meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The History of Literature

178 "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson (with Evie Lee)

The History of Literature

Jacke Wilson

History, Arts, Books

4.61.3K Ratings

🗓️ 6 February 2019

⏱️ 64 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, we take a look at the classic twentieth-century American short story, "The Lottery" (1948) by Shirley Jackson. Why did it cause such an uproar? Who banned it and why? And how well does it hold up today? We'll be discussing all this and more with special guest Evie Lee. SHIRLEY JACKSON was born in 1916 in San Francisco, California, before leaving to attend college at Syracuse University. After marrying her college sweetheart, whom she met at the university's literary magazine, she resettled in Vermont and began her brief but highly successful literary career. Her best works, like The Haunting of Hill House (1959) and "The Lottery," continue to provoke readers with their shocking twists and disturbing effects. Although she was only 48 when she died of a heart condition in 1965, she left behind six novels, two memoirs, and over 200 short stories.   NOTE: "The Lottery" is one of the most spoilable stories ever written. But no need to fear: we will be reading the story in its entirety before our discussion. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. (We appreciate it!) Find out more at historyofliterature.com, jackewilson.com, or by following Jacke and Mike on Twitter at @thejackewilson and @literatureSC. Or send an email to jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com.   *** This show is a part of the Podglomerate network, a company that produces, distributes, and monetizes podcasts. We encourage you to visit the website and sign up for our newsletter for more information about our shows, launches, and events. For more information on how The Podglomerate treats data, please see our Privacy Policy.  Since you're listening to The History of Literature, we'd like to suggest you also try other Podglomerate shows surrounding literature, history, and storytelling like Storybound, Micheaux Mission, and The History of Standup. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

The History of Literature Podcast is a member of the Podglamorate Network and LIT Hub Radio.

0:07.0

Hello, I'm Jack Wilson.

0:11.0

Welcome to The History of Literature. Okay, here we go. Welcome to the show. We have a great episode today.

0:33.9

Evie Lee is back, the newly minted vice president of the Literature Supporters Club.

0:40.3

She's here to talk about one of the most famous short stories of the 20th century, The Lottery by Charlie Jackson.

0:46.5

And this story is probably one of the most

0:50.3

spoilable stories of all time, So please go read it now if you want to read it in a hard

0:56.4

copy or you can just hang on because we are going to read it for you right here on the

1:02.0

history of literature podcast some bonus content. are going to read it for you right here on the History of Literature Podcast.

1:03.6

Some bonus content for you. It's an amazing story with a fantastic ending and it's got

1:09.6

some ambiguities that Evie and I will dive into afterwards.

1:15.1

What does it mean?

1:16.4

Why did it provoke the reaction it did?

1:19.0

And how does it hold up 70-some years later?

1:21.9

Is it still as powerful today? And if so, why? And if not, why not?

1:29.0

So that's what, oh, excuse me. Someone seems to be at the door here. Hello? Is that someone right?

1:36.8

Hello, this is Bartleby. Yes. Hello, Bartleby.

1:41.2

The Scrivener.

1:43.0

Ah, now I know who you are.

1:45.0

You might know me from the story by Herman Melville called

1:50.0

Bartleby, the Scrivener.

1:55.0

Yes.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Jacke Wilson, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Jacke Wilson and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.