Literature and History

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, the birth of Christianity, and the early Middle Ages. The show's current season is on early Islamic history. 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.

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Episoder(126)

Episode 94: Ausonius

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.co...

12 Sep 20211h 53min

Episode 93: Severus' Life of Saint Martin

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://literature...

18 Aug 20211h 57min

Episode 92: Athanasius' Life of Antony

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://literatureandh...

8 Aug 20212h 6min

Episode 91: The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity

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://literatureandhist...

25 Jul 20212h 12min

Episode 90: Ante-Nicene Catholicism

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://literat...

4 Jul 20212h 4min

Episode 89: The Aethiopica of Heliodorus

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://literatureand...

19 Jun 20212h 12min

Episode 88: Ancient Greek Sci-fi

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 htt...

21 Mai 20211h 55min

Episode 87: Lucian of Samosata

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://literatureandhi...

7 Mai 20211h 42min