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, Late Antiquity, and dawn of the 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.
Episodes
Kalilah and Dimnah, a cornerstone of Classical Arabic literature, is one of the most beloved story collections in history.
DOUG'S NEW BOOK - The Odyssey: An Illustrated Guide
COLORING BOOK VERSION - The Odyssey Coloring Book
NYU PRESS KALILAH AND DIMNAH - Kalilah and Dimnah: Fables of Virtue and Vice
Episode 126 Quiz:
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-126/
Episode 126 Transcri...
The Bundahisn is the Zoroastrian creation story. At once an epic and encyclopedia, it's also a window into the end of Zoroastrianism's ascendancy in Iran.
Episode 125 Quiz:
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-125/
Episode 125 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-125-the-zoroastrian-bundahisn
Bonus Content:
https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content
Patreon...
DOUG'S NEW BOOK - The Odyssey: An Illustrated Guide
COLORING BOOK VERSION - The Odyssey Coloring Book
Episode 124 Quiz:
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-124/
Episode 124 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-124-the-last-great-war-of-antiquity
Image Credit: Alborz Fallah
Bonus Content:
https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content
Patreo...
The hadiths are second only to the Qur'an in Islam. Short narratives about the Prophet Muhammad - the things he said and did - hadiths have been a source of wisdom and inspiration for Muslims for more than a thousand years.
Episode 123 Quiz:
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-123/
Episode 123 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-123-an-introduction-to-the-hadiths
Bonus Con...
From 750-861, a dynasty of ten caliphs seated in modern-day Iraq ruled one of history's largest empires. The territory they lost and won, the wars they fought, and the cultural renaissance that they helped usher in all had far reaching impacts on world history.
Ancient Novels Interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zrUMtCpNt4
Oresteia Interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK7e8WOOl4g
Ep...
The Umayyad Caliphate, from 661-750, became the largest empire the world had ever known, even as it suffered through two civil wars and significant internal divisions. This episode covers its overall military, political, and cultural history.
Episode 121 Quiz:
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-121/
Episode 121 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-121-the-umayyad-caliphate
...
The Rashidun caliphate, from 632-661, completely changed the history of the world. Learn the story of the greatest imperial expansion of the first millennium, together with the complex political and theological history behind it.
Episode 120 Quiz:
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-120/
Episode 120 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-120-the-rashidun-caliphate
Bonus Conte...
The Qur'an has deep roots in the Bible and in the unique religious climate of Late Antique Mecca. Learn about its many references to the Bible and ancient Arabian religion in this episode.
Kevin Stroud's The History of English:
https://historyofenglishpodcast.com/
Episode 119 Quiz:
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-119/
Episode 119 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-...
Learn about the foundations of Islamic Law in the Qur'an - the 350 or so verses that tell believers what they're required to do, and what's prohibited.
Episode 118 Quiz:
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-118/
Episode 118 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-118-the-quran-part-2
Bonus Content:
https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content
Patreon:
https:/...
Learn the basics of the Qur'an - its size, structure, how and when it came together, and the book's most important contents.
Episode 117 Quiz:
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-117/
Episode 117 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-117-the-quran-part-1
Bonus Content:
https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content
Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/literature...
During the final years of the Prophet Muhammad's life and the immediate aftermath of his death, the Muslims conquered Mecca, the first caliph Abu Bakr came to power, and the stage was set for the great Islamic conquests of the seventh century.
Episode 116 Quiz:
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-116/
Episode 116 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-116-the-life-of-muhammad-part-3
Between 622 and 628, Muhammad and the first Muslims made a home from themselves in Medina, fended off assaults from the Quraysh and others, and changed the course of history forever.
New Spotify Bonus Content Channel:
https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/lahbonuscontent/subscribe
New Patreon Store:
https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory/shop
Episode 115 Quiz:
https://literatureand...
An orphan and caravan trade agent, Muhammad (570-632) lived a fairly ordinary life up until the age of 40. Then, everything changed.
New Songs Page:
https://literatureandhistory.com/songs/
Episode 114 Quiz:
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-114/
Episode 114 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-114-the-life-of-muhammad-part-1
Bonus Content:
https://litera...
Antarah ibn Shaddad, a killer, a lover, and an epic hero, was also one of early Arabic literature's most famous poets.
Parker's Song:
https://youtu.be/bTVWrxfb5wk
Episode 113 Quiz
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-113/
Episode 113 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-113-antarah-ibn-shaddad
Antarah's Poetry:
War Songs (Library of Arabic Literature)
<...
Prior to the dawn of Islam, the Arabian Peninsula had a great poetic tradition, with many genres, and many poets who are still celebrated and studied today.
Episode 112 Quiz
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-112/
Episode 112 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-112-pre-islamic-arabic-poetry/
Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibs86z0py04
Bonus Content:
...
Leading up to the birth of the Prophet Muhammad in about 570 CE, the Arabian Peninsula was an increasingly populous and globally interconnected region.
Episode 111 Quiz
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-111/
Episode 111 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-111-pre-islamic-arabia/
Bonus Content:
https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content
Patreon:
https...
In Episode 110, Literature and History host Doug Metzger answers dozens of listener questions about making the show, books, and how and why the podcast came to be.
Literature and History's Upcoming Seasons:
https://literatureandhistory.com/upcoming-seasons/
The Actual First Novels Bonus Series:
https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content#tafn
Episode 110 Transcription:
https://literaturea...
Episode 109 brings our long season on Late Antiquity to a close, reviews the past 24 programs on the beginnings of the Middle Ages, and introduces our new season on early Islamic History.
The Actual First Novels Bonus Series:
https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content#tafn
Literature and History's Upcoming Seasons:
https://literatureandhistory.com/upcoming-seasons/
Episode 109 Transcription:...
One of the great scholars of Late Antiquity, Isidore (c. 560-636) left behind a compendium called the Etymologies, an encyclopedia of his epoch's knowledge, a book second only to the Bible during the Middle Ages.
Episode 108 Quiz
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-108/
Episode 108 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-108-isidore-of-seville/
Song
https://www.youtube.com/...
The Merovingian court poet Venantius Fortunatus (c. 530-600), at work in Francia in the late 500s, shows us the world of the Middle Ages blooming from Roman ruins.
Episode 107 Quiz
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-107/
Episode 107 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-107-venantius-fortunatus/
Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpQP2na7oFM
Bonus Content:
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