Best Charlotte Brontë Podcasts (2025)

1
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847) 23:16

13h ago23:16

23:16

In this episode, we open the pages of Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë's 1847 classic that blends gothic mystery, emotional grit, and a heroine who refuses to settle for anything less than self-respect. We'll explore Jane's journey from a harsh childhood to the shadowy halls of Thornfield, where love, independence, and a few very big secrets collide. Wi…

1
Reinventing... Charlotte Brontë with Graham Watson 41:16

8d ago41:16

41:16

Let’s talk Charlotte Brontë and the last few years of her life. What was the big scandal about the biography that came out soon after her death? Who was affected? And how do we know what really went on with this remarkable woman? Joining us today is historian and author Graham Watson, who has written a book on the topic, called Inventing Charlotte …

1
Evening Solace by Charlotte Brontë 2:15

13h ago2:15

2:15

The human heart has hidden treasures, In secret kept, in silence sealed;— The thoughts, the hopes, the dreams, the pleasures, Whose charms were broken if revealed. And days may pass in gay confusion, And nights in rosy riot fly, While, lost in Fame's or Wealth's illusion, The memory of the Past may die. But there are hours of lonely musing, Such as…

1
The Dhammapada (Attributed to the Buddha) (Compiled Around the 3rd Century BCE) 35:04

2h ago35:04

35:04

In this episode, we turn to The Dhammapada, the collection of teachings traditionally attributed to the Buddha and likely compiled around the 3rd century BCE. We'll explore its concise, poetic verses on compassion, clarity, and the art of mastering the mind—wisdom that has guided millions across centuries. From the call to rise above anger to the r…

1
758 Jane Austen in 41 Objects (with Kathryn Sutherland) | 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez (#5 Greatest Book of All Time) 57:21

21h ago57:21

57:21

How well can we know someone through the objects they encountered? In this episode, Jacke talks to Kathryn Sutherland, Senior Research fellow at St. Anne's College, Oxford, about her new book Jane Austen in 41 Objects, which examines the objects Jane Austen encountered during her life alongside newer memorabilia inspired by the life she lived. PLUS…

1
Christmas Through the Ages: From Shakespeare, to Austen, to Dickens 18:24

3h ago18:24

18:24

Journey through 300 years of British Christmas traditions with The Brit Lit Book Club! Discover how Christmas was celebrated in Shakespeare's England, Jane Austen's Regency world, and Charles Dickens' Victorian era. From the twelve days of Tudor revelry and the Lord of Misrule to the quiet family gatherings of Regency drawing rooms, and finally to …

1
The Call of the Wild by Jack London (1903) 31:55

23h ago31:55

31:55

In this episode, we dive into The Call of the Wild, Jack London's 1903 adventure classic that follows Buck—the domesticated dog who's yanked from California comfort and thrown into the unforgiving world of the Yukon. We'll explore his transformation from house pet to pack leader, the brutal beauty of the wilderness, and why this tale of instinct, s…

1
757 George Orwell's 1984 (#6 Greatest Book of All Time) 1:07:22

5d ago1:07:22

1:07:22

In 1949, American critic Lionel Trilling, writing in the New Yorker, was quick to recognize the achievement of George Orwell's new novel. "[P]rofound, terrifying, and wholly fascinating," he said. 1984 "confirms its author in the special, honorable place he holds in our intellectual life." And while the Cold War and the book's primary satirical tar…

1
The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1762) 32:25

2d ago32:25

32:25

"Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." With that line, Jean-Jacques Rousseau shook the foundations of political thought. In this episode, we unpack The Social Contract — Rousseau's radical idea that governments exist not by divine right or brute force, but by the collective will of the people. He challenges kings, questions inequality,…

151
756 Newly Discovered Stories by Virginia Woolf (with Urmila Seshagiri) | My Last Book with Jake Poller 58:07

8d ago58:07

58:07

Did you think we already knew everything there was to know about Virginia Woolf? Think again! In this episode, Jacke talks to scholar and editor Urmila Seshagiri about The Life of Violet: Three Early Stories, which presents three interconnected comic stories chronicling the adventures of a giantess named Violet, which Woolf wrote in 1907, eight yea…

1
Jeevani Charika: Doing Funky Things | Mark Stay's Creative Differences Episode 16 31:23

12h ago31:23

31:23

Jeevani Charika writes award nominated romantic women’s fiction and romcoms. She’s written books on how to write romcoms, and sustaining a career as a writer and she also has an amazing YouTube channel teaching authors how to use Canva to make marketing graphics Her latest book How Can I Resist You is out now! We Discuss: What she's learned from he…

1
Candide by Voltaire (1759) 27:20

5h ago27:20

27:20

Meet Candide — a young man who believes he lives in "the best of all possible worlds"… until life proves otherwise. In this episode, we follow Voltaire's wide-eyed hero as he's kicked out of paradise, shipwrecked, flogged, and forced to face the absurdity of human suffering. From the battlefields of Europe to the jungles of South America, Candide i…

1
755 The Chinese Tragedy of King Lear (with Nan Z. Da) | My Last Book with Iris Jamahl Dunkle 42:51

12d ago42:51

42:51

At the start of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, King Lear promises to divide his kingdom based on his daughters’ professions of love, but he portions it out before hearing all of their answers. For Nan Da, a professor of English literature who emigrated from China to the United States as a child in the 1990s, this startling opening scene sparked a re…

1
Dickens and His Illustrators - The Artists Who Drew Victorian Christmas 26:49

8d ago26:49

26:49

Dickens and His Illustrators: The Artists Who Drew Victorian Christmas Ever wonder who first gave visual form to Scrooge, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and Fezziwig's famous ball? Discover the fascinating world of Victorian book illustration and the artists who shaped how we visualize Dickens's most beloved stories. In this episode of The Brit Li…

1
The Lady of the Lake by Sir Walter Scott (1810) 28:45

6d ago28:45

28:45

Highland mist, clan rivalries, and forbidden love — The Lady of the Lake is Sir Walter Scott's romantic masterpiece of medieval Scotland. In this episode, we journey to the rugged shores of Loch Katrine, where the mysterious Ellen Douglas becomes the center of a struggle for loyalty, love, and power. Knights ride through forests, kings travel in di…

1
The Aenid by Virgil (19 BCE) 28:06

10d ago28:06

28:06

Before Rome had emperors, it had a prophecy — and a hero fated to fulfill it. In this episode, we sail alongside Aeneas, the Trojan warrior destined to found a new empire after Troy's fall. Through storms, monsters, love, and loss, Virgil's Aeneid transforms ancient myth into a national epic — part adventure, part political origin story. We'll expl…

1
754 Christopher Marlowe (with Stephen Greenblatt) | My Last Book with Eric White 55:43

15d ago55:43

55:43

Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) was born into relative obscurity and died in mysterious circumstances at the age of 29. And yet, somehow this ambitious cobbler's son brought about a spectacular explosion of English literature, language, and culture. In this episode, Jacke talks to Stephen Greenblatt about his book Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Ti…

1
EP81. [Sat]Ire, ink & Enmity: The Art of Literary Feuding 1:15:36

17d ago1:15:36

1:15:36

Join us for an episode filled with spectacular spats, bruised egos, and top-tier literary shade. This month, Adam introduces a riotous tour through Britain’s greatest writerly bust-ups: from Lady Mary Wortley Montagu shredding Swift in more ways than one, to Pope’s poisonously personal vendettas, to the mutual mockeries of Anne Ingram, Mary Leapor,…

1
Charles Dickens & A Christmas Carol - More Than Holiday Spirit 30:03

10d ago30:03

30:03

Charles Dickens & A Christmas Carol: Charles Dickens's Revolutionary Ghost Story Discover the untold story behind Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol in this deep dive into Victorian literature's most influential work. More than just a holiday tale, A Christmas Carol was a radical political manifesto that changed how we celebrate Christmas and thin…

1
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (1899) 32:35

18d ago32:35

32:35

A steamboat drifts up the Congo River — and straight into the human soul. In this episode, we journey through Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, the haunting tale of a man named Marlow and his search for the mysterious ivory trader, Kurtz. What begins as an adventure into Africa's wilderness becomes a descent into moral chaos, exposing the brutalit…

1
Paradise Lost by John Milton (1667/1674) 28:02

20d ago28:02

28:02

Before there was fantasy, there was Paradise Lost — a cosmic epic where Heaven, Hell, and the human heart collide. In this episode, we explore John Milton's 17th-century masterpiece, where Satan's rebellion, Adam and Eve's fall, and the struggle between pride and obedience unfold like the world's first blockbuster drama. Written in thunderous blank…

1
753 Tenth-Anniversary Special (with Mike Palindrome and Laurie Frankel) | Giving Thanks | My Last Book with Eve Dunbar 1:17:22

20d ago1:17:22

1:17:22

When Jacke started the podcast in 2015, he decided to privilege books that were at least fifty years old. (Longtime listeners will know he's made a few exceptions, but for the most part, that's been the policy.) Last month, the History of Literature Podcast celebrated its tenth anniversary - which means there are ten years' worth of books that are …

1
Pernille Hughes: Lock Yourself in a Room | Mark Stay's Creative Differences Episode 15 1:07:49

12d ago1:07:49

1:07:49

Pernille Hughes is the author of TEN YEARS, PROBABLY THE BEST KISS IN THE WORLD and PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE; novels brimming with warmth, wit and unforgettable characters. And now she's back with her new novel A COPENHAGEN SNOWMANCE, which is here to herald in Christmas. Yes, I said the C-word! What of it?? WE DISCUSS: Discovering your voice Hygge Hero dr…

1
Das Kapital by Karl Marx (1867) 34:24

15d ago34:24

34:24

Money, machines, and the mechanics of power — welcome to the book that tried to decode the entire engine of capitalism. In this episode, we break open Karl Marx's Das Kapital, the 19th-century masterpiece that turned economics into revolution. Marx wasn't just counting coins — he was asking why the few grow rich while the many stay trapped in endle…

1
752 The Brontes' Sibling Rivalry (with Catherine Rayner) | My Last Book with Keith Cooper 1:01:28

22d ago1:01:28

1:01:28

Charlotte Brontë wasn't born the eldest child, but she was thrust into a leadership role at the age of ten, as the Brontë children dealt with the tragic deaths of their mother and two eldest sisters. How did this affect their family dynamic? And when the younger two sisters, Emily and Anne, had their novels accepted while Charlotte's alone was reje…

1
Zhuangzi by Zhuang Zhou (4th to 3rd Century BCE) 30:07

17d ago30:07

30:07

What if wisdom meant laughing at the universe — and yourself? In this episode, we wander into Zhuangzi, the ancient Daoist classic that turns philosophy into play. Written over two thousand years ago, it's filled with talking trees, dreaming butterflies, and paradoxes that make even logic smile. Through humor and wonder, Zhuangzi teaches that freed…

1
Dear Reader, Season 3 Episode 08: Swords and Sandals 2:26:30

16d ago2:26:30

2:26:30

In the penultimate episode of this season, I am joined by Harry "Beep Boop" Chute to discuss the 2004 cinematic epic Troy. Is Troy influenced by the Iraq War? What role does, or should, sex play in an historic retelling? How much screentime is necessary to make a romantic couple believable? Can we become emotionally invested in Patroclus/Achilles i…

1
Charles Dickens: The People's Author 30:48

20d ago30:48

30:48

Charles Dickens: The People's Author - The Brit Lit Book Club Join us for an in-depth exploration of Charles Dickens, the literary rock star of Victorian England! In this episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, we dive into the life and works of the author behind A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, and so many other beloved classics. We…

1
751 Covering Iran's Women-Led Uprising (with Nilo Tabrizy) | My Last Book with Sharmila Sen 1:02:37

26d ago1:02:37

1:02:37

In September 2022, a young Kurdish woman, Mahsa Jîna Amini, died after being beaten by police officers who arrested her for not adhering to the Islamic Republic’s dress code. Her death galvanized thousands of Iranians—mostly women—who took to the streets in one of the country’s largest uprisings in decades: the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. In thi…

1
The Zohar by Moses de Leon (Attributed to Simeon Ben Yochai) 13th Century (Attributed to the 2nd Century) 31:30

27d ago31:30

31:30

Step into the shimmering heart of Jewish mysticism — a universe where every word of Torah hides infinite worlds of meaning. In this episode, we explore The Zohar, the 13th-century masterpiece that became the cornerstone of Kabbalah. Written in lyrical Aramaic and filled with symbols, secrets, and cosmic allegories, The Zohar reads like a spiritual …

1
Reinventing... Charles I: The Young King with Mark Turnbull 35:45

16d ago35:45

35:45

On the 19th November in the year of our Lord 1600, a boy was born in Scotland at Dunfermline Palace - he was the second son and the third child of the King of Scotland, James VI. Few could have predicted he would one day be king, not just of Scotland, but also of England and Ireland. No one could have foretold this boy would die on the scaffold for…

1
Visit Blighty: National Maritime Museum in Greenwich 21:59

18d ago21:59

21:59

Today we're talking to Hannah at Royal Museums Greenwich! Let's find out why a trip to the National Maritime Museum is crucial when visiting London. Find Royal Museums Greenwich: https://www.rmg.co.uk/ Find Pirates Exhibition: https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/national-maritime-museum/pirates Visit Greenwich (...best place to be): https://www.visitgre…

1
Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche (1883-1885) 35:56

20d ago35:56

35:56

A prophet descends from the mountains — not with commandments, but with questions that shake the soul. In this episode, we journey through Friedrich Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, the poetic and thunderous work that declared "God is dead" and challenged humanity to rise beyond itself. Part sermon, part riddle, part cosmic dare, Nietzsche's vis…

1
750 A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (with Mark Cirino) | Joyce Carol Oates vs the Trillionaire | My Last Book with Ken Krimstein 1:28:09

29d ago1:28:09

1:28:09

It's the 750th episode of the History of Literature, and what better way to celebrate than to talk some Hemingway with repeat guest Mark Cirino? In this episode, Jacke talks to Mark about Hemingway's classic love-and-war novel A Farewell to Arms, including the recent Norton Library edition of the book, which Mark edited. PLUS Jacke takes a look at …

1
How Great a King was Henry III? with Darren Baker 34:18

20d ago34:18

34:18

On the 16th November 1272 Henry III of England breathed his last. The grandson of Eleanor of Aquitaine, son of King John and father of Edward I, he often gets overshadowed by his retrospectively more illustrious relatives and nemeses. Let’s look at the king who preferred peace to war, giving money instead of taking it, and who had one of the longes…

1
Reinventing... Anne Boleyn with Heather R Darsie 45:32

21d ago45:32

45:32

Today we have a special treat: we're going to put all those Anne Boleyn myths to bed. Once and for all. Returning to the podcast we have Heather R Darsie, who will bust all those myths and mysteries surrounding the second wife of Henry VIII. Why did she have to die? What was her actual crime? Could she have had another fate? Why was the French exec…

1
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (1597) 27:46

23d ago27:46

27:46

Two teenagers fall in love — and the world falls apart. Romeo and Juliet isn't just Shakespeare's most famous love story; it's the ultimate tragedy of youth colliding with old grudges. In this episode, we dive into Verona's feud between the Montagues and Capulets, where secret vows and impulsive choices turn passion into catastrophe. From balcony w…

1
Realms of the Round Table with John Matthews 24:19

22d ago24:19

24:19

John Matthews is back on the podcast, this time to talk about his new book - Realms of the Round Table, which is a collection of stories of King Arthur like you’ve never seen them before. Published by Harper Collins in the UK and Pegasus in the USA. Welcome back, John! Get Realms of The Round Table: https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/realms-of-th…

1
Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre - The Governess Who Changed Everything 28:03

26d ago28:03

28:03

Episode 6: Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre - The Governess Who Changed Everything Discover why Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre was more than just a Gothic romance—it was a revolutionary manifesto for women's equality disguised as a love story. In this episode of The Brit Lit Book Club, we explore how Charlotte Brontë created one of literature's most grou…

1
749 Willing and Will-Making in the English Renaissance (with Douglas Clark) | #7 Greatest Book of All Time 1:06:00

1M ago1:06:00

1:06:00

When Hamlet, in his famous soliloquy, pondered the "dread of something after death, / the undiscovered country," he noted that such thoughts "puzzles the will." (Earlier editions of the play had this as a "hope of something after death" that "puzzles the brain." What's the significance for an Elizabethan writer (and audience) of the change from hop…

1
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (1915) 35:25

25d ago35:25

35:25

One morning, Gregor Samsa wakes up to find he's turned into a giant insect — and somehow, that's the least shocking part. In this surreal masterpiece by Franz Kafka, we explore what happens when ordinary life collapses into absurdity. As Gregor's family recoils in horror, his slow isolation becomes a mirror of modern alienation — a world where prod…

1
The Graces: The Extraordinary Untold Lives of Women at the Restoration Court with Breeze Barrington 1:01:49

24d ago1:01:49

1:01:49

What do we know about the woman’s lot at the court of Charles II? Breeze Barrington’s new book The Graces (published by Bloomsbury) explores the lives of several women of the Stuart court. These ladies include Maria d’Este, a.k.a. Mary of Modena, consort to James VII & II, as well as those of her Maids of Honour: Anne Finch, a revered poet, Hortens…

1
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1890) 32:08

27d ago32:08

32:08

What if your reflection carried all your sins — while you stayed young and beautiful forever? In this haunting tale of vanity and corruption, Oscar Wilde paints a world where art, temptation, and morality collide. Dorian Gray begins as an innocent aristocrat, until a mysterious portrait becomes the mirror of his soul — aging, decaying, and revealin…

1
748 Katherine Mansfield (with Gerri Kimber) | The Poet and the Sex Worker Who Burgled Him | My Last Book with Emerson Expert Kenneth Sacks 55:47

1M ago55:47

55:47

Katherine Mansfield's writing, said Virginia Woolf, "was the only writing I was ever jealous of." In this episode, Jacke talks to author Gerri Kimber about Katherine Mansfield: A Hidden Life, which explores the life and work of one of literary modernism's most significant writers. PLUS Jacke takes a look at the unusual friendship between poet W.H. …

1
Visit Blighty: Hampton Court Palace with Gareth Russell 51:30

1M ago51:30

51:30

Today we’re talking to Gareth Russell, a historian and author, whose book on the history of Hampton Court Palace we’ll be discussing today. It was published with William Collins in the UK and Atria Books in the USA. Welcome back, Gareth! Get Palace: https://www.williamcollinsbooks.co.uk/products/the-palace-from-the-tudors-to-the-windsors-500-years-…

1
The Upanishads 32:03

30d ago32:03

32:03

Before science, before philosophy as we know it, there were the Upanishads — ancient whispers from India asking the biggest questions humans have ever faced. Who am I? What is the universe? What happens when we die? In this episode, we journey into the spiritual heart of the Vedas, where sages sitting beneath banyan trees explored consciousness, re…

1
The Kingdom of Mercia with Annie Whitehead 45:54

29d ago45:54

45:54

Today’s guest is Annie Whitehead, and we’re talking all things Mercia, the lost Kingdom of Anglo-Saxon England. Welcome Back, Annie! Annie Whitehead wrote a book the topic: Mercia: The Rise and Fall of a Kingdom, published by Amberley. Find Annie: https://anniewhiteheadauthor.co.uk/ Murder in Anglo-Saxon England: https://www.amberley-books.com/murd…

1
Ode to a Nightingale By John Keats 5:09

1M ago5:09

5:09

My heart aches, & a drowsy numbness pains My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains One minute past, & Lethe-wards had sunk:'Tis not through envy of thy happy lot, But being too happy in thine happiness,— That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees In some melodious plot Of beechen green, & shadows numberle…

1
The Brontë Sisters - Growing Up Wild 34:40

1M ago34:40

34:40

The Brit Lit Book Club - Episode 5: The Brontë Sisters - Growing Up Wild Step into the windswept world of the Brontë sisters—Charlotte, Emily, and Anne—three isolated children who transformed childhood fantasies into some of the most passionate and psychologically complex novels ever written. From the remote Yorkshire moors to literary immortality,…

1
747 Graphomaniac - The Story of a Horrible Russian Poet (with Ilya Vinitsky and James H. McGavran III | My Last Book with Stephanie Sandler | #8 Greatest Book of All Time 1:11:57

1M ago1:11:57

1:11:57

Dmitry Ivanovich Khvostov (1757-1835) might be the worst poet who ever lived. Pathologically prolific and delusional dedicated to a craft for which he had no talent, he continued to write and publish his poetry despite the pleadings of friends, loved ones, critics, and the public. In this episode, Jacke talks to author Ilya Vinitsky and translator …

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Charlotte Brontë Podcasts

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