682 The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature (with Farah Jasmine Griffin) [Ad-Free Re-Release]

The History of Literature

Jacke Wilson

History, Books, Arts

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 27 February 2025

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As America closes out this year's Black History Month, Jacke dives into the archives for one of his favorite episodes, which featured a conversation with Columbia University professor Farah Jasmine Griffin about her book Read Until You Understand: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature. PLUS friend of the show Scott Carter stops by to talk about the version of the gospels that Charles Dickens wrote. This episode originally ran on November 15, 2021. It's presented here without the insertion of advertising. 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.
0:09.0	Hello, as America closes out Black History Month, we rerun one of our favorite episodes of all time,
0:17.1	our discussion with Farah Jasmine Griffin, plus a little Charles Dickens with our old friend
0:22.6	Scott Carter. Here we go, the Farah Jasmine Griffin episode, as originally presented in 2021,
0:31.1	and given to you today without advertising on the history of literature.
0:36.9	Hello, I'm holding a book in my hand right now, a beautiful book,
0:42.2	slim and unassuming, but as dense and rich as liquid gold. It feels great to hold it, actually,
0:50.0	and it's even better to read. It's rare that I read nonfiction with the same pace I give to poetry.
0:56.9	If I like a book of poetry, I can read it in an hour or two. Why not? Just zip through them and see what's there.
1:04.9	If I love a book of poetry, it overwhelms me. I can't take too much of it at once. I have to spend as much
1:12.6	time thinking about a poem, or sometimes even a line of a poem, before I can take more in.
1:20.0	Can't move on from one to the next. I have to stop, set it down. Think about it. It is very, very rare that essays work like this for me, but this book does.
1:34.4	It's called Read Until You Understand the profound wisdom of black life and literature.
1:41.1	It's a wonderful book by a wonderful author, Farah Jasmine Griffin.
1:46.8	She joins us today on The History of Literature.
2:07.8	Music Okay, here we go. Hello, everyone. Welcome to the podcast. I'm Jack Wilson. What a great, great episode we have for you today. First up, we're going to have part two of our talk with Scott Carter.
2:18.6	Scott has written a play called Discord, the Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens, and Count Leo Tolstoy.
2:25.5	All three of those historical figures wrote their own version of the New Testament.
2:31.2	In today's installment, we will hear how and why Dickens put together his version.
2:37.9	Let's just say that he's no Thomas Jefferson. I think when you hear this one, especially if you
2:43.2	heard the last one, our last installment, you will think, what a great idea for a play.
2:50.5	Putting these three in a room together and letting them hash it out.
	...

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