The History of Literature - Podcast Rankings and reviews

Jacke is impressively prolific in his output and when he’s in his stride the level of quality is high. I love the structured yet conversational style, and his obvious passion for and insight into the books and writers he discusses. The high number of ads and the rambling intros have always been a bit tedious (I sometimes have to skip ahead 20 minutes just to get to the actual meat of the episode), but I don’t mind dealing with them if the core of the show is good.

Sadly Jacke has been hinting for awhile that he’s losing enthusiasm for the project and, reasonably enough, feeling the burnout of such an intense podcasting schedule. The last year (2023) in particular saw a shift to an almost entirely guest-based format, which is understandable from a production standpoint but unfortunate from a listener one. Jacke’s solo shows have always been the heart of HOL for me, while his interview episodes are much more hit or miss, and in my opinion poorly vetted for quality and interest. Too many academics pushing recondite (and occasionally quite fringe) theories make the show feel less like a chat with a well-read friend and more like a campus lecture series. I used to enjoy when he would get fiction writers on to discuss their favorite books, but even that hasn’t been a regular feature for quite some time.

The highs are still high enough to keep me subscribed, but I’d personally prefer a reduced release schedule with a higher standard of quality to the current model of constant but rather skippable output.

Jacke Wilson is giving us all a valuable service, for free. He helps us feel like we aren’t alone. There are others who share our love of literature. Jacke is our Virgil, guiding us through the modern world, helping us to understand, to be seen, to enrich our lives. Thank you Mr Wilson and of course Mr Palindrome, not to mention the many guests who all strive to make this world a more beautiful place

Several years ago Jacke did an episode on the poem Goblin Market. My favorite episodes are ones in which Jacke reads to us. This particular ep sent me down a wild path of internet searching for all things related to that poem. I still think about it all the time. Looking forward to whatever Jacke has in store for us for Halloween.

I am an Engineer who loves to read but just lacks the motivation to do it sometimes. This podcast has filled those voids when I did not feel like touching a book, but still yearned to know more as I feared missing out on what all the students of literature have read or get to read on a daily basis. I have a bookstagram as well, so I am constantly searching for good books to read and review, and the interviews/discussions on the podcast helps me to know more about authors, poets and their books. Discussions with Mike are always fun to hear, and to be honest I just like their friendship and mutual love of books.

Jacke is a born teacher. At the start of the podcast, you might ask yourself “why does this author matter?” Jacke then takes you on a ramble that will inspire you to read or reread important works. I feel as if I’m back at liberal arts college and my professor has given the floor to the smartest and oldest student; the one who took a few gap years, worked at eclectic jobs and experienced a bit more of life than the rest of us. Thanks, Jacke.

I was excited to find this podcast, but couldn't even make it through one episode (The Night Before Christmas episode). First problem was the plethora of loud, disruptive ads. Second, the host is incredibly monotone and repetitive, and frequently strayed off topic. Third, it turns out that the host's entire subject matter for this episode was one book that he read disputing the authorship of this poem; in that case, it would have been far more enjoyable to have that author on as a guest and let him tell his own story! Perhaps other episodes are better, but this one was such a turn-off that I have no interest in sampling any others.