{"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":"812 Talking Classics (with Mary Beard) | My Last Book with Karen Spence","slug":"812-talking-classics-with-mary-beard-my-last-book-with-karen-spence","published_at":"2026-06-22T04:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-history-of-literature-743083/812-talking-classics-with-mary-beard-my-last-book-with-karen-spence","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/TPG5545267485.mp3","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/TPG5545267485.mp3","summary":"Why are we so fascinated by the ancient world? What can we find in the distant past that is recognizably human--and how do we grapple with the complicated and controversial issues that the past forces us to address? In this episode, Jacke talks to distinguished classicist Mary Beard about her new book Talking Classics: The Shock of the Old. PLUS Karen Spence (The Companion Guide to the Godfather Trilogy: Betrayal, Loyalty, and Family) stops by to discuss her choice for the last book she will ever read. On Sale Now! For more information and to order Great Detective! An Adventure for Two People [2-Book Boxed Set] by Jacke Wilson, visit press.historyofliterature.com. 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":"Why are we so fascinated by the ancient world? What can we find in the distant past that is recognizably human--and how do we grapple with the complicated…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3745,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-history-of-literature-743083/episodes/812-talking-classics-with-mary-beard-my-last-book-with-karen-spence/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-743083/812-talking-classics-with-mary-beard-my-last-book-with-karen-spence.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}