765 Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne (with Mike Palindrome)

The History of Literature

Jacke Wilson

History, Arts, Books

4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 8 January 2026

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In Puritan New England, a young man leaves Faith, his wife, to go into the forest to meet the Devil. It's a story "as deep as Dante," said Herman Melville. In this episode, Jacke reads "Young Goodman Brown," by Nathaniel Hawthorne, then Jacke and Mike discuss the story that Stephen King has called "one of the ten best stories written by an American." Join Jacke on a trip through literary England! Join Jacke and fellow literature fans on an eight-day journey through literary England in partnership with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠John Shors Travel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ in May 2026! Scheduled stops include The Charles Dickens Museum, Dr. Johnson's house, Jane Austen's Bath, Tolkien's Oxford, Shakespeare's Globe Theater, and more. Learn more by emailing jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or masahiko@johnshorstravel.com, or by contacting us through our website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Act soon - there are limited spots available! 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.
0:08.8	Why do growing businesses love working in Slack? Let's ask Christia Ari Bikes.
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0:31.2	I would explode.
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0:59.0	serenity. Brought to you by twining sleep. Twinings. Alive in every drop. Hello. On its surface, the story is simple.
1:12.9	A man living in 17th century New England heads out one night to a forest where he plans to meet the devil.
1:20.0	But in the hands of Nathaniel Hawthorne, the story takes on depth.
1:24.4	It's as deep as Dante, said Melville.
1:30.8	One of the ten greatest stories ever written by an American, said Stephen King, who wrote one of his very best stories, The Man in the Black Hat,
1:37.1	as a kind of tribute. Nathaniel Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown, both story and commentary today on the history of literature.
2:00.5	Okay, here we go. Welcome to the podcast. I'm Jack Wilson. It's Young Goodman Brown, a classic American short story. And it led me to ask my friend of 30 years, Mike Pallandrom, whether he believes in the devil. When's the last time you asked a friend that? It's a good conversation starter. Try it at your next
	...

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