660 "Wakefield" by Nathaniel Hawthorne | My Last Book with Amelia Possanza

The History of Literature

Jacke Wilson

History, Books, Arts

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 12 December 2024

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Before his marriage, before meeting Herman Melville, and before the publication of The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne was living in near seclusion, writing the stories that formed his first collection Twice-Told Tales. Edgar Allan Poe was impressed: "His tone is singularly effective," he wrote, "wild, plaintive, thoughtful, and in full accordance with his themes...We look upon him as one of the few men of indisputable genius to whom our country has as yet given birth." In this episode, Jacke takes a look at one of these Twice-Told Tales, the short story "Wakefield," in which a Londoner abandons his wife, takes up residence one street away, then rejoins his family after twenty years as if he'd never left. The story is read in full by Emma Wilson, HOL producer. PLUS Amelia Possanza (Lesbian Love Story: A Memoir in Archives) stops by to discuss her choice for the last book she will ever read. Additional listening: 296 Nathaniel Hawthorne 461 The Peabody Sisters (with Megan Marshall) 297 The Scarlet Letter The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at gabrielruizbernal.com. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/donate. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The History of Literature Podcast is a member of the Podglomerate Network and Lit Hub Radio.
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1:05.8	Hello, a man in London walks out of his house, stealing one last glance at his family as the door closes,
1:13.6	then disappears for another life. Where does he live? What does he do? And why? We peer at Nathaniel Hawthorne's
1:23.8	brilliant short story, Wakefield, today on the history of literature.
1:42.3	Okay, here we go.
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	...

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