How a poem changed western civilization

On this episode, we have Stephen Greenblatt, an author with high accolades!

Stephen is Cogan University Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University. He is the author of fourteen books, including Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics; The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve; and The Swerve: How the World Became Modern. He is General Editor of The Norton Anthology of English Literature and of The Norton Shakespeare. His honors include the 2016 Holberg Prize from the Norwegian Parliament, the 2012 Pulitzer Prize and the 2011 National Book Award for The Swerve. He was recently inducted into the British Academy. We talk about the inspiration he had in writing the book, The Swerve.

Tony, Stew, and Stephen discuss about the variations in Lucretius’ poem and the impact transcription could have on this poem. You’ll also learn about how Lucretius was ahead of his time but also alone in his thoughts, as the concepts he wrote about were the exact opposite of the thinkings of the people of that time. This episode is full of information and taught in a way that anyone can learn from!

Find Stephen on IG @harvardenglish!

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