{"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":"798.5 Thinking Through Shakespeare (with David Womersley) | My Last Book with Ramie Targoff","slug":"798-5-thinking-through-shakespeare-with-david-womersley-my-last-book-with-ramie-targoff","published_at":"2026-05-06T04:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-history-of-literature-743083/798-5-thinking-through-shakespeare-with-david-womersley-my-last-book-with-ramie-targoff","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/TPG1894423636.mp3?updated=1777748382","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/TPG1894423636.mp3?updated=1777748382","summary":"Is there such a thing as a general human nature? And if so, does Shakespeare serve as a \"faithful mirror\" to it, as Dr. Johnson claimed? In this episode, Jacke talks to Oxford University's David Womersley about his book Thinking Through Shakespeare, which explores how Shakespeare's plays think through--and invite us to think through--deep human questions of lasting importance. PLUS Ramie Targoff (Shakespeare's Sisters: How Women Wrote the Renaissance) discusses her choice for the last book she 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","meta_description":"Is there such a thing as a general human nature? And if so, does Shakespeare serve as a \"faithful mirror\" to it, as Dr. Johnson claimed? In this episode,…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3040,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-history-of-literature-743083/episodes/798-5-thinking-through-shakespeare-with-david-womersley-my-last-book-with-ramie-targoff/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-743083/798-5-thinking-through-shakespeare-with-david-womersley-my-last-book-with-ramie-targoff.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}