The History of Literature

The "Forgotten Women of Literature" series continues with a look at Aemilia Bassano Lanyer (1569-1645), the first Englishwoman to publish a volume of poetry, the protofeminist Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum (1611), which tells the story of Christ's crucifixion from a woman's perspective. In addition to her many accomplishments and incredible life story, Lanyer has tantalizingly close connections to William Shakespeare, causing Jacke (and other scholars) to examine whether she might have been the inspiration for the Dark Lady of Shakespeare's sonnets. [This episode originally ran on September 15, 2020. It has been chosen by a guest as one of his top ten favorite History of Literature Podcast episodes.] Help support the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/literature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠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.⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kimberly Lau, scholar of fairy tales and author of Spectres of the Marvelous, picks her last-read book and teases fairy-tale depths. Natasha Joukowsky, novelist of Medium Rare, blends March Madness, Greek myth, and Washington, D.C. life. They talk bracket obsession, mythic tones, Icarus imagery, and why averageness makes for dramatic rise-and-fall stories.

In 2025, Jacke began a countdown of the top 25 greatest books of all time, as part of a series called "25 for 25." In this episode, Jacke reveals the #2 and #1 entries on the list. Then Mike Palindrome, longtime friend and President of the Literature Supporters Club, joins Jacke to discuss the books chosen, the relative merits of the list, and propose some alternatives. PLUS Cass Sunstein (How to Become Famous: Lost Einsteins, Forgotten Superstars, and How the Beatles Came to Be) stops by to discuss his choice for the last book he will ever read. The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠gabrielruizbernal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Help support the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/literature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠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.⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bob Blaisdell, editor and Ruskin scholar who compiled key Ruskin collections, discusses John Ruskin's life and lasting influence. They explore Ruskin’s breakthrough about seeing versus preconceived ideas, his scope across art, architecture, and teaching, and his uneven personal life. Short readings and reflections highlight how Ruskin shaped later writers and artists.

Matthew Zapruder, poet, essayist, and professor known for Why Poetry and editing the NYT Magazine poetry page, explores why poetry feels inaccessible and how to reclaim it. He recounts pivotal readings, discusses Auden and Keats, and teases language as a machine for feeling. Short riffs on craft, form, and thinkers like Wittgenstein and Valéry round out the conversation.

Travis Franks, an assistant professor studying Native and Indigenous literature, discusses John Rollin Ridge, the Cherokee-born author of the first Native American novel. They explore Ridge’s turbulent life, his novel about Joaquín Murrieta, contradictions in his politics and actions, and newly uncovered early poems that reshape what we know about his beginnings.

Daniel A. Olivas, attorney and Chicano writer known for Chicano Frankenstein and Waiting for Godínez, reflects on literature as a way to humanize those targeted by anti-immigration sentiment. He discusses balancing law and creativity, inspirations from Mary Shelley and Beckett, and how fiction and drama confront dehumanizing politics. Janet Todd also shares her choice for a last book.

William O. Stephens, a philosophy professor and Stoicism scholar, guides listeners through Marcus Aurelius’s life as a ruling philosopher. The conversation covers Marcus’s upbringing, Stoic practice and private memoranda, his austere character, co-rule with Lucius Verus, wartime leadership and the Antonine Plague, and the tension between philosophical ideals and imperial realities.

A wide-ranging look at how the Global North shapes perceptions of the far Southern Hemisphere and why that matters for culture and identity. Conversations cover southern myths, oceanic perspectives, and the historical sweep from Indigenous stories to modern literature. A playful detour asks what book someone would choose as their last read.

Zoë McGee, a literary scholar and author of Courting Disaster who studies Regency novels and gender, explores how 18th- and 19th-century fiction grapples with consent. She compares novels by Austen, Burney and others with court records. Short, clear conversations cover legal definitions, marriage and autonomy, patterns in trials, and why we sentimentalize the Regency.