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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
Charlotte Brontë
Jane Austen
James Baldwin
Identity
Emily Dickinson
Sylvia Plath
Feminism
Translation
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

PublishesDailyEpisodes778Founded11 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
ArtsHistoryBooks

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Artwork for The History of Literature

Latest Episodes

The Harlem Renaissance, the great flowering of African American arts and culture in the early twentieth century, is hard to define but easy to admire. Coupled with the Great Migration, in which hundreds of thousands of Southern black workers moved to... more

Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) is widely regarded as one of the greatest short story writers in history. Among his admirers were Flaubert, who befriended and mentored the younger writer, and later masters of the form like Joyce and Chekhov, who were b... more

Robert Browning (1812-1889) is often considered one of the greatest of the Victorian poets. Two developments established Browning as an indispensable figure in the history of literature: first, his early taste for Shelleyan knockoffs and lengthy, imp... more

During the Cold War, hearings led by U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy soon turned into a witch hunt, as paranoia and political opportunism destroyed the careers (and lives) of actors, directors, singers, filmmakers, writers, and prominent scientists who ... more

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Recent Guests

James H. MacGavran III
Translator
The Graphomaniac (translator)
Episode: 807 The Story of Stories (with Kevin Ashton) | My Last Book with Ilya Vinitsky and James H McGavran III
Ilya Vinitsky
Author and translator
The Graphomaniac (author) / Translator
Episode: 807 The Story of Stories (with Kevin Ashton) | My Last Book with Ilya Vinitsky and James H McGavran III
Kevin Ashton
Visionary technologist and author
MIT/Author of The Story of Stories
Episode: 807 The Story of Stories (with Kevin Ashton) | My Last Book with Ilya Vinitsky and James H McGavran III
Ursula Buchan
Author of Beyond the Thirty-Nine Steps and host of John Buchan Unbound
Author/Podcaster
Episode: 806 Robert Frost (with Adam Plunkett) | My Last Book with Ursula Buchan
Adam Plunkett
Literary critic, author of Love and Need, The Life of Robert Frost's Poetry
Author, biographer
Episode: 806 Robert Frost (with Adam Plunkett) | My Last Book with Ursula Buchan
Professor Bill Hogan
Professor of Modernist Poetry
Providence College
Episode: 805 Robert Frost Finds a Friend [Revisited]
Sarah Beckwith
Professor of English at Duke University; author of Shakespeare and Loss
Duke University
Episode: 804 Shakespeare and Loss (with Sarah Beckwith) | My Last Book with Caroline Lea
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
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

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 States2 months 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 States2 months 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 States2 months 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
#56
United States/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#174
United States/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#62
Canada/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#129
United Kingdom/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#190
Canada/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#217
United Kingdom/Arts

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

806 Robert Frost (with Adam Plunkett) | My Last Book with Ursula Buchan
Q: What should readers start with when approaching Frost anew, and which poems or collections do you recommend next?
Adam suggests starting at the beginning of Frost's book-by-book evolution for craftsmanship, then recommends poems like Bond and Free, Hyla Brook, and The Wind and the Rain as entry points that reveal modernist depth beyond surface access.
806 Robert Frost (with Adam Plunkett) | My Last Book with Ursula Buchan
Q: So when did you start reading Robert Frost and what were your initial impressions?
Adam explains how Frost entered his life through childhood exposure and later through broader media, framing Frost as a poet with surprising depth that challenged simplistic views.
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.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
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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. In Our Time
3. Close Readings
4. In Our Time: Culture
5. London Review Bookshop Podcast

How many episodes of The History of Literature are there?

The History of Literature launched 11 years ago and published 778 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. James H. MacGavran III
2. Ilya Vinitsky
3. Kevin Ashton
4. Ursula Buchan
5. Adam Plunkett
6. Professor Bill Hogan
7. Sarah Beckwith
8. Eric Burgess

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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