Literature and History
With millions of downloads, hundreds of hours of soundtracked content, and an overall emphasis on the cultural history behind famous works of literature, Literature and History is one of the most popular independent podcasts on its subject. Starting with Sumerian cuneiform in 3,100 BCE, Literature and History moves forward in chronological order through Assyriology, Egyptology, the Old Testament, Ancient Greece and Rome, the birth of Christianity, and the early Middle Ages. The show's current season is on early Islamic history.
A typical episode (they average about two hours) features a general introduction to a work of literature, then a full summary of that work that expects no prior knowledge, and finally, an analysis of the cultural, biographical, and historical forces that gave rise to the work in question. Original symphonic and ambient background music is woven throughout each show, and all episodes offer free full, illustrated, footnoted transcriptions as well as quizzes for purposes of review. The show has no advertisements, and its host takes pride in a professional approach that avoids chitchat and ephemera and gets straight to the educational content. You can listen to the episodes in any order, although most listeners begin at the beginning and proceed from there, as the podcast itself is chronologically organized.
Doug Metzger finished his Ph.D. in literature in 2011. His chief scholarly interest, following his dissertation work, continues to be 19th-century realism and postbellum American philosophy.
Latest episodes
Sep 12, 2021 • 1h 53min
Episode 94: Ausonius
One of the later Latin poets of the Empire, Ausonius’ expansive body of work gives us a window into the changing world of fourth-century Roman culture. Episode 94 Quiz https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-094/ Episode 94 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-094-ausonius Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkiw5KgkYjE&pp=0gcJCYsJAYcqIYzv Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@literatureandhistorypodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/literatureandhistorypodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/literatureandhistory TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lahpodcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lahpodcast.bsky.social X https://x.com/lahpodcast
Aug 18, 2021 • 1h 58min
Episode 93: Severus' Life of Saint Martin
Sulpicius Severus’ (c. 363-425) life of St. Martin is one of the great hagiographies – a portrait of a timeless saint, but also of a human being and working bishop. Episode 93 Quiz https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-093/ Episode 93 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-093-severus-life-of-st-martin Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyNRs8hLcUM Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@literatureandhistorypodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/literatureandhistorypodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/literatureandhistory TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lahpodcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lahpodcast.bsky.social X https://x.com/lahpodcast
Aug 8, 2021 • 2h 6min
Episode 92: Athanasius' Life of Antony
Athanasius (c. 297-373) wrote a wildly popular biography of the desert hermit St. Anthony, touting the ideals of asceticism and triumph over demonic temptation. Episode 92 Quiz https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-092/ Episode 92 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-092-athanasius-life-of-antony Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@literatureandhistorypodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/literatureandhistorypodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/literatureandhistory TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lahpodcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lahpodcast.bsky.social X https://x.com/lahpodcast
Jul 25, 2021 • 2h 12min
Episode 91: The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity
In Carthage, in 203 CE, a Roman noblewoman and her retinue were butchered in an amphitheater. Learn her story, and the earliest history of Christian martyrs. Episode 91 Quiz https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-091/ Episode 91 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-091-the-passion-of-perpetua Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv7pZLqV5zk Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@literatureandhistorypodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/literatureandhistorypodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/literatureandhistory TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lahpodcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lahpodcast.bsky.social X https://x.com/lahpodcast
Jul 4, 2021 • 2h 4min
Episode 90: Ante-Nicene Catholicism
Learn the documentary history behind how the Catholic Church was founded and set up as an organization, together with some of the works of the earliest church fathers. Episode 90 Quiz https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-090/ Episode 90 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-090-ante-nicene-catholicism Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ai9nKRy7lc Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@literatureandhistorypodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/literatureandhistorypodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/literatureandhistory TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lahpodcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lahpodcast.bsky.social X https://x.com/lahpodcast
Jun 19, 2021 • 2h 12min
Episode 89: The Aethiopica of Heliodorus
Heliodorus of Emesa (3rd/4th century CE) wrote the longest novel to have survived from antiquity, an adventurous romance that reemerged into Europe in the 1500s. Episode 89 Quiz https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-089/ Episode 89 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-089-the-aethiopica-of-heliodorus Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2stXERdUMhY Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Great Anthology of Ancient Greek Fiction: B.P. Reardon's Collected Ancient Greek Novels Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@literatureandhistorypodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/literatureandhistorypodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/literatureandhistory TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lahpodcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lahpodcast.bsky.social X https://x.com/lahpodcast
May 21, 2021 • 1h 56min
Episode 88: Ancient Greek Sci-fi
In roughly the 160s CE, the Greek satirist Lucian of Samosata wrote A True Story, one of history’s earliest surviving novels, with strong tinges of what we’d call science fiction. Episode 88 Quiz https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-088/ Episode 88 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-088-ancient-greek-sci-fi Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH2nNnkYICE Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@literatureandhistorypodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/literatureandhistorypodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/literatureandhistory TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lahpodcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lahpodcast.bsky.social X https://x.com/lahpodcast
May 7, 2021 • 1h 42min
Episode 87: Lucian of Samosata
The satirist Lucian (c. 125-180) was popular in his own time and during the Renaissance, among other things probably being the first author of science fiction. Episode 87 Quiz https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-087/ Episode 87 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-087-lucian-of-samosata Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@literatureandhistorypodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/literatureandhistorypodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/literatureandhistory TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lahpodcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lahpodcast.bsky.social X https://x.com/lahpodcast
Apr 25, 2021 • 2h 23min
Episode 86: An Introduction to Late Antiquity
Once pervasively described as a period of fall and decline, today Late Antiquity is often understood as a period of cultural flowering and economic revolution. Episode 86 Quiz https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-086/ Episode 86 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-086-intro-to-late-antiquity Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnDhBOPfW-Q Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@literatureandhistorypodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/literatureandhistorypodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/literatureandhistory TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lahpodcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lahpodcast.bsky.social X https://x.com/lahpodcast
Apr 4, 2021 • 1h 56min
Episode 85: River
A primer on Biblical canon formation, retrospective on what we’ve covered so far, and introduction to the upcoming season. Episode 85 Quiz: https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-085 Episode 85 Transcription: https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-085-river Bonus Content: https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@literatureandhistorypodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/literatureandhistorypodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/literatureandhistory TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lahpodcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lahpodcast.bsky.social X https://x.com/lahpodcast
