodes that pair close-reading with conversations about authors, publishing, and the cultural context surrounding classic and modern works. The show often features scholars, authors, and editors who illuminate themes, historical settings, and book-making as objects, processes, and ideas. Noteworthy is the mix of deep-dive literary analysis and accessible storytelling, plus regular guest readers and expert guests who bring varied perspectives from education, criticism, and publishing. The format tends to blend scholarly context with personal storytelling, making complex topics approachable for devoted readers and researchers alike.

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Which podcasts are similar to The History of Literature?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The History of Literature:

1. Backlisted
2. Folger Shakespeare Library: Shakespeare Unlimited
3. Close Readings
4. The Book Review
5. Overdue

How many episodes of The History of Literature are there?

The History of Literature launched 11 years ago and published 772 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on The History of Literature?

Recent guests on The History of Literature include:

1. Eric Burgess
2. Mark Hussey
3. Kathleen Antonioli
4. Colombe Schneck
5. Gina Buonaguro
6. Laurie Frankel
7. David Womersley
8. Emma Smith

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