I Thought I Was Studying Literature. I Was Wrong (E204)

Writer and Columbia English graduate **Liza Libes** argues that modern English departments and publishing houses have replaced the study of literature with ideology, leaving classic works filtered through political theories rather than literary analysis. ### Guest Bio **Liza Libes** is a writer, entrepreneur, and creator of the Substack **Pens and Poison**, where she explores literature, culture, publishing, higher education, and the political forces shaping the humanities. A Columbia University English graduate, she writes extensively about the decline of literary education and the future of reading and writing. ### Topics Discussed - Columbia University's English department - Shakespeare and ideological literary criticism - Pronouns, identity politics, and campus culture - Marxism in literature curricula - Why college turns students toward socialism - The role of Karl Marx, Judith Butler, and Edward Said in English departments - The decline of the Western literary canon - The modern publishing industry's ideological capture - Why many contemporary novels fail commercially - Self-publishing vs traditional publishing - AI, ChatGPT, and the future of writing - Favorite books, authors, and poets - The value of studying English in the AI age ### Main Points 01. **English departments increasingly teach theory rather than literature.** - Students are often taught Marxist, post-colonial, gender, and identity theories before engaging deeply with the texts themselves. 02. **Literary interpretation has become ideologically constrained.** - Libes argues students are rewarded for repeating approved interpretations rather than developing their own. 03. **Marxist and critical theory dominate many humanities programs.** - Marx, Judith Butler, and Edward Said occupy a central place in many literature courses. 04. **Universities create self-reinforcing ideological systems.** - Professors train students who later become professors, editors, agents, and publishing gatekeepers. 05. **Publishing mirrors academia.** - The same ideological preferences found in English departments often determine which books get published and promoted. 06. **Many award-winning contemporary novels have little cultural impact.** - Literary prestige increasingly comes from institutional approval rather than broad readership. 07. **The publishing industry misunderstands its audience.** - Publishers focus heavily on narrow demographic trends while ignoring many serious readers. 08. **AI is making writing more important, not less important.** - Strong writing will become a premium skill because it reflects clear thinking and original thought. 09. **Reading great literature remains essential.** - Literature connects readers to enduring human experiences that transcend politics. 10. **There is still hope for the English major.** - The solution is not abandoning literature but reclaiming it from ideological capture. ### Top 3 Quotes **1.** > "English departments teach ideology rather than literature." **2.** > "The only way to become a great writer was to read great literature." **3.** > "If you can write substantially better than the AI, you will be a rare commodity on the job market." ### Books Discussed Literature & Fiction - A Midsummer Night's Dream - Twelfth Night - The Merchant of Venice - The Taming of the Shrew - Metamorphoses - Pale Fire - Lolita - The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Anna Karenina - The Brothers Karamazov - Giovanni's Room - Beloved - Catch-22 Nonfiction / Theory - The Communist Manifesto - Das Kapital - The Strange Death of Europe Recommended by Liza - The World of Yesterday Poets Discussed - T. S. Eliot - John Keats - Samuel Taylor Coleridge - Philip Larkin - Sylvia Plath - William Ernest Henley ### Podcast Theme in One Sentence A wide-ranging conversation about how ideology transformed literature departments, reshaped publishing, and why reading and writing may become even more valuable in the age of 🎙 *The Pod* is hosted by Jesse Wright 💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/ 📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts. ⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us.   Thanks for listening!