Literature and History

Doug Metzger
Monthly podcast. Next episode on Tuesday, September 15.
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.
128 episodes  •  0 archived  •  
August 15
August 15
1h 56m
July 15
July 15
2h 2m
June 15
June 15
2h 12m
May 15
May 15
2h 2m
April 15
April 15
2h 13m
March 15
March 15
2h 1m
February 15
February 15
2h 25m
January 15
January 15
2h 15m
Dec 15, 2025
Dec 15, 2025
2h 24m
Oct 22, 2025
Oct 22, 2025
2h 19m