The Marquis de Sade (1740-1814) was more than just a rake or a cad - based on his egregious conduct, he clearly belonged in prison, and one sympathizes with the father who aimed a pistol at Sade's chest and pulled the trigger, hoping to end the demon's life. (The gun misfired.) But what about Sade's novels? Are those out of bounds as well? In this episode, J ... Show More
Jan 12
766 Gertrude Stein (with Francesca Wade) | Ruskin on the Only One Way to Get Art | My Last Book with Holly Baggett
Gertrude Stein (1874-1946) has long been one of the most famous - and most polarizing - figures in modernism. Was she a trailblazing genius? Or a literary charlatan? Her bestselling memoir of 1933, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, which made her internationally famous, only ... Show More
1h 3m
Jan 8
765 Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne (with Mike Palindrome)
In Puritan New England, a young man leaves Faith, his wife, to go into the forest to meet the Devil. It's a story "as deep as Dante," said Herman Melville. In this episode, Jacke reads "Young Goodman Brown," by Nathaniel Hawthorne, then Jacke and Mike discuss the story that Steph ... Show More
1h 9m
Feb 2024
Significant Others: A Sneak Peek at the Woman Behind Benedict Arnold’s Betrayal
<p>It’s been said that history is written by the person at the typewriter. But who did the person who made history depend on? Often, it’s impossible to find out. But once in a while, we get lucky, and the story was not only recorded, it’s really good.<br />Well that’s what this p ... Show More
7m 21s
Aug 2023
Anne Boleyn part 1 for Tudor Week!
Who's that girl? It's Anne! Anne Boleyn is one of the most infamous figures in British history. Her short life is often defined by her marriage to King Henry VIII, her role in the English Reformation, and ultimately, her execution. However, in this episode (part of our Tudor Week ... Show More
58m 36s
Feb 2024
The Callous Killing of Sylvia Fleming
This week, in a listener-researched and written episode, we head to Omagh in Northern Ireland, as we take a look at the brutal 1998 murder of 17-year-old Sylvia Fleming. On the cusp of adulthood, and with a difficult childhood now behind her, Sylvia thought she had struck gold wh ... Show More
1h 10m