{"podcast":{"title":"The History of Literature","slug":"the-history-of-literature-743083","podcast_index_feed_id":743083,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/history-of-literature","website_url":"https://historyofliterature.com","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/7b1b0608-0ffd-11e8-b20f-bbbb64158369/image/uploads_2F1593209082240-p4u278lci1e-275beae2da7edda326775394b3d990c8_2Fhistory-of-literature.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Jacke Wilson","episode_count":785,"summary":"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 historyofliterature.com/donate. Contact the show at historyofliteraturepodcast@gmail.com.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-20T08:22:17.158365+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-history-of-literature-743083"},"episode":{"title":"784 Marcus Aurelius: Philosopher-King (with William O. Stephens)","slug":"784-marcus-aurelius-philosopher-king-with-william-o-stephens","published_at":"2026-03-16T04:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-history-of-literature-743083/784-marcus-aurelius-philosopher-king-with-william-o-stephens","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-history-of-literature-743083","url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/swap.fm/track/tcQd6Q6C0RUUlOHq1Ytj/mgln.ai/e/51/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/TPG6167390103.mp3?updated=1773228014","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/swap.fm/track/tcQd6Q6C0RUUlOHq1Ytj/mgln.ai/e/51/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/TPG6167390103.mp3?updated=1773228014","summary":"In the fourth century B.C., Plato famously posited a philosopher-king as the ideal ruler for his imagined Republic. Five hundred years later, the Roman Empire was led by Marcus Aurelius, the man often viewed as the best example of this Platonic ideal. In this episode, Jacke talks to William O. Stephens about his book Marcus Aurelius: Philosopher-King, which guides readers through the fascinating life, writings, and legacy of Rome's great emperor philosopher. 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","meta_description":"In the fourth century B.C., Plato famously posited a philosopher-king as the ideal ruler for his imagined Republic. Five hundred years later, the Roman Em…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3986,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-history-of-literature-743083/episodes/784-marcus-aurelius-philosopher-king-with-william-o-stephens/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-history-of-literature-743083/784-marcus-aurelius-philosopher-king-with-william-o-stephens.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}