The History of Literature

Jacke continues his journey through the list of the 25 Greatest Books of All Time with a look at Flaubert's "perfect novel," Madame Bovary (1856-57). Telling the story of the bored wife of a provincial doctor who enters into a series of infidelities, Flaubert's debut caused an immediate sensation - and changed the way we've come to view both novels and novelists. In this episode, Jacke talks about the book and its impact; passes along three Madame Bovary tidbits from Mike Palindrome (who is currently slow-reading the novel as part of the Bluesky Together project); and revisits his experience with Madame Bovary in Tibet, which first ran in 2017. Special Announcement: The History of Literature Podcast Tour is happening in May 2026! Act now to join Jacke and fellow literature fans on an eight-day journey through literary England in partnership with ⁠John Shors Travel⁠ [https://johnshorstravel.com/trip/6yw9rqy5485wqz2als6tb4vr8g6nhma]. Find out more by emailing jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or masahiko@johnshorstravel.com, or by contacting us through our website ⁠historyofliterature.com⁠ [https://www.historyofliterature.com/]. Or visit the ⁠History of Literature Podcast Tour itinerary⁠ [https://johnshorstravel.com/trip/6yw9rqy5485wqz2als6tb4vr8g6nhma] at ⁠John Shors Travel⁠ [https://johnshorstravel.com/upcomingtrips]. The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at ⁠gabrielruizbernal.com [https://cms.megaphone.fm/organizations/c6b7c900-ba6d-11e8-9b41-0b5689a98333/podcasts/7b1b0608-0ffd-11e8-b20f-bbbb64158369/episodes/e8964e06-9f51-11ee-95cf-eb70f96b6571/gabrielruizbernal.com]. Help support the show at ⁠patreon.com/literature ⁠ [http://patreon.com/literature]or ⁠historyofliterature.com/donate ⁠ [http://historyofliterature.com/donate]. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at ⁠thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature [http://thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Jacke continues his analysis of "The 25 Greatest Books of All Time" by a special look at Homer's Odyssey. Then Mike Palindrome, the president of the Literature Supporters Club, joins Jacke for a discussion of the second half of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1922 story, "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz," in which a young midwesterner travels to a secluded Montana estate filled with lavish wealth and cheerful psychopaths. Additional listening: * 719 The Diamond as Big as the Ritz, Part 1 [https://www.historyofliterature.com/719-the-diamond-as-big-as-the-ritz-by-f-scott-fitzgerald-with-mike-palindrome-25-for-25-25/] * 713 The Odyssey (with Daniel Mendelsohn) [https://www.historyofliterature.com/713-the-odyssey-with-daniel-mendelsohn-the-history-of-literature-podcast-tour/] Special Announcement: The History of Literature Podcast Tour is happening in May 2026! Act now to join Jacke and fellow literature fans on an eight-day journey through literary England in partnership with ⁠John Shors Travel⁠ [https://johnshorstravel.com/trip/6yw9rqy5485wqz2als6tb4vr8g6nhma]. Find out more by emailing jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or masahiko@johnshorstravel.com, or by contacting us through our website ⁠historyofliterature.com⁠ [https://www.historyofliterature.com/]. Or visit the ⁠History of Literature Podcast Tour itinerary⁠ [https://johnshorstravel.com/trip/6yw9rqy5485wqz2als6tb4vr8g6nhma] at ⁠John Shors Travel⁠ [https://johnshorstravel.com/upcomingtrips]. The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at ⁠gabrielruizbernal.com [https://cms.megaphone.fm/organizations/c6b7c900-ba6d-11e8-9b41-0b5689a98333/podcasts/7b1b0608-0ffd-11e8-b20f-bbbb64158369/episodes/e8964e06-9f51-11ee-95cf-eb70f96b6571/gabrielruizbernal.com]. Help support the show at ⁠patreon.com/literature ⁠ [http://patreon.com/literature]or ⁠historyofliterature.com/donate ⁠ [http://historyofliterature.com/donate]. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at ⁠thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature [http://thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

In June of 1922, the twenty-five-year-old wunderkind F. Scott Fitzgerald published "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz," an incredible story of fabulously wealthy people living a secret life in remote Montana. Later that month, he began composing his most famous work, The Great Gatsby. In this episode, Jacke and Mike read and discuss this early Fitzgerald story. PLUS Jacke kicks off a new series, 25 for 25, which looks at the 25 Greatest Books of All Time, with a discussion of #25, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Special Announcement: The History of Literature Podcast Tour is happening in May 2026! Act now to join Jacke and fellow literature fans on an eight-day journey through literary England in partnership with ⁠John Shors Travel⁠ [https://johnshorstravel.com/trip/6yw9rqy5485wqz2als6tb4vr8g6nhma]. Find out more by emailing jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or masahiko@johnshorstravel.com, or by contacting us through our website ⁠historyofliterature.com⁠ [https://www.historyofliterature.com/]. Or visit the ⁠History of Literature Podcast Tour itinerary⁠ [https://johnshorstravel.com/trip/6yw9rqy5485wqz2als6tb4vr8g6nhma] at ⁠John Shors Travel⁠ [https://johnshorstravel.com/upcomingtrips]. The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at ⁠gabrielruizbernal.com [https://cms.megaphone.fm/organizations/c6b7c900-ba6d-11e8-9b41-0b5689a98333/podcasts/7b1b0608-0ffd-11e8-b20f-bbbb64158369/episodes/e8964e06-9f51-11ee-95cf-eb70f96b6571/gabrielruizbernal.com]. Help support the show at ⁠patreon.com/literature ⁠ [http://patreon.com/literature]or ⁠historyofliterature.com/donate ⁠ [http://historyofliterature.com/donate]. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at ⁠thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature [http://thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

In this episode, Jacke talks to eminent Twain scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin (Was Huck Black?: Mark Twain and African-American Voices [https://amzn.to/4kRKdzP]) about her new book Jim: The Life and Afterlives of Huckleberry Finn's Comrade [https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300268324/jim/], which sheds new light on the origins and influence of Mark Twain's beloved yet polarizing figure. PLUS Jacke takes a look at the recent spate of Mark Twain news, from the publication of Percival Everett's prizewinning novel James, to John Jeremiah Sullivan's review of Ron Chernow's biography Mark Twain, to Conan O'Brien's acceptance of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Special Announcement: The History of Literature Podcast Tour is happening in May 2026! Act now to join Jacke and fellow literature fans on an eight-day journey through literary England in partnership with ⁠John Shors Travel⁠ [https://johnshorstravel.com/trip/6yw9rqy5485wqz2als6tb4vr8g6nhma]. Find out more by emailing jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or masahiko@johnshorstravel.com, or by contacting us through our website ⁠historyofliterature.com⁠ [https://www.historyofliterature.com/]. Or visit the ⁠History of Literature Podcast Tour itinerary⁠ [https://johnshorstravel.com/trip/6yw9rqy5485wqz2als6tb4vr8g6nhma] at ⁠John Shors Travel⁠ [https://johnshorstravel.com/upcomingtrips]. The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at ⁠gabrielruizbernal.com [https://cms.megaphone.fm/organizations/c6b7c900-ba6d-11e8-9b41-0b5689a98333/podcasts/7b1b0608-0ffd-11e8-b20f-bbbb64158369/episodes/e8964e06-9f51-11ee-95cf-eb70f96b6571/gabrielruizbernal.com]. Help support the show at ⁠patreon.com/literature ⁠ [http://patreon.com/literature]or ⁠historyofliterature.com/donate ⁠ [http://historyofliterature.com/donate]. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at ⁠thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature [http://thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

It's an action-packed day at the History of Literature! First, Jacke recounts the story of Dr. Johnson racing to the aid of his friend, the playwright Oliver Goldsmith, whose landlady was threatening him with debtor's prison. Naturally, the great critic and dictionary author Johnson found a very literary way to help. Then Jacke is joined by author Ken Krimstein, whose graphic novel Einstein in Kafkaland: How Albert Fell Down the Rabbit Hole and Came Up with the Universe [https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/einstein-in-kafkaland-9781635579543/] looks at the critical year that Albert Einstein spent in Kafka's Prague. How did these men - one a scientist, the other an artist - approach the world's biggest questions? And finally, Bartholomew Ryan, a scholar who's devoted his life to Fernando Pessoa, stops by to discuss his choice for the last book he will ever read. Will he choose something by Pessoa? Special Announcement: The History of Literature Podcast Tour is happening in May 2026! Act now to join Jacke and fellow literature fans on an eight-day journey through literary England in partnership with ⁠John Shors Travel⁠ [https://johnshorstravel.com/trip/6yw9rqy5485wqz2als6tb4vr8g6nhma]. Find out more by emailing jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or masahiko@johnshorstravel.com, or by contacting us through our website ⁠historyofliterature.com⁠ [https://www.historyofliterature.com/]. Or visit the ⁠History of Literature Podcast Tour itinerary⁠ [https://johnshorstravel.com/trip/6yw9rqy5485wqz2als6tb4vr8g6nhma] at ⁠John Shors Travel⁠ [https://johnshorstravel.com/upcomingtrips]. The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at ⁠gabrielruizbernal.com [https://cms.megaphone.fm/organizations/c6b7c900-ba6d-11e8-9b41-0b5689a98333/podcasts/7b1b0608-0ffd-11e8-b20f-bbbb64158369/episodes/e8964e06-9f51-11ee-95cf-eb70f96b6571/gabrielruizbernal.com]. Help support the show at ⁠patreon.com/literature ⁠ [http://patreon.com/literature]or ⁠historyofliterature.com/donate ⁠ [http://historyofliterature.com/donate]. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at ⁠thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature [http://thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]