Solo shows are great, but the guests can be tiresome
☆
☆
☆
☆
☆
“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.”
Kafka's peach via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
01/14/24
More reviews of The History of Literature
☆
☆
☆
☆
☆
“This is the most astute, engaging, informative, and entertaining lit podcast out there, bar none.”
Bokonon2017 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
12/29/18
☆
☆
☆
☆
☆
“I love this podcast. Jacke’s voice is so wonderfully soothing (imagine that through a mic with less white noise!), the special quarantine readings have been a blessing for me. For a few years now I have been listening to each episode and it’s what consistently kept up my love for literature, even...”Read full review »
sina473 via Apple Podcasts ·
Germany ·
03/22/20
☆
☆
☆
☆
☆
“But Doug Metzger’s similarly-themed show at Literature and History is so much better from every conceivable viewpoint—content, scope, pedagogy, music.”
PetChildOfCalamity via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
05/24/18
Do you host a podcast?
Track your ranks and reviews from Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more.
See hourly chart positions and more than 30 days of history.
Get Chartable Analytics »
See hourly chart positions and more than 30 days of history.
Listen now
Links
Genres
Artwork or description wrong?
Request an update »
Updates may take a few minutes.
Do you host a podcast?
Track your ranks and reviews from Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more.
See hourly chart positions and more than 30 days of history.
Get Chartable Analytics »
See hourly chart positions and more than 30 days of history.
