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Pod and Prejudice
Also in Books
Arts
Literature and History
by Doug Metzger
Today: #132 in Arts on our combined chart.
Today: #133 in Arts, Canada on our combined chart.
Today: #142 in Arts, Australia on our combined chart.
Today: #132 in Arts, Philippines on our combined chart.
Chart positions today · United States
Not on the United Kingdom charts we track today.
Not on the Germany charts we track today.
Not on the Brazil charts we track today.
Not on the Mexico charts we track today.
Not on the New Zealand charts we track today.
Not on the Ireland charts we track today.
Not on the India charts we track today.
Not on the Japan charts we track today.
Not on the South Africa charts we track today.
If you like Literature and History, try…
Off the Page: A Columbia University Press Podcast
Also in Books
History of the Philippines
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Myths and Legends
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Songs, Merry and Sad
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The University of Chicago Press Podcast
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Ranking history · United States
Latest daily rankings: Oct 27. New rankings will appear after the next update.
Position on the Arts combined chart over the last 14 days. Toggle platforms to compare their positions. Lower rank numbers are better.
Episode releases
View as table
| Date | Combined Rank | Apple Podcasts | Castbox |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 27 | #132 | #100 | — |
| Oct 26 | #113 | #85 | #79 |
| Oct 25 | #118 | #88 | #79 |
| Oct 24 | #117 | #87 | #85 |
| Oct 23 | #108 | #79 | #79 |
| Oct 22 | #120 | #90 | #90 |
| Oct 21 | #119 | #89 | #89 |
| Oct 20 | #108 | #78 | #75 |
| Oct 19 | #100 | #70 | #72 |
| Oct 18 | #104 | #74 | #76 |
| Oct 17 | #106 | #76 | #83 |
| Oct 16 | #143 | #113 | — |
| Oct 15 | #154 | #124 | — |
| Oct 14 | #167 | #136 | — |
Latest episodes
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An Introduction to Early Medieval Literature
October 15, 2026 · 2 hr 32 minNEW BONUS CONTENT CHANNEL (100 hours of stuff. Episodes on your favorite app. First week free, $9/month, cancel any time.) Bonus Content (Buy it the normal way): https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content Learn about how…
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We Are the Grass
September 11, 2026 · 2 hr 8 minNEW BONUS CONTENT CHANNEL (100 hours of stuff. Episodes on your favorite app. First week free, $9/month, cancel any time.) Bonus Content (Buy it the normal way): https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content A retrospective on our…
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Early Sufism
August 15, 2026 · 1 hr 56 minSufism emerged in the 700s and 800s as a powerful part of Islam's development under the caliphates. This episode covers its early history, focusing on a generation of thinkers who lived between about 850 and 920. Episode 128 Quiz…
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Bashshar ibn Burd
July 15, 2026 · 2 hr 2 minDOUG'S NEW BOOK - The Odyssey: An Illustrated Guide COLORING BOOK VERSION - The Odyssey Coloring Book Bashshar ibn Burd, feisty, restless, brilliant, and wise, was one of the founding figures of Classical Arabic poetry. Learn about…
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Kalilah and Dimnah
June 15, 2026 · 2 hr 12 minKalilah 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…
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The Zoroastrian Bundahisn
May 15, 2026 · 2 hr 3 minThe 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…
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The Last Great War of Antiquity
April 15, 2026 · 2 hr 14 minDOUG'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://literaturea…
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An Introduction to the Hadiths
March 15, 2026 · 2 hr 1 minThe 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…
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The Early Abbasid Caliphate
February 15, 2026 · 2 hr 25 minFrom 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…
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The Umayyad Caliphate
January 15, 2026 · 2 hr 15 minThe 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…
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The Rashidun Caliphate
December 15, 2025 · 2 hr 25 minThe 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…
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The Qur'an, Part 3: Origins
October 22, 2025 · 2 hr 19 minThe 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…
About the show
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.