Literature and History

Literature

With millions of downloads, hundreds of hours of soundtracked content, and an overall emphasis on the cultural history behind famous works of literature, Literature and History is one of the most popular independent podcasts on its subject. Starting with Sumerian cuneiform in 3,100 BCE, Literature and History moves forward in chronological order through Assyriology, Egyptology, the Old Testament, Ancient Greece and Rome, and the birth of Christianity. The show's current season is on Late Antiquity (or 200-700 CE) and the dawn of the Middle Ages. A typical episode (they average about two hours) features a general introduction to a work of literature, then a full summary of that work that expects no prior knowledge, and finally, an analysis of the cultural, biographical, and historical forces that gave rise to the work in question. Original symphonic and ambient background music is woven throughout each show, and all episodes offer free full, illustrated, footnoted transcriptions as well as quizzes for purposes of review. The show has no advertisements, and its host takes pride in a professional approach that avoids chitchat and ephemera and gets straight to the educational content. You can listen to the episodes in any order, although most listeners begin at the beginning and proceed from there, as the podcast itself is chronologically organized. Doug Metzger finished his Ph.D. in literature in 2011. His chief scholarly interest, following his dissertation work, continues to be 19th-century realism and postbellum American philosophy.

Location:

United States

Genres:

Literature

History

Podcasts

Description:

With millions of downloads, hundreds of hours of soundtracked content, and an overall emphasis on the cultural history behind famous works of literature, Literature and History is one of the most popular independent podcasts on its subject. Starting with Sumerian cuneiform in 3,100 BCE, Literature and History moves forward in chronological order through Assyriology, Egyptology, the Old Testament, Ancient Greece and Rome, and the birth of Christianity. The show's current season is on Late Antiquity (or 200-700 CE) and the dawn of the Middle Ages. A typical episode (they average about two hours) features a general introduction to a work of literature, then a full summary of that work that expects no prior knowledge, and finally, an analysis of the cultural, biographical, and historical forces that gave rise to the work in question. Original symphonic and ambient background music is woven throughout each show, and all episodes offer free full, illustrated, footnoted transcriptions as well as quizzes for purposes of review. The show has no advertisements, and its host takes pride in a professional approach that avoids chitchat and ephemera and gets straight to the educational content. You can listen to the episodes in any order, although most listeners begin at the beginning and proceed from there, as the podcast itself is chronologically organized. Doug Metzger finished his Ph.D. in literature in 2011. His chief scholarly interest, following his dissertation work, continues to be 19th-century realism and postbellum American philosophy.

Twitter:

@lahpodcast

Language:

English

Website:

http://literatureandhistory.com/

Email:

literatureandhistoryguy@gmail.com

Episodes

Episode 106: Gregory of Tours, Part 2

12/14/2024

The second half of the History of the Franks (591) is a deep dive into the grime and intrigue of the Merovingian dynasty, written in a style that's as medieval as it is classical. Episode 106 Quiz: https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-106 Episode 105 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-106-gregory-of-tours-part-2 Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory

Duration:02:07:57

Episode 105: Gregory of Tours, Part 1

11/7/2024

Gregory of Tours (c. 539-594) completed The History of the Franks in 591. The long book's account of Clovis and the Merovingian Dynasty has been one of our most important sources on early Medieval History, ever since. Episode 105 Quiz: https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-105 Episode 105 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-105-gregory-of-tours-part-1 Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory

Duration:02:27:06

Episode 104: An Introduction to the Talmud

8/8/2024

Second only to the Tanakh, the 63 Tractates of the Talmud are the main text of Rabbinic Judaism, containing the teachings of thousands of ancient rabbis. Upcoming Seasons: https://literatureandhistory.com/upcoming-seasons/ Episode 104 Quiz: https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-104 Episode 104 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-104-introduction-to-the-talmud Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory

Duration:02:21:51

Episode 103: Boethius

9/21/2023

In the twilight of the Western Empire, Boethius (c. 476-523) served as consul, but ended his life imprisoned by the Ostrogothic King Theodoric, writing The Consolation of Philosophy. Episode103 Quiz: https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-103 Episode 103Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-103-boethius Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory

Duration:02:23:06

Episode 102: An Old Man's Book (Augustine's City of God, Part 2 of 2)

3/4/2023

Augustine’s City of God, Part 2 of 2. The second half of the City of God contains some of Late Antiquity’s most influential writings – most notably Augustine’s take on Original Sin. Episode 102 Quiz: https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-102 Episode 102 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-102-an-old-mans-book Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory

Duration:02:27:38

Episode 101: Against the Pagans (Augustine's City of God, Part 1 of 2)

2/4/2023

Augustine’s City of God, Part 1 of 2. The first half of the City of God is a broadside against paganism – its culture, religion, and history, subjects about which Augustine had much to say. Episode 101 Quiz: https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-101 Episode 101 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-101-against-the-pagans Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory

Duration:02:15:31

Episode 100: Late Have I Loved You (Augustine's Confessions, Books 9-13)

12/30/2022

Augustine’s Confessions, Part 2 of 2. The second half of Augustine’s Confessions contains some of the most famous theology in Christian history. Episode 100 Quiz: https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-100 Episode 100 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-100-late-have-i-loved-you Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory

Duration:02:01:22

Episode 99: The Boy Who Stole Pears (Augustine's Confessions, Books 1-7)

12/10/2022

Augustine’s Confessions, Part 1 of 2. The first half of Augustine’s Confessions tells of his wayward early years, his intellectual journey, and his spiritual awakening. Episode 99 Quiz: https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-099 Episode 99 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-099-the-boy-who-stole-pears Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory

Duration:01:53:49

Episode 98: The Life and Works of Saint Jerome

11/11/2022

Polyglot Jerome (347-420) had a gigantic impact on all subsequent Christian history, leaving behind a huge body of works, including the Latin Bible. Episode 98 Quiz: https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-098 Episode 98 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-098-saint-jerome Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory Ancient Greece Declassified Tour: https://www.greecepodcast.com/tour/

Duration:02:09:41

Episode 97: Blood and Ivy (Nonnus' Dionysiaca, Books 25-48)

5/8/2022

The Dionysiaca, Part 2 of 2. The last surviving Greek epic of antiquity draws to a close with Dionysus fighting wars far to the east, in India. Episode 97 Quiz: https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-097 Episode 97 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-097-blood-and-ivy Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory

Duration:02:32:11

Episode 96: The Last Pagan Epic (Nonnus' Dionysiaca, Books 1-24)

10/31/2021

The last epic from Greco-Roman antiquity that survives in full, Nonnus’ fifth-century Dionysiaca tells of the wine god Dionysus’ journey eastward, to India. Episode 96 Quiz: https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-096 Episode 96 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-096-the-last-pagan-epic Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory

Duration:02:13:57

Episode 95: Rutilius Namatianus

10/17/2021

In 417 CE, the Roman poet Rutilius Namatianus journeyed from Rome back to his homeland of Gaul, not knowing whether there was a home to return to. Episode 95 Quiz: https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-095 Episode 95 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-095-rutilius-namatianus Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory

Duration:02:02:47

Episode 94: Ausonius

9/12/2021

One of the later Latin poets of the Empire, Ausonius’ expansive body of work gives us a window into the changing world of fourth-century Roman culture. Episode 94 Quiz: https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-094 Episode 94 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-094-ausonius Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory

Duration:01:53:15

Episode 93: Severus' Life of Saint Martin

8/17/2021

Sulpicius Severus’ (c. 363-425) life of St. Martin is one of the great hagiographies – a portrait of a timeless saint, but also of a human being and working bishop. Episode 93 Quiz: https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-093 Episode 93 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-093-severus-life-of-st-martin Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory

Duration:01:57:49

Episode 92: Athanasius' Life of Antony

8/8/2021

Athanasius (c. 297-373) wrote a wildly popular biography of the desert hermit St. Anthony, touting the ideals of asceticism and triumph over demonic temptation. Episode 92 Quiz: https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-092 Episode 92 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-092-athanasius-life-of-antony Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory

Duration:02:06:19

Episode 91: The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity

7/25/2021

In Carthage, in 203 CE, a Roman noblewoman and her retinue were butchered in an amphitheater. Learn her story, and the earliest history of Christian martyrs. Episode 91 Quiz: https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-091 Episode 91 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-091-the-passion-of-perpetua Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory

Duration:02:12:14

Episode 90: Ante-Nicene Catholicism

7/4/2021

Learn the documentary history behind how the Catholic Church was founded and set up as an organization, together with some of the works of the earliest church fathers. Episode 90 Quiz: https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-090 Episode 90 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-090-ante-nicene-catholicism Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory

Duration:02:04:21

Episode 89: The Aethiopica of Heliodorus

6/19/2021

Heliodorus of Emesa (3rd/4th century CE) wrote the longest novel to have survived from antiquity, an adventurous romance that reemerged into Europe in the 1500s. Episode 89 Quiz: https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-089 Episode 89 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-089-the-aethiopica-of-heliodorus Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory Great Anthology of Ancient Greek Fiction: B.P. Reardon's Collected Ancient Greek Novels

Duration:02:12:28

Episode 88: Ancient Greek Sci-fi

5/21/2021

In roughly the 160s CE, the Greek satirist Lucian of Samosata wrote A True Story, one of history’s earliest surviving novels, with strong tinges of what we’d call science fiction. Episode 88 Quiz: https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-088 Episode 88 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-088-ancient-greek-sci-fi Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory

Duration:01:55:57

Episode 87: Lucian of Samosata

5/7/2021

The satirist Lucian (c. 125-180) was popular in his own time and during the Renaissance, among other things probably being the first author of science fiction. Episode 87 Quiz: https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-087 Episode 87 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-087-lucian-of-samosata Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory

Duration:01:42:05