Geoffrey Chaucer 5 key things to know
William Shakespeare
Stephen Unwin unpicks Shakespeare’s complex portrayals of working people, asking how much these characters reflect the reality of living and working in Elizabethan England
A name that does not need an introduction, William Shakespeare’s legacy as one of the most influential writers in history is assured. But does it deserve to be? In an episode of our podcast series…
In episode four of our new series on history’s most well-known conspiracy theories, we ask why many people don’t believe that William Shakespeare was the real author of the plays attributed to him.
Love reading? Think you know the classics? Know your sonnets from your soliloquies? Test your knowledge with our language and literature quiz...
From her relationship with royals to Regency attitudes towards female writers, Lizzie Rogers answers listener questions on the world in which Jane Austen wrote
Netflix’s 2022 adaptation of Jane Austen’s final completed novel is out – and it’s not a traditional take on the Regency romance. Dr Lizzie Rogers, a historian specialising in the 18th century,…
For many, Jane Austen's novels help to define the Regency period. Here, Peter James Bowman explores the real routines and rituals of the wealthy Georgian families portrayed by Austen, and considers…
Jane Austen (1775–1817) is one of the most recognised names in English literature. Her six major novels – Pride and Prejudice; Sense and Sensibility; Persuasion;…
Following the verdict in the ‘Wagatha Christie’ libel trial in the UK’s High Court, historian Sean Lang explains how the law of libel and defamation has developed in England and looks at nine…
It was a bitter conclusion to a life that had so often featured glittering success. Emma Slattery Williams explores the decline of celebrated Irish writer Oscar Wilde
The Anglo-Irish Victorian playwright Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was the toast of 1890s London, famous for his society plays and flamboyant wit, as well as his support of aestheticism. He later became…
Released in UK cinemas on 15 June, The Happy Prince dramatises the final three years of Oscar Wilde's life - spent in exile in France and Italy, suffering abuse and humiliation, and dying…
Book recommendations
Charles Dickens
Historical anniversaries June
Great poets from history
Poetry and protest WW1 poet Siegfried Sassoon
He is remembered as one of the greatest poets of his generation. But what drove Siegfried Sassoon to decry the horrors of World War I so publicly, even when he risked facing the wrath of his own side?
WW1 poets 5 famous figures you should know about
From scathing verses on the horrors of life in the trenches to laments on the tragedy of a lost generation, the First World War inspired some of British poetry's most poignant and affecting work.…
Geoffrey Chaucer is often hailed as the ‘father of English literature’. Yet, argues Marion Turner, who has written an acclaimed biography of the poet, this epithet fails to capture the radical nature…
The Brontës
Emily Brontë is perhaps best known for her bestselling novel Wuthering Heights and for being the sister of the famous Charlotte, Anne and (Patrick) Branwell Brontë. But how much do you know…
Against a backdrop of incredible personal tragedy, three modest, Victorian women from Yorkshire would forever change the face of English literature. Mel Sherwood reveals the unfortunate and unlikely…
One of the most celebrated literary families of the 19th century, the Brontës were part of a post-war generation, with Charlotte Brontë, the eldest child, born in 1816, a year after the decisive…
"She didn't twiddle her thumbs. She got on with things – and she paved the way for other female writers. Her novels have a feminist twist, and she had a strong sense that life wasn't fair for women":…
LITERATURE | HistoryExtra podcast episodes
A brief history of language and literature
Children's literature
He is one of Britain's most beloved writers, the creator of more than 20 children's books including Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The BFG. But how much do…
To mark the 20-year anniversary of the release of the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Dr Hetta Howes investigates the real history that inspired JK Rowling’s magical world…
As a new exhibition at the V&A Museum in London celebrates the life and inspirations of the beloved children’s author, Sarah Gristwood considers how the much-forgotten elements of Beatrix’s Potter’s…
What are some of the best historical fiction books for children? The team behind BBC History Magazine, BBC History Revealed and HistoryExtra reveal some of their top…
