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350 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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Episode 51: Discussing Simone Weil's Essay on Education
2 juni 2020 · 1 uur 48 min
On this week's episode of The Literary Life podcast, our hosts have a converation about Simone Weil's essay "Reflections on the Right Use of School Studies with a View to the Love of God". Angelina Stanford opens this discussion talking about stories as a lens to see other perspectives, rather than our own. Thomas Banks gives some biographical information on Simone Weil. Cindy Rollins highlights the connections she made from this essay to Charlotte Mason and Stratford Caldecott, especially in regards to attention and remembrance. Lees meer
They talk about the problems of being counter-cultural in education, pride versus humility as an end of education, and training of the will. Cindy and Angelina emphasize the importance of the work of education over "making the grade." Thomas reads a quote from Weil on keeping periods of focused work brief, and Cindy expounds on how this concept was also very important to Charlotte Mason. Angelina talks about her own conviction in reading Weil's words about learning from those subjects which do not come easily for us. The conversation wraps up with our hosts talking about waiting on God instead of trying to force results, in all areas of our lives.
Until next time, check out our Upcoming Events page to view our summer schedule and see what we will be reading together next! Don't forget to check out the summer courses and webinars that Angelina and Thomas have coming up over at HouseofHumaneLetters.com!
Commonplace Quotes:
When we think of a friend, we do not count that a lost thought, though the friend never knew of it.
John Donne
Oxford is, Lewis said, a "dangerous place for a book lover. Every second shop has something you want." According to Warren Lewis, his brother soon learned to discipline such inclinations: "In his younger days he was something of a bibliophile, but in middle and later life very seldom bought a book if he could consult it in the Bodleian: long years of poverty, self-inflicted but grinding, had made this econom…
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Episode 50: The Great Divorce, Ch. 11-14
19 mei 2020 · 1 uur 31 min
This week on The Literary Life Podcast, Angelina, Cindy and Thomas wrap up their discussion of C. S. Lewis' The Great Divorce with the final chapters 11-14. Before starting their talk about the book, Cindy shares about her upcoming Summer Discipleship Program, Morning Time for Moms. Angelina and Thomas also have some exciting summer courses coming up on Classical Greek Drama and Flannery O'Connor. Also, this Thursday, May 21, 2020, Thomas is giving a webinar on George Orwell. Lees meer
Cindy and Angelina talk about the dangers of familial love becoming the end-all-be-all, as well as Lewis' exploration of Dante's idea of sin. They go in depth with this exploration of sin as a distortion of something that might naturally seem good and the way Lewis pairs people to demonstrate that in these chapters. Angelina talks about the medieval view of ordered man versus the disordered man and how that relates to the man with the horse. They wrap up with the importance of stories in depicting truth in a veiled way, instead of only theological argument and discourse, in helping us live out our faith in a properly ordered way.
Until next time, check out our Upcoming Events page to view our summer schedule and see what we will be reading together next!
Commonplace Quotes:
We chose from the library shelves any book of Tales for the Young, and took much pleasure in prophesying the events. We could rely on Providence to punish the naughty and bring to notice the heroism of the good, and generally grant an early death to both. Why was there a bull in a field? To gore the disobedient. Why did cholera break out? To kill the child who went down a forbidden street. The names told us much: Tom, Sam, or Jack were predestined to evil, while a Frank could do nothing but good. Henry was a bit uncertain: he might lead his little sister into that field with bravado, or he might attack the bull to save her life at the cost of his own. We had bettings of gooseberries on such points.
M. V. Hughes
Exagge…
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Episode 49: The Great Divorce, Ch. 7-10
12 mei 2020 · 1 uur 30 min
On The Literary Life podcast today, our hosts Angelina Stanford, Cindy Rollins and Thomas Banks discuss chapters 7-10 of C. S. Lewis' The Great Divorce. Angelina points out the way in which Lewis uses the "newcomer" character to explain the world he has created. They discuss the various personalities Lewis presents who choose not to take the journey to heaven, sharing how these sketches often hit a little too close to home. Lees meer
They also talk about the influence of George MacDonald on Lewis and his role in this story. Thomas helps us make some connections with Lewis and Virgil, as well as explaining some of the references made by MacDonald's character. Cindy points out how our loves can be entryways into either heaven or hell. Join us again next week as we finish up our discussion of The Great Divorce together! (Amazon affiliate links are used in this content.)
Commonplace Quotes:
Meanwhile, you will write an essay on self-indulgence. There will be a prize of half a crown for the longest essay, irrespective of any possible merit.
Evelyn Waugh
Shame belongs, rather, to the bookish recluse who knows not how to apply his reading to the good of his fellows or to manifest its fruit to the eyes of all.
Cicero
It is simply my lifelong experience—that men are more likely to hand over to others what they ought to do themselves, and women more likely to do themselves what others wish they would leave alone. Hence both sexes must be told "Mind your own business," but in two different senses!
C. S. Lewis
To The Skylark
by William Wordsworth
Ethereal minstrel! pilgrim of the sky!
Dost thou despise the earth where cares abound?
Or, while the wings aspire, are heart and eye
Both with thy nest upon the dewy ground?
Thy nest which thou canst drop into at will,
Those quivering wings composed, that music still!Leave to the nightingale her shady wood;
A privacy of glorious light is thine;
Whence thou dost pour upon the world a flood
Of harmony, with instinct more divine;
Type… -
Episode 48: The Great Divorce, Ch. 2-6
5 mei 2020 · 1 uur 21 min
On The Literary Life podcast today, our hosts Angelina Stanford, Cindy Rollins and Thomas Banks discuss chapters 2-6 of C. S. Lewis' The Great Divorce. Angelina reminds us as we begin this exploration of Lewis' narrative not to read too much theology into the details of this dreamlike world he creates. Cindy points out the similarities between these chapters and his descriptions at the end of The Last Battle. Thomas highlights the passage on Napoleon from chapter 2, showing what Lewis envisioned hell to be like. Angelina, Cindy and Thomas talks about the description of the land near heaven, the various characters' responses, as well as the weight of the actual environment and Lewis' picture of those who people it. (Affiliate links are used in this content.) Lees meer
Commonplace Quotes:
We long for paradise because we were created for paradise. We were created to live in an environment that cooperates with, not fights against, our desires. We were created for Eden, a place we've never been, and so we desire a perfect life full of healthy relationships.
Julie Sparkman
Anyone who puts himself forward to be elected to a position of political power is almost bound to be socially or emotionally insecure, or criminally motivated, or mad.
Auberon Waugh
"The secret is not to dream," she whispered. "The secret is to wake up. Waking up is harder. I have woken up and now I am real. I know where I come from and where I'm going. You cannot fool me anymore. Or touch me. Or anything that is mine."
Terry Pratchett
The Stricken Deer
by William Cowper
I was a stricken deer, that left the herd
Long since; with many an arrow deep infixt
My panting side was charg'd, when I withdrew
To seek a tranquil death in distant shades.
There was I found by one who had himself
Been hurt by th' archers. In his side he bore,
And in his hands and feet, the cruel scars.
With gentle force soliciting the darts,
He drew them forth, and heal'd, and bade me live.
Since then, with few associates, in remote
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Episode 47: The Great Divorce, Preface & Ch. 1
28 april 2020 · 1 uur 24 min
On The Literary Life podcast today, Cindy Rollins, Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks begin their series on The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis. Today you are going to get a crash-course in Medievalism through Lewis' story, and we hope you will enjoy this book as much as our hosts do. Angelina kicks off the discussion even while sharing her commonplace quote, sharing some information about the epigraph and front matter. She gives us some historical context, both for where this books comes in Lewis' own timeline, as well as some ideas of the journey of the soul and medieval dream literature. Lees meer
Thomas gives some background on Prudentius and his allegorical work The Psychomachia. Angelina goes into some comparisons between The Great Divorce and Dante's Divine Comedy. Thomas talks about Nathanial Hawthorne's short story The Celestial Railroad as a satire of Pilgrim's Progress. Also, if you haven't read and listened to E. M. Forster's Celestial Omnibus, see Episode 17. As they get into discussing the Preface, Thomas give us some information on William Blake. We will be back next week with a discussion on Chapters 2-6.
Listen to The Literary Life:
Commonplace Quotes:
We do not obtain the most precious gifts by going in search of them but by waiting for them. Man cannot discover them by his own powers and if he sets out to seek for them he will find in their place counterfeits of which he will be unable to discern the falsity.
Simone Weil
No, there is no escape. There is no heaven with a little of hell in it–no plan to retain this of that of the devil in our hearts or our pockets. Out Satan must go, every hair and feather.
George MacDonald
A poet is not a man who says "look at me", but rather a man who points at something and says "look at that."
C. S. Lewis
MCMXIV
by Philip Larkin
Those long uneven lines
Standing as patiently
As if they were stretched outside
The Oval or Villa Park,
The crowns of hats, the sun
On moustached archaic faces
Grinning as if it were all… -
Episode 46: "The Importance of Being Earnest" Act 3
21 april 2020 · 1 uur 22 min
On today's episode of The Literary Life podcast, our fearless hosts discuss Oscar Wilde's unraveling of the tangle of plot points in Act 3 of The Importance of Being Earnest. Cindy Rollins talks about her reaction to Act 3 and how it gets resolved. Thomas Banks observes how Wilde sets up the conflict with the possibility to become a tragedy like Oedipus Rex instead of a comedy. Angelina Stanford talks about the theme of the identity quest, tokens of identity and foundlings in literature. The conversation, as in previous episodes, centers around the way Wilde pokes fun at Victorian ideals and cliches. Lees meer
Commonplace Quotes:
Wear your learning like your watch, in a private pocket; and do not pull it out and strike it merely to show that you have one.
Lord Chesterfield
We must travel this path as lovers, amateurs, of the Word and of words because all things reveal themselves more truly to the eyes of love.
Stratford Caldecott
Time's glory is to calm contending kings,
To unmask falsehood, and bring truth to light, To stamp the seal of time in aged things, To wake the morn and sentinel the night, To wrong the wronger till he render right; To ruinate proud buildings with thy hours, And smear with dust their glittering golden towers.
William Shakespeare
Easter Wings
by George Herbert
Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store,
Though foolishly he lost the same,
Decaying more and more,
Till he became
Most poore:
With thee
O let me rise
As larks, harmoniously,
And sing this day thy victories:
Then shall the fall further the flight in me.My tender age in sorrow did beginne
And still with sicknesses and shame.
Thou didst so punish sinne,
That I became
Most thinne.
With thee
Let me combine,
And feel thy victorie:
For, if I imp my wing on thine,
Affliction shall advance the flight in me.Book List:
Beauty in the Word by Stratford Caldecott
Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
The White Company by Arthur Conan Doyle
Brigadier Gerard by Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Nigel by Arthur…
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Episode 45: "The Importance of Being Earnest" Act 2
14 april 2020 · 1 uur 25 min
On today's episode of The Literary Life podcast, Cindy, Thomas and Angelina cover Act 2 of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. Angelina is excited to share her research on the connection between the work of Oscar Wilde and P. G. Wodehouse. Cindy brings up Booth Tarkington's Penrod books as another example of witty, humorous literature. Thomas points out the importance of cultural lens for appreciating humor in art. They also talk about all the puns that Wilde gives his characters in this play. Lees meer
Angelina discusses the reformed rake motif in Victorian literature and how Wilde plays with this theme. Thomas gives a little background on the mentions of lending libraries and the three-volume novel. Cindy talks about the parallels between the Victorians' high view of earnestness and our modern valuation of transparency. Angelina contrasts Oscar Wilde and his contemporary Thomas Hardy in the way that Wilde handles heavy topics with a light touch. They all agree that Wilde has an almost Shakespearean plot in complexity and manages to pull it all together at the end.
Listen to The Literary Life:
Commonplace Quotes:
About the lack of religious education: of course you must be grieved, but remember how much religious education has exactly the opposite effect to that which was intended, how many hard atheists come from pious homes. May we not hope, with God's mercy, that a similarly opposite effect may be produced in her case? Parents are not Providence: their bad intentions may be frustrated as their good ones.
C. S. Lewis
It is faintly amusing when one reads about society lapsing back into paganism. I, for one, would think it rather a picturesque incident if the Prime Minister were to sacrifice an ox in the temple of Venus.
C. S. Lewis
Hell is a state of mind – ye never said a truer word. And every state of mind, left to itself, every shutting up of the creature within the dungeon of its own mind – is, in the end, Hell. But Heaven is not a state of mind. Hea…
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Episode 44: "The Importance of Being Earnest" Act 1
7 april 2020 · 1 uur 27 min
This week on The Literary Life podcast, our hosts dive into Act 1 of Oscar Wilde's satirical play The Importance of Being Earnest. Angelina, Cindy and Thomas share their commonplace quotes, which leads into a conversation on education before they begin talking about the play. Thomas talks about the name of the play as well as the name "Ernest" in context of this time period. Angelina highlights her excitement of noticing the connection between Wilde's humor and P. G. Wodehouse. Angelina talks about the changing roles of social classes in the late Victorian age and how that comes into this story. Our hosts go through this first act and discuss the social conventions at which Wilde is poking fun. Lees meer
Commonplace Quotes:
We find that the mind is better fed by digesting a page than by devouring a volume.
Thomas Macaulay
Education is an admirable thing. But it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.
Oscar Wilde
The greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something and tell what it saw in a plain way. Hundreds of people can talk for one who can think, but thousands can think for one who can see. To see clearly is poetry, prophecy and religion, all in one.
John Ruskin
Kew Gardens
by D. M. Black
(in memory of Ian Armstrong Black, d. 1971)
Distinguished scientist, to whom I greatly defer
(old man, moreover, whom I dearly love),
I walk today in Kew Gardens, in sunlight the colour of honey
which flows from the cold autumnal blue of the heavens to light these tans and golds,
these ripe corn and leather and sunset colours of the East Asian liriodendrons,
of the beeches and maples and plum-trees and the stubborn green banks of
the holly hedges –
and you walk always beside me, you with your knowledge of names
and your clairvoyant gaze, in what for me is sheer panorama
seeing the net or web of connectedness. But today it is I who speak
(and you are long dead, but it is to you I say it):'The leaves are g…
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Episode 43: The Literary World of Oscar Wilde
31 maart 2020 · 1 uur 19 min
On today's episode of The Literary Life, our hosts, Cindy Rollins, Thomas Banks and Angelina Stanford introduce us to Oscar Wilde and our next literary selection, his satirical play The Importance of Being Earnest. They begin with a discussion on the purpose of art and literature in depicting truth without preaching it at us, making so many connections along the way. Thomas gives us a biographical sketch of Oscar Wilde, both his life and work. Angelina expands on the emphasis on respectability in Victorian society. Cindy talks about her first experience with reading Oscar Wilde and the accessibility of his plays. Lees meer
Commonplace Quotes:
For your face I have exchanged all faces.
Philip Larkin
Just as conscience, or the moral sense, recognizes duty; just as the intellect deals with the truth; so is it the part of taste alone to form us of BEAUTY. And Poesy is the handmaiden but of Taste. Yet we would not be misunderstood. This handmaiden is not forbidden to moralize–in her own fashion. She is not forbidden to depict–but to reason and preach, of virtue. As, of this latter, conscience recognizes the obligation, so intellect teaches the expediency, while taste contents herself with displaying the beauty waging war with vice merely on the ground of its inconsistency with fitness, harmony, proportion–in a word with beauty.
Edgar Allan Poe
The diversity of Ruskin's concerns was not simply the product of a restlessly questioning mind. He was convinced of the vital connections between things, as they bind and blend themselves together. The Intellectual separations that characterize the modern professionalization of knowledge seemed to him corrosive, a denial of what unites different levels of human experience—spiritual and aesthetic, political and scientific, historical and contemporary. His argument is always that knowledge connects. He wants readers to these connections, as clearly and comprehensively, as they can. This is an exercise in humility, since it confirms the i…
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TLLepisode42 mixdown
24 maart 2020 · 1 uur 18 min
In light of the recent changes to all our lives, The Literary Life crew is breaking from the previously announced schedule to discuss the importance of stories in times of crisis. But first, we want you to know about a special gift from Cindy Rollins. You can download a PDF copy of her Handbook of Morning Time for free by visiting her shop here. You can also purchase the replays of the Re-Enchanting the World online conference at HouseofHumaneLetters.com. Lees meer
Angelina talks about the impulse of humanity to turn to stories during time of upheaval and plague. Cindy points out the need we have for an ordered universe, and that this is one of the things good books provide. Together with Thomas, they discuss how important it is to find stories that reassure us that there is order and redemption to come. They also give some recommendations for personal reading as well as family read-alouds for these challenging times. Finally, our hosts give us an update with how they are doing with their own 20 for 2020 Reading Challenge lists.
If you would like more bonus content, especially our new monthly live chats called "All Fellows Eve", become a Patreon supporter of The Literary Life!
Listen to The Literary Life:
Commonplace Quotes:
An important part of a child's education is storytelling, since good stories excite the imagination and strengthen the bond between parent and child.
St. John Chrysostom
It is in the essential nature of fashion to blind us to its meaning and the causes from which it springs.
Edwin Muir
Unless the writer has gone utterly out of his mind, his aim is still communication, and communications suggests talking inside community.
Flannery O'Connor
Sonnet 6
by William Shakespeare
Tir'd with all these, for restful death I cry,
As, to behold desert a beggar born,
And needy nothing trimm'd in jollity,
And purest faith unhappily forsworn,
And guilded honour shamefully misplaced,
And maiden virtue rudely strumpeted,
And right perfection wrongfully disgrace… -
Episode 41: The Art of Writing, Part 2
17 maart 2020 · 1 uur 5 min
Welcome back to The Literary Life Podcast and our discussion of the Art of Writing! If you missed last week's discussion, you can go back and catch up here. We start off today with Angelina Stanford asking Karen Glass about the principles of good writing. Karen talks a bit about William Zinsser and his ideas about writing and education. Our hosts give some practical encouragement to the average homeschool parent listening to this conversation. Cindy highlights the value of waiting to teach specific skills until students are old enough to process them. Lees meer
Angelina, Cindy and Karen talk about narration in the Charlotte Mason education, its benefits and its challenges. They emphasize the importance of guiding children to think well instead of just learning mechanical skills devoid of context. Angelina brings up the sensitive topic of assessing and grading writing. Karen leaves us with a challenge to narrate this podcast discussion in writing in order to apply what you've learned!
Loving In Truth
by Sir Philip Sydney
Loving in truth, and fain in verse my love to show,
That she, dear she, might take some pleasure of my pain,
Pleasure might cause her read, reading might make her know,
Knowledge might pity win, and pity grace obtain,—
I sought fit words to paint the blackest face of woe,
Studying inventions fine, her wits to entertain,
Oft turning others' leaves, to see if thence would flow
Some fresh and fruitful showers upon my sunburned brain.
But words came halting forth, wanting Invention's stay:
Invention, Nature's child, fled step-dame Study's blows,
And others' feet still seemed but strangers in my way.
Thus great with child to speak, and helpless in my throes,
Biting my truant pen, beating myself for spite:
"Fool," said my Muse to me, "look in thy heart and write."Book List:
Writing to Learn by William Zinsser
Support The Literary Life:
Become a patron of The Literary Life podcast as part of the "Friends and Fellows Community" on Patreon, and get some amazi…
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Episode 40: The Art of Writing, Part 1
10 maart 2020 · 1 uur 17 min
This week on The Literary Life podcast, Angelina, Cindy and Thomas sit down with Karen Glass for a conversation centering on the topic of writing. They discuss the problem of trying to teach writing in a formulaic way. They also talk about the challenge of helping students learn to think well in order to write well. Lees meer
Karen highlights narration as a tool to teach thinking well in the form of oral composition. Cindy digs into the idea of imitation as an integral part of the learning process. Angelina and Karen both emphasize the importance of addressing skill and form on an individual basis, depending on what your student needs to improve.
Tune in again next week for Part 2 of this great conversation!
Listen to The Literary Life:
Commonplace Quotes:
To write or even speak English is not a science, but an art. There are no reliable words. Whoever writes English is involved in a struggle that never lets up even for a sentence. He is struggling against vagueness, against obscurity, against the lure of the decorative adjective, against the encroachment of Latin and Greek, and, above all, against the worn-out phrases and dead metaphors with which the language is cluttered up.
George Orwell
Rhetoric, or the art of writing, is not governed by arbitrary laws. Its rules are not statutes passed long ago by some assembly of critical scholars; they are merely common-sense principles derived from the observed practices of persons who have succeeded in writing well,–that is, from the method of good authors. Hence, when we study composition, we investigate these methods, in order to apply them in our own writing.
from "Manual of Composition and Rhetoric"
When a child is reading, he should not be teased with questions as to the meaning of what he has read, the signification of this word or that; what is annoying to older people is equally annoying to children.
Charlotte Mason
Follow Your Saint
by Thomas Campion
Follow your saint, follow with accents sweet;
Haste you, sad… -
Episode 39: The Literary Life of Karen Glass
3 maart 2020 · 1 uur 50 min
On today's episode of The Literary Life, Angelina and Cindy interview Karen Glass. Karen is part of the Advisory of AmblesideOnline. She has four children, ages 13 to 27, who have been homeschooled using Charlotte Mason's methods from beginning to end. She has been studying and writing about Charlotte Mason and Classical Education for over twenty years, and has written Consider This to share the most important things she has discovered about the connection between them. We are giving away a copy of her newest book, In Vital Harmony, to 2 lucky listeners who share about this podcast episode on Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #invitalharmony. Lees meer
After sharing their commonplace quotes, our hosts dive into this conversation with Karen about how she became a lover of books. She talks about her voracious reading as a child and teen. Karen also recounts how her mediocre education did not discourage her reading life but just gave her more time and reason to read. This leads into a meaty discussion among Karen, Cindy and Angelina about self-education, homeschooling and lifelong learning.
Commonplace Quotes:
Let us consider an apple. If we approach it synthetically, we take it as we find it–in its state of wholeness and completeness–and we eat it. Once eaten, it is digested, absorbed, and becomes a part of us. If we approach it analytically, we take it apart–not in a natural way, which is merely a smaller portion (here is half an apple!), but rather, here is the fiber, here are the vitamins, here is a bit of water, and some sugar. Suppose we ingest each bit–a spoonful of fiber, a vitamin pill, a swallow of sugar-and-water. On paper, we have consumed the same thing in both cases–equal portions of nutrition–but there is a very, very large difference. Only one of those meals tasted good and created an appetite for more.
Karen Glass
However difficult it may be to characterize correctly the medieval class system, it is even more difficult to grasp medieval thinking, whi…
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Episode 38: "A Winter's Tale" Act 5
25 februari 2020 · 1 uur 46 min
On today's episode of The Literary Life, we wrap up our discussion of Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale with a look at Act 5. Our hosts, Angelina Stanford, Cindy Rollins and Thomas Banks also announce our next book to read together, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. Angelina notes that Act 5 is all about reconciliation and redemption. Thomas points out that Shakespeare had a challenge here in how to bring this play to a close with all those relationships resolved. Cindy brings up Paulina's character and the significance of her name. Lees meer
Our hosts discuss the truth that though in an ultimate sense all will be made right, this play reminds us that in this life, there are some things that are not fully redeemed. They also talk about how Shakespeare plays with both the audience's expectations and with the form in this act. Leontes' imagination is also in need of redemption, and we see that happen here at the end of the play. Thomas makes the connection between the myth of Pygmalion, Euripedes' Alcestis and A Winter's Tale.
The theme of resurrection is so prevalent in this final act, particularly in the case of Hermoine, but also in other characters and plot points. The winter is over, and spring has come to Sicily. The old order is not restored. A new order has been brought into being.
Upcoming Events:
We are excited to announce a new online conference coming on March 13-14, 2020. Our theme will be Re-enchanting the World: The Legacy of the Inklings. Our keynote speaker is Inklings scholar, Joseph Pearce. Go to Angelina and Thomas' new website HouseofHumaneLetters.com for all the info and to register.
Commonplace Quotes:
An ancient rhetorician delivered a caution against dwelling too long on the excitation of pity; for nothing, he said, dries so soon as tears; and Shakespeare acted conformably to this ingenious maxim, without knowing it.
William Hazlitt
A work of art is a world unto itself, but all works of art belong to one world.
Harold Goddard
In all…
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Episode 37: "A Winter's Tale" Act 4
18 februari 2020 · 1 uur 17 min
This week on The Literary Life, Angelina, Cindy and Thomas dive in to Act 4 of Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale. We are excited to announce a new online conference coming on March 13-14, 2020. Our theme will be Re-enchanting the World: The Legacy of the Inklings. Our keynote speaker is Inklings scholar, Joseph Pearce. Go to Angelina and Thomas' new website HouseofHumaneLetters.com for all the info and to register. Lees meer
This act is jam packed with action and important plot points, but Cindy points out the connection between the shepherd and his son and the tale that Mamillius was telling Hermoine in an earlier act. Angelina brings up the juxtaposition of winter and spring in this play. She also talks about how Shakespeare departs from Aristotle's "rules" for unity of time and place in playwriting. This act is all about redeeming what was lost, and it is also full of disguises. Thomas explains the connection between Perdita and Flora.
Our hosts discuss the wedding customs of Shakespeare's day as well as the festivities we see in this play. Thomas gives us a little overview of the myth of Persephone and how A Winter's Tale alludes to this myth. Angelina also highlights the importance of the kiss in the fairy tale. Cindy encourages us to read and re-read because there is such depth in Shakespeare that we can never get to the bottom of it all. We are also invited to look for the mirrors of the characters and action in this act to things that happen in the first three acts. Angelina also instructs us on the two classic fairy tale story patterns and how A Winter's Tale follows both of those patterns.
The Winter's Tale Show Schedule:
February 25: Act V
March: Live Q&A for Patreon Fellows
Commonplace Quotes:
She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways
She dwelt among the untrodden ways
Beside the springs of Dove,
A Maid whom there were none to praise
And very few to love:A violet by a mossy stone
Half hidden from the eye!
—Fair as a star, when only one
Is shining in the sky.She …
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Episode 36: A Winter's Tale, Act 3
11 februari 2020 · 1 uur 14 min
On The Literary Life podcast today, we join our hosts Angelina Stanford, Cindy Rollins and Thomas Banks to discuss Act 3 of The Winter's Tale by Williams Shakespeare. Before jumping into Shakespeare, though, our hosts are excited to announce a new online conference coming on March 13-14, 2020. Our theme will be Re-enchanting the World: The Legacy of the Inklings. Our keynote speaker is Inklings scholar, Joseph Pearce. Go to Angelina and Thomas' new website HouseofHumaneLetters.com for all the info and to register. Lees meer
After catching us up on the plot, Angelina asks Thomas to explain a little about the Oracles and Apollo and how they relate to this play. He also talks about the parallel between this play and the historical events surrounding Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Our hosts also bring out the importance of a legitimate heir to the throne in a monarchy. The idea of the consequence of an out of control imagination continue to be crucial in this act. They also talk about the sudden change in Leontes' feelings and his repentance at the end of Act 3.
Angelina points out that the structure of the play tells us that all this death and grief is not the climax of the story. Cindy brings up the Russian feel present in A Winter's Tale. Thomas explores the characters of the shepherds and rustics in Shakespeare's plays. They discuss the fairy elements as well as the gospel elements of the baby and the gold being found by the shepherds.
Commonplace Quotes:
"I think it was The Times Literary Supplement–and it had left me depressed. What struck me so forcibly, and not for the first time, was that a new book on any subject-history, philosophy, science, religion, or what have you–is always dealt with by a specialist in that subject. This may be fairest from the author's point of view, but it conveys a disagreeable impression of watertight compartments…
It wasn't that people can think at once confidently and oppositely about almost anything that matters-though that, too, can some… -
Episode 35: "A Winter's Tale" Act 2
4 februari 2020 · 1 uur 11 min
This week on The Literary Life, our hosts Angelina Stanford, Cindy Rollins and Thomas Banks are back to discuss Act 2 of The Winter's Tale by Williams Shakespeare. After sharing their commonplace quotes, they begin with a brief recap of the plot. They highlight the story begun by Mamillius upon the entrance of Leontes in Act 2, Scene 1. Angelina explores the concept of Leontes as a tragic hero. Our hosts also get into the ideas of constancy versus inconstancy, lunacy and the Renaissance view of women as changeable. Shakespeare, on the other hand, portrays a man as the one who is changeable and the woman as constant. Lees meer
As we continue through this act, our hosts highlight Leontes' illness and how it infects Mamillius. They also talk about Paulina as a sort of foil for Leontes, as well as her strength of character in the face of the king's unreasonable behavior. Cindy points out the unthinkable nature of Leontes' desire to burn his own wife and child.
The Winter's Tale Show Schedule:
February 11: Act III
February 18: Act IV
February 25: Act V
March: Live Q&A for Patreon Fellows
Those Winter Sundays
by Robert Hayden
Sundays too my father got up early
and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,
then with cracked hands that ached
from labor in the weekday weather made
banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.
When the rooms were warm, he'd call,
and slowly I would rise and dress,
fearing the chronic angers of that house,Speaking indifferently to him,
who had driven out the cold
and polished my good shoes as well.
What did I know, what did I know
of love's austere and lonely offices?Robert Hayden, "Those Winter Sundays" from Collected Poems of Robert Hayden, edited by Frederick Glaysher. Copyright ©1966 by Robert Hayden.
Book List:
Amazon Affiliate Links
Range by David Epstein
There Was a Man Dwelt by a Churchyard by M. R. James
Chanticleer and the Fox by Barbara Cooney
The Aethiopica by Heliodorus
…
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Episode 34: "A Winter's Tale" Act 1
28 januari 2020 · 1 uur 13 min
On today's episode of The Literary Life podcast, Angelina Stanford, Cindy Rollins and Thomas Banks talk about Act 1 of The Winter's Tale by Williams Shakespeare. After sharing their commonplace quotes, our hosts begin by discussing the form of nearly ever Shakespeare play. They discuss the "problem" of the combination of tragic and comedic elements in this play. Other themes discussed are the presence of so many doubles in the characters, the way Shakespeare uses the setting, and how the kings represent their entire kingdoms. Lees meer
Cindy goes on to point out the way Leontes accepts the idea he has about Hermoine and Polixenes and runs with it. Angelina expounds on the way that people in Shakespeare's time thought about having properly ordered mind versus one that is disordered. She and Thomas also highlight the way the Renaissance person saw disorder in the individual as connected to disorder in the universe. To close, Cindy also points out the way Shakespeare "plays" with words, so be watching for that as we read on!
The Winter's Tale Show Schedule:
February 4: Act II
February 11: Act III
February 18: Act IV
February 25: Act V
March: Live Q&A for Patreon Fellows
Love Is Not All
by Edna St. Vincent Milay
Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink
Nor slumber nor a roof against the rain;
Nor yet a floating spar to men that sink
And rise and sink and rise and sink again;
Love can not fill the thickened lung with breath,
Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone;
Yet many a man is making friends with death
Even as I speak, for lack of love alone.
It well may be that in a difficult hour,
Pinned down by pain and moaning for release,
Or nagged by want past resolution's power,
I might be driven to sell your love for peace,
Or trade the memory of this night for food.
It well may be. I do not think I would.Book List:
(Amazon Affiliate links)
A Dish of Orts by George MacDonald
Range by David Epstein
The Meaning of Shakespeare, Vol. 2 by Harold Goddard
The Per…
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Episode 33: An Introduction to A Winter's Tale
21 januari 2020 · 1 uur 34 min
Welcome to our first episode on Shakespeare's play A Winter's Tale. Hosts Angelina Stanford and Cindy Rollins start off with some ideas of how to approach a Shakespeare play, especially if you feel new or intimidated by Shakespeare. Angelina talks about the use of poetry and prose in these plays, as well as the different types of plays within Shakespeare's body of work. She also discusses the history and development of drama from the time of the Greeks to the Renaissance. Lees meer
James Banks joins the podcasts again to lend his perspective to our study of Shakespeare. He recommends the Oxford, Norton and Riverside editions for reading Shakespeare. He also encourages people to see screen adaptations, audio versions and, of course, watching a live play when possible. James also talks a little about the challenge of the older English language and how to deal with that as you read and listen. Our hosts also take a look at the culture and history surrounding Shakespeare and his theatre company.
The Winter's Tale Show Schedule:
January 28: Act I
February 4: Act II
February 11: Act III
February 18: Act IV
February 25: Act V
March: Live Q&A for Patreon Fellows
In Memory of Yeats
by W. H. Auden
Earth, receive an honoured guest:
William Yeats is laid to rest.
Let the Irish vessel lie
Emptied of its poetry.In the nightmare of the dark
All the dogs of Europe bark,
And the living nations wait,
Each sequestered in its hate;Intellectual disgrace
Stares from every human face,
And the seas of pity lie
Locked and frozen in each eye.Follow, poet, follow right
To the bottom of the night,
With your unconstraining voice
Still persuade us to rejoice;With the farming of a verse
Make a vineyard of the curse,
Sing of human unsuccess
In a rapture of distress;In the deserts of the heart
Let the healing fountain start,
In the prison of his days
Teach the free man how to praise.Book List:
(Amazon Affiliate Links)
Home Education by Charlotte Mason
A Christmas Dream and How it C…
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Episode 32: The Literary Life of James Banks
14 januari 2020 · 1 uur 35 min
On today's episode of The Literary Life, Angelina and Cindy interview James Banks. James is a civil servant, veteran, teacher, former academic and writer living in Austin, Texas. Prior to moving to the Lone Star State, he studied Renaissance Literature and taught at the University of Rochester. But it was only after leaving the academy that he rediscovered his passion for Shakespeare, Spenser, Chaucer and all things literary. His essays and reviews have appeared in The Weekly Standard, the Literati Quarterly, the Intercollegiate Review and elsewhere, but he is best known for being the brother of Thomas Banks and brother-in-law of Angelina Stanford. Lees meer
James talks about his childhood relationships with books and stories, and the massive leap he took from not being able to read to being a reader. He tells about his desire to be a teacher and his undergraduate experience. He also elaborates on how he came to his love of Shakespeare and Renaissance literature. James tells why he ended up leaving academia and how he rediscovered his love of literature. He also gives some examples of how he reads so much and makes the most of his time.
The Cross of Snow
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
In the long, sleepless watches of the night,
A gentle face — the face of one long dead —
Looks at me from the wall, where round its head
The night-lamp casts a halo of pale light.
Here in this room she died; and soul more white
Never through martyrdom of fire was led
To its repose; nor can in books be read
The legend of a life more benedight.
There is a mountain in the distant West
That, sun-defying, in its deep ravines
Displays a cross of snow upon its side.
Such is the cross I wear upon my breast
These eighteen years, through all the changing scenes
And seasons, changeless since the day she died.Book List:
(Amazon Affiliate Links)
Big Wonderful Thing by Stephen Harrigan
John Buchan by His Wife and Friends by Susan Tweedsmuir
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
Good Things Out of Nazareth: …
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Episode 31: Our Year in Reading
31 december 2019 · 1 uur 43 min
In this last episode of 2019, our Literary Life podcast hosts chat all about their past year in books, as well as what they hope to read in the coming year. Cindy, Angelina and Thomas begin by sharing some commonplace quotes from books they read in 2019. They discuss their strategies for planning their reading goals and how they curate their "to be read" lists. Each host also share some highlights from their year in books. Lees meer
Angelina then introduces The Literary Life Podcast 20 for 2020 Reading Challenge. She talks about how to approach this reading challenge. Then our hosts talk a little about each category in the challenge and give some of their possible book picks for 2020. Cindy mentions a list of Shakespeare's plays in chronological order. She also has a list of "Books for Cultivating Honorable Boys."
Thanks to Our Sponsor:
Located in beautiful Franklin Tennessee, New College Franklin is a four year Christian Liberal Arts college dedicated to excellent academics and discipling relationships among students and faculty. We seek to enrich and disciple students intellectually, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, to guide them to wisdom and a life of service to God, neighbors, and creation
In Memoriam
by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.Ring out false pride in place …
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Episode 30: The Literary Life of Caitlin Beauchamp
24 december 2019 · 1 uur 20 min
On today's episode of The Literary Life, Angelina and Cindy interview Caitlin Bruce Beauchamp. In addition to being a homeschool graduate and a lover of the humanities, Caitlin is a busy wife and a mother of young children. In their conversation, Angelina, Cindy and Caitlin dive into the deep end from the start, discussing the purpose of beauty. They talk about Caitlin's early reading life and how she came to love books. She shares how she had to learn some humility in her reading life as an adult. Lees meer
Angelina asks Caitlin how she finds the time to keep up her reading life amidst the responsibilities of mothering. Cindy and Caitlin talk about the importance of feeding your mind with other people's ideas instead of taking the road to self-pity. The ladies discuss the timing of reading certain books to children and the great joy of watching children blossom as they listen to the right kinds of stories. Caitlin shares some of the books she reads to get out of a slump, as well as some other favorites and current reads.
Listen to The Literary Life:
In the Bleak Midwinter
by Christina Rossetti
In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshiped the beloved with a kiss.What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.Book List:
(Affili…
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Episode 29: Northanger Abbey, Ch. 25-End
17 december 2019 · 1 uur 14 min
Welcome to the final episode in our series on Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. On The Literary Life Podcast today, Angelina Stanford, Cindy Rollins and Thomas Banks go chapter by chapter through the end of the book. First we see that Catherine finally comes to the realization that people are a mixture of good and bad, not all angels or villains. Cindy and Angelina point out the ways that Catherine does not follow the typical behavior of a heroine in a sentimental novel but is actually more sensible. Lees meer
Our hosts discuss General Tilney's character and the similarities he shares with the Thorpes. Thomas points out the parallel sleepless night scenes and that Catherine now doesn't need imaginary fears because she has real dangers to worry about. Austen parodies several more themes of the sentimental novels in this section, culminating with Henry Tilney's unromantic proposal and the rather ordinary way in which everything gets worked out. Our hosts chuckle over Austen's way of poking fun at closing with a moral.
Come back next week for a special Literary Life of…. episode on Christmas Eve. Join the Patreon community to take part in a Live Q&A on Northanger Abbey. Then join us in the new year for Shakespeare, and so much more!
Thanks to Our Sponsor:
Located in beautiful Franklin Tennessee, New College Franklin is a four year Christian Liberal Arts college dedicated to excellent academics and discipling relationships among students and faculty. We seek to enrich and disciple students intellectually, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, to guide them to wisdom and a life of service to God, neighbors, and creation.
The Clod and the Pebble
by William Blake
"Love seeketh not itself to please,
Nor for itself hath any care,
But for another gives its ease,
And builds a Heaven in Hell's despair."So sung a little Clod of Clay
Trodden with the cattle's feet,
But a Pebble of the brook
Warbled out these metres meet:"Love seeketh only self to please,
To bind another to it… -
Episode 28: Northanger Abbey, Ch. 18-24
10 december 2019 · 1 uur 9 min
In this week's episode of The Literary Life, our host are back to discuss chapters 18-24 of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. Cindy, Angelina and Thomas start out sharing the things that struck them as they read this particular section of the book. Angelina highlight's Catherine's growing ability to judge between appearances and reality. We see the great contrast between Henry Tilney with John Thorpe throughout these chapters, and we learn how different the abbey is from Catherine's sentimental expectations. Lees meer
Another point that Angelina brings to the forefront is that Catherine is looking for hidden dangers, but she doesn't see the real, ordinary dangers of people like the Thorpes. Cindy highlights the way Austen points to some problems with equating English-ness with Christianity and exceptionalism. Thomas underlines Henry Tilney's own moment of naïveté about what evils actually do exist, even in his own family. Throughout this whole section, one main theme is the undeceiving of Catherine, and this is a big turning point for her.
Thanks to Our Sponsor:
Located in beautiful Franklin Tennessee, New College Franklin is a four year Christian Liberal Arts college dedicated to excellent academics and discipling relationships among students and faculty. We seek to enrich and disciple students intellectually, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, to guide them to wisdom and a life of service to God, neighbors, and creation.
Penelope
by Elizabeth Jennings
Weave on Penelope, you must,
Waiting for your lover who
Travels half the world. No lust
Only love abides in you.The suitors come. You cast them off.
Let your faithful weaving go
On and on until your love
Can return and cherish you.Book List:
Waiting on the Word by Malcolm Guite
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
Love and Friendship (film)
Lady Susan by Jane Austen
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
Adam Beede by George Eliot
Atonement by Ian McEwan
The Lord of the F…
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Episode 27: Northanger Abbey, Ch. 11-17
3 december 2019 · 1 uur 18 min
Today on The Literary Life, Cindy, Angelina and Thomas dig into chapters 11-17 of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. Today's conversation gets into the subtext surrounding what was expected of young ladies to be acceptable in society. A major theme in this book, and particularly in these chapters, is Catherine's learning to discern between what is simply appearance and what is reality. We learn even more in these chapters how inconstant and deceptive the Thorpes are, especially in contrast to the Tilneys. Lees meer
Angelina highlights some of the scenes Austen uses to illustrate when it is right for Catherine to buck the rules of propriety as opposed to Isabella's impropriety at the wrong time. Thomas brings up the question of what reasons we have thus far to like Henry Tilney even though we do not know overly much about him yet. Cindy points out some of Austen's ideas on education and the similarities to Charlotte Mason's principles.
Thanks to Our Sponsor:
Located in beautiful Franklin Tennessee, New College Franklin is a four year Christian Liberal Arts college dedicated to excellent academics and discipling relationships among students and faculty. We seek to enrich and disciple students intellectually, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, to guide them to wisdom and a life of service to God, neighbors, and creation.
Also, be sure to check out Thomas Banks' webinar, The Poetry of Advent, taking place on December 4, 2019.
Spring and Fall
by Gerard Manley Hopkins
to a young child
Márgarét, áre you gríeving
Over Goldengrove unleaving?
Leáves like the things of man, you
With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?
Ah! ás the heart grows older
It will come to such sights colder
By and by, nor spare a sigh
Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;
And yet you wíll weep and know why.
Now no matter, child, the name:
Sórrow's spríngs áre the same.
Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed
What heart heard of, ghost guessed:
It ís the blight man was born for,
It is Margaret you m… -
Episode 26: Northanger Abbey, Ch. 3-10
26 november 2019 · 1 uur 16 min
Today on The Literary Life Podcast, our hosts Angelina Stanford and Cindy Rollins, along with Thomas Banks, are discussing chapters 4-10 of Northanger Abbey. They start out talking about Jane Austen's light touch and her gentle satirical way of pointing out the pros and cons of the novel. Angelina and Thomas bring up some of the historical and social context for this setting in Regency period Bath. They contrast the proper social code with the way the Thorpes behave and with Catherine Morland's naïvetè and innocence. Cindy laughs about the way in which Jane Austen pokes fun at the novel's form while writing a novel herself. Lees meer
After the critics' early disgust for the novel, Jane Austen elevated the form to the point that they finally had to recognize the novel as a worthy work of literature. Cindy also brings up the idea that Austen may have partly written this novel because she wanted to talk with others about all these books that she references. They chat about all the things that occurred in history that led up to the availability of the novel to the masses, and to women in particular.
Angelina observes that Austen plays with the tropes within a realistic situation in contrast to the over-the-top situations presented in sensational novels of the period. They wrap up the conversation with highlights about the different characters and what we can be looking for in the next several chapters.
Thanks to Our Sponsor:
Located in beautiful Franklin Tennessee, New College Franklin is a four year Christian Liberal Arts college dedicated to excellent academics and discipling relationships among students and faculty. We seek to enrich and disciple students intellectually, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, to guide them to wisdom and a life of service to God, neighbors, and creation.
Also, be sure to check out Thomas Banks' webinar, The Poetry of Advent, taking place on December 4, 2019.
Love and Live
by John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester
All my past life is mine no…
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Episode 25: Northanger Abbey, Ch. 1-2
19 november 2019 · 1 uur 12 min
This week on The Literary Life podcast, our hosts are pleased to begin talking about Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. For this introduction episode Cindy Rollins and Angelina Stanford are joined by Thomas Banks. Together they discuss the advent of the novel as a form, as well as some predecessors of Austen. Lees meer
Angelina points out Austen's satirical voice in poking fun at the sentimental novel in the first few chapters. She also encourages us to look for the real life dangers the main characters encounter in contrast to those sensations of the popular sentimental or Gothic novel. Furthermore, we ought to notice who is reading various genres of literature and what that says about those characters.
Cindy and Angelina also talk about Jane Austen's writing and her economy of style and the lasting quality of her books. Along with criticism of sensationalism, Austen also adds a healthy dose of criticism of the education given young women in her day. We also learn that this is a novel of development as we watch Catherine Moorland learn her way around the world.
Thanks to Our Sponsors-
Located in beautiful Franklin Tennessee, New College Franklin is a four year Christian Liberal Arts college dedicated to excellent academics and discipling relationships among students and faculty. We seek to enrich and disciple students intellectually, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, to guide them to wisdom and a life of service to God, neighbors, and creation.
Also, be sure to check out Cindy's new Patreon page, Morning Time for Moms discipleship group, as well as Thomas and Angelina's webinar sessions on Dicken's A Christmas Carol.
The Dying Christian to His Soul
by Alexander Pope
Vital spark of heav'nly flame!
Quit, O quit this mortal frame:
Trembling, hoping, ling'ring, flying,
O the pain, the bliss of dying!
Cease, fond Nature, cease thy strife,
And let me languish into life.Hark! they whisper; angels say,
Sister Spirit, come away!
What is this absorbs me quite?
Steals m… -
Episode 24: The Literary Life of Sally Thomas
12 november 2019 · 1 uur 41 min
On today's episode of The Literary Life, Angelina and Cindy interview poet, author and mother, Sally Thomas. You can find Sally and some of her writing at www.sally-thomas.com. Sally talks about her early reading life beginning with her memories of her family members reading themselves and to her. Cindy and Angelina ask her about her early forays into storytelling and writing. They discuss how literature and story are for everyone, including scientists and mathematicians, not just those who already have a bent toward reading. Sally shares about the influential teachers she had who fed her love of the written word. Lees meer
Angelina asks about how Sally approaches the balance between the reading life and the writing life. They also discuss how the seasons of Sally's family life shifted her focus somewhat away from active writing but were still fruitful in other ways. Cindy asks what Sally likes to read as a diversion, and Angelina brings up the topic of how to deal with a reading slump. They wrap up their chat reveling in the reward of homeschooling and teaching their own children, and what a joy it is both to raise readers but to become better readers themselves.
Upcoming Events:
Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks will be presenting a 3-day webinar series on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol on November 12-14. Register here to get lifetime access to the sessions.
Angelina will also be in Austin, TX at Christ Church on November 25, 2019. More information is available here.
My Father Drawing in an Upstairs Room
by Sally Thomas
Outside, on a live stirring backdrop of broad-handed green,
The black cat on her branch spreads her back toes and licks, licks, between.He looks musingly at her, and through her, as if right now he
Saw some mystery imposed on — or being born from — the tree.On the table, five charcoal-drawn children roughhouse in a whiteness
You might see as empty. You might discern in it the likenessOf a person who waits and observes, is as happy to wait
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Episode 23: An Experiment in Criticism, Ch. 10-End
15 oktober 2019 · 1 uur 26 min
On today's episode of The Literary Life, Angelina and Cindy are once again joined by Thomas Banks. They discuss the last two chapters and the epilogue of An Experiment in Criticism. The first topic of conversation is Lewis' comments on poetry, including the un-literary reading of poetry and the importance of the sound of poetry. Angelina highlights Lewis' take on reading "bad books," and Cindy points out his warning against de-bunking. Thomas gives us some history on the reference to F. R. Leavis and his literary criticism. Lees meer
Angelina dives into her favorite part of this section, all about what makes good literary criticism. She recaps Lewis' own list of the types of literary commentators and historians who have helped him in his own reading. Angelina and Thomas both mention some of their favorite resources, including George Lyman Kittredge, Northrup Frye, J. W. MacKail and Dorothy Sayers. Another important point is to look for resources that point back to the text, not outside of the text.
Cindy and Angelina clear up some confusion about marginalia and what types of notes can help or hinder us in our reading. Finally, in discussing the epilogue, our hosts reiterate the purpose of reading as widening our souls and freeing ourselves to experience another person's perspective. Cindy asks if we will read with hubris, or humility? That makes all the difference.
Be sure to check out Thomas Banks' next webinar, "Poetry and Classical Myth: The Influence of Greek and Roman Myth on English Poetry." The live stream will be on October 17, 2019, but the replay will be available soon afterward. Also, for our Patreon Fellows, please join us for a live private Q&A session on An Experiment in Criticism on October 23, 2019!
Listen to The Literary Life:
A Cat
by Edward Thomas
She had a name among the children;
But no one loved though someone owned
Her, locked her out of doors at bedtime
And had her kittens duly drowned.In Spring, nevertheless, this cat
Ate blackbirds, thrushe… -
Episode 22: An Experiment in Criticism, Ch. 8-9
8 oktober 2019 · 1 uur 16 min
This week's episode is a continuation of Cindy Rollins and Angelina Stanford's discussion of An Experiment in Criticism by C. S. Lewis. They start with an exploration of the difference between loving a book and evaluating a book as a work of art, followed by an explanation of Lewis' idea that works of art do not teach us. Angelina goes in depth about why it is not our job as readers to find the "nugget of truth" in a book. Cindy brings up Lewis' point about "using" literature as an academic tool, versus "receiving" literature as a work of art. Lees meer
In covering chapter 9, Angelina and Cindy dig into the dangers of rushing to express an opinion about what we read, rather than getting ourselves out of the way when approaching a book. Cindy points to the many similarities between what Lewis says in these chapters and what Charlotte Mason says about true education.
Be sure to check out Thomas Banks' next webinar, "Poetry and Classical Myth: The Influence of Greek and Roman Myth on English Poetry." The live stream will be on October 17, 2019, but the replay will be available soon afterward.
Rose-Cheeked Laura
by Thomas Campion
Rose-cheek'd Laura, come,
Sing thou smoothly with thy beauty's
Silent music, either other
Sweetly gracing.Lovely forms do flow
From concent divinely framed;
Heav'n is music, and thy beauty's
Birth is heavenly.These dull notes we sing
Discords need for helps to grace them;
Only beauty purely loving
Knows no discord,But still moves delight,
Like clear springs renew'd by flowing,
Ever perfect, ever in them-
Selves eternal.Book List:
(Amazon Affiliate Links)
Seeking God by Esther de Waal
The Great Code by Northrop Frye
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brönte
Til We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Support The Literary Life:
Become a patron of The Literary Life podcast as part of the "Friends and Fellows Community" on Patreon, and get some amazing bonus content! Thanks for your support!
Connect with Us:
Find Angelina at…
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Episode 21: An Experiment in Criticism, Ch. 5-7
1 oktober 2019 · 1 uur 32 min
Angelina and Cindy open today's discussion of C. S. Lewis' An Experiment in Criticism with a recap of the terms that Lewis defines in chapters 5-7, starting with myth. They talk about what it means to have an "extra-literary" experience and how to cultivate the proper attitude of a good reader. Next Cindy and Angelina dig into the definition and benefits of literary fantasy versus the dangers of morbid fantasy. They talk about our deep need for stories of "the other" and have experiences with people and places that are not the same as our own. Lees meer
Another big topic of conversation is the idea of literature being escapist, particularly fantasy and fairy stories. Angelina and Cindy talk about several things related to this idea: belief and disbelief, fiction versus nonfiction, and the wonder of childhood. Cindy brings up Lewis' comments on the comic and what relation that has to the current popularity of the graphic novel. Angelina also explains why we shouldn't be looking to directly relate to a character in a novel in order to get something out of the book.
A Moment
by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge
The clouds had made a crimson crown
Above the mountains high.
The stormy sun was going down
In a stormy sky.Why did you let your eyes so rest on me,
And hold your breath between?
In all the ages this can never be
As if it had not been.Book List:
Amazon Affiliate Links
This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard
The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
Phantastes by George MacDonald
Surprised by Joy by C. S. Lewis
The Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Kristen Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset
Support The Literary Life:
Become a patron of The Literary Life podcast as part of the "Friends and Fellows Community" on Patreon, and get some amazing bonus content! Thanks for your support!
Connect with Us:
Find Angelina at https://angelinastanf…
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Episode 20: An Experiment in Criticism, Ch. 1-4
24 september 2019 · 1 uur 28 min
This week kicks off our fall series, "How to Read a Novel", starting with C. S. Lewis' An Experiment in Criticism. Next, we will dive into Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, applying the principles we have learned as we read. Lees meer
Angelina and Cindy discuss Lewis' approach to literature and the point of this book being a critique more of readers than of books. Some main ideas they bring out of the first chapter are the importance of rereading, the fact that real readers will carve out time for books, how books have the power to change us, and the way readers can't help but talk about books. Cindy highlights the connection between Lewis critique of the literati and Mr. Bons in "The Celestial Omnibus." Angelina talks about the challenge of keeping the love of literature for those whose profession it is to teach it, especially in the modern American university culture.
Our hosts discuss the idea of reading to improve oneself as opposed to submitting to the experience of reading a challenging book. Angelina makes the point that it is about motive and whether or not you are trying to control the outcome. The benefits are the byproducts. From chapter 3, Angelina and Cindy contemplate how we approach art and the need to get ourselves out of the way so that we can enter the work of art. Finally, they cover the five characteristics of the unliterary reader according to Lewis.
The Man He Killed
by Thomas Hardy
"Had he and I but met
By some old ancient inn,
We should have sat us down to wet
Right many a nipperkin!"But ranged as infantry,
And staring face to face,
I shot at him as he at me,
And killed him in his place."I shot him dead because —
Because he was my foe,
Just so: my foe of course he was;
That's clear enough; although"He thought he'd 'list, perhaps,
Off-hand like — just as I —
Was out of work — had sold his traps —
No other reason why."Yes; quaint and curious war is!
You shoot a fellow down
You'd treat if met where any bar is,
Or help to half-a-crown."Book …
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Episode 18: "The Vulture" by Samuel Johnson
3 september 2019 · 1 uur 12 min
Welcome to the final episode of our summer series on short stories and essays! Today your hosts Angelina Stanford and Cindy Rollins are joined once again by Thomas Banks for their discussion of Samuel Johnson's essay "The Vulture." Before getting into the meat of the essay, Angelina talks about why she disagrees with her own commonplace quote on the purpose of poetry. In the process, she gives us a brief history of literary periods from the classical to the neoclassical and enlightenment. Lees meer
Thomas shares some more biographical information on Samuel Johnson and his work. Cindy highlights both the important place and the danger of satire, which is a popular neoclassical form and the one used in Johnson's essay. The discussion ends with thoughts on why Johnson's essay was finally not included with the others in The Idler collection, as well as what his purpose may have been in writing "The Vulture."
Be sure to tune in again on September 17, 2019 for "The Literary Life of Greg Wilbur," followed by three weeks of episodes on C. S. Lewis' An Experiment in Criticism. Our fall novel will be Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen.
Upcoming Events:
September 19: How to Love Poetry Webinar with Thomas Banks
A Farewell to Arms
by George Peele
His golden locks Time hath to silver turn'd;
O Time too swift, O swiftness never ceasing!
His youth 'gainst time and age hath ever spurn'd,
But spurn'd in vain; youth waneth by increasing:
Beauty, strength, youth, are flowers but fading seen;
Duty, faith, love, are roots, and ever green.His helmet now shall make a hive for bees;
And, lovers' sonnets turn'd to holy psalms,
A man-at-arms must now serve on his knees,
And feed on prayers, which are Age his alms:
But though from court to cottage he depart,
His Saint is sure of his unspotted heart.And when he saddest sits in homely cell,
He'll teach his swains this carol for a song,--
'Blest be the hearts that wish my sovereign well,
Curst be the souls that think her any wrong.'
Goddess, allo… -
Episode 17: "The Celestial Omnibus" by E. M. Forster
27 augustus 2019 · 1 uur 36 min
On this week's episode of The Literary Life, Angelina Stanford and Cindy Rollins are joined once more by Thomas Banks for their discussion of "The Celestial Omnibus" by E. M. Forster. Angelina and Cindy tell why they love this short story so much and how it encapsulates their own ideas about literature. Thomas gives us some biographical background on E. M. Forster. We get a brief look at the plot of the story, as well as some discussion of how allegorical Forster makes this story. Angelina highlights the idea presented in "The Celestial Omnibus" that what we see in fairy land is more real than what we see in our own world. Lees meer
Other themes our hosts bring up include modern educational theory, wonder and innocence, using poetry versus enjoying it, and literary critique contrasted with experiencing literature. Their conversation hinges around the contrast between Mr. Bons' pride and pretension and the boy's humility and sincerity. This story embodies everything that The Literary Life podcast is all about, so we hope you enjoy both the story and this episode!
Summer of the Short Story:
Ep 18: "Vulture on War" by Samuel Johnson
Upcoming Events:
September 22: How to Love Poetry Webinar with Thomas Banks
Port of Aerial Embarkation
by John Ciardi
There is no widening distance at the shore—
The sea revolving slowly from the piers—
But the one border of our take-off roar
And we are mounted on the hemispheres.Above the waning moon whose almanac
We wait to finish continents away,
The Northern stars already call us back,
And silence folds like maps on all we say.Under the sky, a stadium tensed to cry
The ringside savage thrumming of the fights,
We watch our engines, taut and trained for sky,
Arranged on fields of concrete flowered with lights.Day after day we fondle and repeat
A jeweler's adjustment on a screw;
Or wander past the bulletins to meet
And wander back to watch the sky be blue.Somehow we see ourselves in photographs
Held in our hands to show us back our … -
Episode 16: "Why I Write" by George Orwell
20 augustus 2019 · 1 uur 18 min
The topic of today's discussion on The Literary Life is George Orwell's essay "Why I Write." Angelina and Cindy kick off the conversation about how much they each identify with Orwell's description of his childhood. In his story of learning to write, we see many aspects of a good education, even his inclination to imitate other authors. An important point Angelina brings up is Orwell's own struggle against the calling he felt to write, in contrast to having an ambition to do so. Angelina brings up a related story about musician Gregory Alan Isakov, and Cindy reiterates the idea of why we need leisure in order to find our vocation. Lees meer
Cindy and Angelina also bring out some of the qualities Orwell possessed that make a good writer. Maturity as a human being and as a master of a craft are crucial to certain forms of writing, as Orwell points out about his own work. Other topics of conversation include truth-telling in writing, the motives for writing according to Orwell, and the growing process of writers.
Summer of the Short Story:
Ep 17: "The Celestial Omnibus" by E. M. Forster
Ep 18: "Vulture on War" by Samuel Johnson
Live Bonus Episode on Patreon: "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flanner O'Connor on August 22, 2019
Upcoming Events:
August 26-29: Back to School Webinar with Cindy Rollins, Angelina Stanford, Thomas Banks and Adrienne Freas
September 22: How to Love Poetry Webinar with Thomas Banks
Veni, Creator Spiritus
by John Dryden
Creator Spirit, by whose aid
The world's foundations first were laid,
Come, visit ev'ry pious mind;
Come, pour thy joys on human kind;
From sin, and sorrow set us free;
And make thy temples worthy Thee.O, Source of uncreated Light,
The Father's promis'd Paraclete!
Thrice Holy Fount, thrice Holy Fire,
Our hearts with heav'nly love inspire;
Come, and thy Sacred Unction bring
To sanctify us, while we sing!Plenteous of grace, descend from high,
Rich in thy sev'n-fold energy!
Thou strength of his Almighty Hand,
Whose pow'r does h… -
Episode 15: "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
13 augustus 2019 · 1 uur 23 min
On today's episode of The Literary Life, Angelina Stanford and Cindy Rollins discuss Guy de Maupassant's short story "The Necklace." Also, don't forget to register for the Back to School online conference on August 26-29, 2019 with Cindy and Angelina, as well as Thomas Banks and Adrienne Freas! Before getting into the short story discussion, Cindy and Angelina chat about what a "commonplace book" is and how they each go about recording quotes and thoughts, including the QuoteBlock app. Lees meer
First off, Angelina gives us a little background on the author Guy de Maupassant and some information on French naturalism. Then she digs into her thoughts on how this story is a fairy tale in reverse and what that might mean in context. Cindy points out the perfection of de Maupassant's writing and his economy of style. They also bring up some of the formal elements of the story, particularly the key role the reversal takes in the plot. The main themes they find in "The Necklace" touch on common human struggles with ambition, discontentment, loss, suffering and gratitude.
Summer of the Short Story:
Ep 16: "Why I Write" by George Orwell
Ep 17: "The Celestial Omnibus" by E. M. Forster
Ep 18: "Vulture on War" by Samuel Johnson
Live Bonus Episode on Patreon: "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flanner O'Connor
On First Looking Into Chapman's Homer
by John Keats
Much have I travell'd in the realms of gold,
And many goodly states and kingdoms seen;
Round many western islands have I been
Which bards in fealty to Apollo hold.
Oft of one wide expanse had I been told
That deep-brow'd Homer ruled as his demesne;
Yet did I never breathe its pure serene
Till I heard Chapman speak out loud and bold:
Then felt I like some watcher of the skies
When a new planet swims into his ken;
Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes
He star'd at the Pacific—and all his men
Look'd at each other with a wild surmise—
Silent, upon a peak in Darien.Book List:
(Amazon Affiliate Links)
Wee Free Men by Terry…
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Episode 14: "The Adventures of a Shilling" by Joseph Addison
6 augustus 2019 · 1 uur 21 min
Today on The Literary Life, Cindy Rollins and Angelina Stanford are joined by a special guest, Angelina's husband, Thomas Banks! This week's selection for our summer series is Joseph Addison's "The Adventures of a Shilling." This episode is packed with book references, so scroll down for links to the titles mentioned! Lees meer
The conversation today kicks off with an attempt at defining the "essay" form and giving a brief history on its development. Thomas shares a little background information on Joseph Addison and his writing, as well as several other essayists who came before and after Addison. Thomas also talks about why essays are a significant part of his reading life. The conversation also spins off into a discussion of the importance of how we spend our leisure time.
Finally, our hosts chat about this week's essay, which gives highlights of England's history from the perspective of a silver coin. Addison's tale is full of humor and satire, as well as layers of social commentary and pathos.
Don't forget to register for the Back to School online conference coming up on August 26-29, 2019 so you don't miss out on this awesome opportunity to "repair the ruins" of your own education.
Summer of the Short Story:
Ep 15: "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
Ep 16: "Why I Write" by George Orwell
Ep 17: "The Celestial Omnibus" by E. M. Forster
Ep 18: "Vulture on War" by Samuel Johnson
When I Consider How My Light Is Spent
by John Milton
When I consider how my light is spent,
Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,
And that one talent which is death to hide
Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest He returning chide;
"Doth God exact day-labor, light denied?"
I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, "God doth not need
Either man's work or His own gifts. Who best
Bear His mild yoke, they serve Him best. His state
Is kingly: thousands at His bidding speed,
And post o'er … -
Episode 13: "The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield
30 juli 2019 · 1 uur 22 min
This week on The Literary Life, Cindy and Angelina discuss Katherine Mansfield's short story "The Garden Party." Before starting today's episode, we want to encourage you to register for the Back to School online conference coming up on August 26-29, 2019! Lees meer
After a great chat over their commonplace quotes, Angelina and Cindy dig into this week's short story, "The Garden Party." They start with how Cindy found this story and the connections she was making to Little Women. Angelina gives a brief biographical sketch of Katherine Mansfield and highlights how Mansfield's own illness and death give us insight into how she deals with death in this story. Angelina walks us through how she looks at the use of figurative language and images, such as the Garden of Eden. They also touch on "The Garden Party" having the same structure of moving toward a moment of epiphany that we saw in "Araby."
Cindy brings up the disconnect between the world of the women at home and the working people outside the home, as well as between the classes in this story. They talk about the importance of Laura's new hat as a symbol of one type of person she can become. Another image that Angelina and Cindy take a look at is the descent from the garden into darkness. They discuss the parallels from the beginning of the story and the end of the story, as well as Laura's movement from innocence to experience, from blindness to sight.
Summer of the Short Story:
Ep 14: "Adventures of a Shilling" by Joseph Addison
Ep 15: "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
Ep 16: "Why I Write" by George Orwell
Ep 17: "The Celestial Omnibus" by E. M. Forster
Ep 18: "Vulture on War" by Samuel Johnson
The Truly Great
by Stephen Spender
I think continually of those who were truly great.
Who, from the womb, remembered the soul's history
Through corridors of light, where the hours are suns,
Endless and singing. Whose lovely ambition
Was that their lips, still touched with fire,
Should tell of the Spirit, clothed from … -
Episode 12: "A Defence of Penny Dreadfuls" by G. K. Chesterton
23 juli 2019 · 1 uur 17 min
On The Literary Life podcast today, Angelina Stanford and Cindy Rollins discuss G. K. Chesterton's essay "A Defence of Penny Dreadfuls." Before diving in to today's episode, don't forget to register for the amazing Back to School online conference coming up on August 26-29, 2019! Lees meer
Angelina opens with a brief history of the Victorian era and the more prevalent availability of the novel to the masses. She also gives several examples of the "penny dreadful." Cindy and Angelina discuss why they agree with Chesterton that people need these simple, even formulaic stories. They remind us that childhood is a time for good books, not a time to worry about reading all the "Great Books."
Another topic that Cindy and Angelina chat about is the importance of developing imagination. They talk about the truth that fiction and story-telling are necessary parts of human culture. Cindy highlights the importance of the heroic adventure stories for boys. Angelina brings out the point that the elite critic is out of touch with the masses who long for stories of good winning over evil. The penny dreadful should not be judged as art, since that was never what it was intended to be.
Summer of the Short Story:
Ep 13: "The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield
Ep 14: "Adventures of a Shilling" by Joseph Addison
Ep 15: "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
Ep 16: "Why I Write" by George Orwell
Ep 17: "The Celestial Omnibus" by E. M. Forster
Ep 18: "Vulture on War" by Samuel Johnson
Bavarian Gentians
by D. H. Lawrence
Not every man has gentians in his house
in Soft September, at slow, Sad Michaelmas.Bavarian gentians, big and dark, only dark
darkening the daytime torchlike with the smoking blueness of Pluto's
gloom,
ribbed and torchlike, with their blaze of darkness spread blue
down flattening into points, flattened under the sweep of white day
torch-flower of the blue-smoking darkness, Pluto's dark-blue daze,
black lamps from the halls of Dis, burning dark blue,
giving off darkness… -
Episode 11: "Araby" by James Joyce
16 juli 2019 · 1 uur 31 min
This week on The Literary Life, Cindy Rollins and Angelina Stanford open our Summer of the Short Story series with a discussion of "Araby" by James Joyce. Cindy and Angelina also announce an encouraging Back to School online conference coming up on August 26-29, 2019. Lees meer
In delving into "Araby," Angelina talks about the history and development of the short story form. Cindy gives a little of her own background with reading James Joyce and why she loves his short stories. Angelina and Cindy also discuss the essential "Irishness" of this story and all the tales in The Dubliners. Angelina walks us through the story, highlighting the kinds of questions and things we should look for when reading closely. Themes discussed in this story include: blindness and sight, light and darkness, romanticism, religious devotion, the search for truth, money, courtly love, and the knight's quest.
Summer of the Short Story:
Ep 12: "A Defence of Penny Dreadfuls" by G. K. Chesterton
Ep 13: "The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield
Ep 14: "Adventures of a Shilling" by Joseph Addison
Ep 15: "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
Ep 16: "Why I Write" by George Orwell
Ep 17: "The Celestial Omnibus" by E. M. Forster
Ep 18: "Vulture on War" by Samuel Johnson
Huxley Hall
by John Betjemen
In the Garden City Cafe‚ with its murals on the wall
Before a talk on "Sex and Civics" I meditated on the Fall.Deep depression settled on me under that electric glare
While outside the lightsome poplars flanked the rose-beds in the square.While outside the carefree children sported in the summer haze
And released their inhibitions in a hundred different ways.She who eats her greasy crumpets snugly in the inglenook
Of some birch-enshrouded homestead, dropping butter on her bookCan she know the deep depression of this bright, hygienic hell?
And her husband, stout free-thinker, can he share in it as well?Not the folk-museum's charting of man's Progress out of slime
Can release me from the painful s… -
Episode 10: The Literary Life of Kelly Cumbee
9 juli 2019 · 1 uur 16 min
In this episode of The Literary Life, Cindy and Angelina interview their long time friend and fellow reader, Kelly Cumbee. Kelly is a wife and homeschooling mother of seven who has given herself a highly literary education. Together they discuss how Kelly started reading at a very young age and the kinds of books she loved as a child. Kelly talks about her love for Edmund Spenser and how she began reading Spenser with her children. Angelina asks about Kelly's background and how she makes connections throughout her conversations and her reading. Another topic of conversation is how Kelly made time for books throughout the different seasons of life and how she didn't really start reading "hard books" until later in life. They wrap up the conversation discussing what Kelly is currently reading and with more encouragement to read widely and make connections. Lees meer
Summer of the Short Story:
Ep 11: "Araby" by James Joyce
Ep 12: "A Defence of Penny Dreadfuls" by G. K. Chesterton
Ep 13: "The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield
Ep 14: "Adventures of a Shilling" by Joseph Addison
Ep 15: "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
Ep 16: "Why I Write" by George Orwell
Ep 17: "The Celestial Omnibus" by E. M. Forster
Ep 18: "Vulture on War" by Samuel Johnson
Amoretti XXIII
by Edmund Spenser
Penelope for her Ulisses sake,
Deviz'd a Web her wooers to deceave:
In which the worke that she all day did make
The same at night she did again unreave:
Such subtile craft my Damzell doth conceave,
Th' importune suit of my desire to shonne:
For all that I in many dayes doo weave,
In one short houre I find by her undonne.
So when I thinke to end that I begonne,
I must begin and never bring to end:
For with one looke she spils that long I sponne,
And with one word my whole years work doth rend.
Such labour like the Spyders web I fynd,
Whose fruitless worke is broken with least wynd.
Book List:
(affiliate links)
A White Bird Flying by Bess Streeter Aldrich
Jayber Crow by Wende…
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Episode 9: Are Women Human?
11 juni 2019 · 1 uur 8 min
Today on The Literary Life, Angelina Stanford and Cindy Rollins discuss Dorothy L. Sayers' essay "Are Women Human?" They explore the ideas that Sayers wrestles with in the essay, including: the Victorian view of women, the significance of the industrial revolution, the human need for meaningful occupation, and the early feminist movement and women's suffrage. Lees meer
Angelina and Cindy also discuss the history of women's work inside and outside of the home and how they have been impacted by industry and our production-consumption culture. They take a fascinating look at the effects of the Enlightenment on women in the modern western world, as well as the problem of over-generalization and categorizing people according to classes. Finally, Cindy and Angelina highlight the importance of asking yourself the question: "Who am I supposed to be as a mother and a woman?"
Upcoming Events and Shows:
June 20: Live Q&A Session on the Patreon page for "Fellows"
July 9: The Literary Life of Kelly Cumbee
July 16: Araby by James Joyce (The Summer of the Short Story)
Villon
by Siegfried Sassoon
They threw me from the gates: my matted hair
Was dank with dungeon wetness; my spent frame
O'erlaid with marish agues: everywhere
Tortured by leaping pangs of frost and flame,
So hideous was I that even Lazarus there
In noisome rags arrayed and leprous shame,
Beside me set had seemed full sweet and fair,
And looked on me with loathing.But one came
Who laid a cloak on me and brought me in
Tenderly to an hostel quiet and clean;
Used me with healing hands for all my needs.
The mortal stain of my reputed sin,
My state despised, and my defilèd weeds,
He hath put by as though they had not been.Book List:
New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton
Seeking God by Esther De Waal
Raids on the Unspeakable by Thomas Merton
Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers
Thanks to our Sponsor:
The Literary Life Podcast is brought to you New College Franklin. Located in beautiful Franklin Tennessee, NCF …
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Episode 8: Gaudy Night, Ch. 16-End
4 juni 2019 · 1 uur 5 min
This week, your hosts Angelina Stanford and Cindy Rollins are covering the final chapters of Gaudy Night, starting with chapter 16. They also announce the opening of the Patreon community called "Friends and Fellows" where they will be offering a wealth of additional content. In this episode, Cindy and Angelina explore the ideas in these last chapters of the book, including the fact that this is more a novel of manners than it is a thriller. Lees meer
Other topics of discussion include the development of Lord Peter's character, the vampire motif present throughout the novel, and the significance of the sonnet form and musical counterpoint references in this book. Angelina wonders at the brilliance of Sayers and the way she weaves the head versus heart theme into the text. Cindy brings up the problem of principle and passion, and the loss of metaphor in our culture.
Of course, no discussion of the end of Gaudy Nightwould be complete without mentioning the proposal, and Angelina delves into the meaning of the Latin words used by Lord Peter.
Upcoming Show Schedule:
Episode 9 (June 11): Are Women Human? by Dorothy Sayers
"The Summer of the Short Story" series
Heureux, Qui Comme Ulysse
by Joachim du Bellay, translated by Richard Wilbur
Happy the man who, journeying far and wide
As Jason or Ulysses did, can then
Turn homeward, seasoned in the ways of men,
And claim his own, and there in peace abide!When shall I see the chimney-smoke divide
The sky above my little town: ah, when
Stroll the small gardens of that house again
Which is my realm and crown, and more beside?Better I love the plain, secluded home
My fathers built, than bold façades of Rome;
Slate pleases me as marble cannot do;Better than Tiber's flood my quiet Loire,
Those little hills than these, and dearer far
Than great sea winds the zephyrs of Anjou.Book List:
(affiliate links)
The Defense of Poesy by Sir Philip Sydney
Mere Motherhood Newsletters by Cindy Rollins
Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
Support T…
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Episode 7: Gaudy Night, Ch. 8-15
28 mei 2019 · 1 uur 7 min
In this episode of The Literary Life, Cindy Rollins and Angelina Stanford discuss chapters 8-15 of Dorothy L. Sayers' book Gaudy Night. In addition to reviewing the plot points of interest in these chapters, Cindy and Angelina focus in on the interweaving of plot, theme, and setting in Gaudy Night. They talk about how Oxford is more than just a place in which the story is told, but is almost a character itself, as well as being the place where Lord Peter and Harriet can meet as equals. Lees meer
Another recurring topic is the continuing conversation about what it means to be a woman and an intellectual, as well as how marriage changes both men and women. In these chapters, we see more of Harriet and Lord Peter's relationship, and we get to know Lord Peter in a fuller light.
Upcoming Show Schedule:
Episode 8 (June 4): Gaudy Night, ch 16-23, complete
Episode 9 (June 11): Are Women Human? by Dorothy SayersWhen You Are Old
by William Butler Yeats
When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.Book List:
The Getaway Car by Ann Patchett (included in This is the Story of a Happy Marriage)
Connect with Us:
Find Angelina at https://angelinastanford.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ANGStanford/
Find Cindy at https://cindyrollins.net and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/cindyrollins.net/
Jump into our private Facebook group, The Literary Life Discussion Group, and let's get the book talk going! http://bit.ly/literarylifeFB
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Episode 6: The Literary Life of Mary Jo Tate
21 mei 2019 · 50 min
Today on The Literary Life, your hosts Angelina Stanford and Cindy Rollins sit down for a chat with their friend and fellow reader, Mary Jo Tate. As well as being an avid reader, Mary Jo is an author, editor, teacher, book collector and single mother to 4 young men. A veteran homeschooler, Mary Jo is the author of Flourish: Balance for Homeschool Moms, and you can learn more about her and her work at FlourishAtHome.com. Lees meer
In this interview, Angelina and Cindy talk with Mary Jo about her own background as a reader, beginning with her childhood memories of books. They discuss the influence of family, librarians and teachers on the life of a young reader. Mary Jo talks about different seasons of her reading life and gives some advice for the busy, exhausting time as a mother of young children. Another topic of discussion is how Mary Jo's education and profession grew out of her love of literature.
Upcoming Show Schedule:
Episode 7 (May 28): Gaudy Night ch 8-15
Episode 8 (June 4): Gaudy Night, ch 16-23, complete
Episode 9 (June 11): Are Women Human? by Dorothy SayersBook List:
(Amazon affiliate links)
Out of the Ashes by Anthony Esolen
One Writer's Beginnings by Eudora Welty
Raggedy Ann Stories by Johnny Gruelle
The Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
Andrew Lang's Fairy Books
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
At Home in Mitford by Jan KaronS
Ulysses
by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
It little profits that an idle king,
By this still hearth, among these barren crags,
Match'd with an aged wife, I mete and dole
Unequal laws unto a savage race,
That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me.
I cannot rest from travel: I will drink
Life to the lees: All times I have enjoy'd
Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those
That loved me, and alone, on shore, and when
Thro' s… -
Episode 5: Gaudy Night, Ch. 4-7
14 mei 2019 · 1 uur 8 min
This week on The Literary Life, Angelina and Cindy discuss the next few chapters of Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers. In this episode, Angelina explores the question of why all the epigraphs opening each chapter are from Renaissance writers. Aside from recapping plot points, Cindy and Angelina also chat about the following topics: the unnatural nature of the crime and of the cloistered atmosphere; the gothic themes present in this novel; Harriet's lack of self-awareness; further contemplations on love and marriage. Lees meer
Upcoming Show Schedule:
Episode 7 (May 28): Gaudy Night ch 8-15
Episode 8 (June 4): Gaudy Night ch 16-23, complete
Episode 9 (June 11): Are Women Human? by Dorothy SayersLot's Wife
by Anna Akhmatova (trans. by Richard Wilbur)
The just man followed then his angel guide
Where he strode on the black highway, hulking and bright;
But a wild grief in his wife's bosom cried,
Look back, it is not too late for a last sightOf the red towers of your native Sodom, the square
Where once you sang, the gardens you shall mourn,
And the tall house with empty windows where
You loved your husband and your babes were born.She turned, and looking on the bitter view
Her eyes were welded shut by mortal pain;
Into transparent salt her body grew,
And her quick feet were rooted in the plain.Who would waste tears upon her? Is she not
The least of our losses, this unhappy wife?
Yet in my heart she will not be forgot
Who, for a single glance, gave up her life.Book List:
Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber
Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare (1967 film adaptation)
Are Women Human? by Dorothy Sayers
Connect with Us:
Find Angelina at https://angelinastanford.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ANGStanford/
Find Cindy at https://cindyrollins.net and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/cindyrollins.net/
Jump into our private Facebook group, The Literary Life Discussion Group, and let's get the book talk going! h…
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Episode 4: "Gaudy Night" Chapters 1-3
22 april 2019 · 1 uur 7 min
Today's Book List: Lees meer
(affiliate links)
Gaudy Night, Strong Poison, Clouds of Witness, Unnatural Death, Five Red Herrings, Murder Must Advertise, The Nine Tailors, and The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy Sayers
Seeking God by Esther de Waal and Kathleen Norris
The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis
Essays by Dorothy Sayers: Are Women Human?, The Mind of the Maker, and Letters to a Diminished Church
Connect with us!
Find Angelina at https://angelinastanford.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ANGStanford/
Find Cindy at https://cindyrollins.net and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/cindyrollins.net/
Jump into our private Facebook group, The Literary Life Discussion Group, and let's get the book talk going! http://bit.ly/literarylifeFB
Today's poem:
A Slice of Wedding Cake by Robert Graves
Why have such scores of lovely, gifted girls
Married impossible men?
Simple self-sacrifice may be ruled out,
And missionary endeavour, nine times out of ten.
Repeat 'impossible men': not merely rustic,
Foul-tempered or depraved
(Dramatic foils chosen to show the world
How well women behave, and always have behaved).
Impossible men: idle, illiterate,
Self-pitying, dirty, sly,
For whose appearance even in City parks
Excuses must be made to casual passers-by.
Has God's supply of tolerable husbands
Fallen, in fact, so low?
Or do I always over-value woman
At the expense of man?
Do I?
It might be so.
-
Episode 3: The Importance of the Detective Novel
22 april 2019 · 1 uur 2 min
Today's Book List: Lees meer
(affiliate links)
The World's Last Night and Lilies That Fester by C.S. Lewis
The Five Red Herrings, Murder Must Advertise, and Gaudy Night by Dorothy L Sayers
Nancy Drew #45: The Spider Sapphire Mystery by Carolyn Keene
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Footsteps at the Lock by Ronald Knox
Multiple novels by Agatha Christie
Murders in the Rue Morgue and The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe
The Moonstone and The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
The Albert Campion series by Margery Allingham
The Roderick Alleyn series by Ngaio Marsh
The Flavia de Luce series by Allen Bradley
The Inspector Appleby Mystery series by Michael Innes
The Daughter of Time and Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey
Murder Fantastical by Patricia Moyes
The Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)
Multiple novels by Alexander McCall Smith
Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie King
The Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny
Brave New World by David Archer
The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael series by Ellis Peters
The Adam Dalgliesh Series by P.D. James
Connect with us!
Find Angelina at https://angelinastanford.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ANGStanford/
Find Cindy at https://cindyrollins.net and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/cindyrollins.net/
Jump into our private Facebook group, The Literary Life Discussion Group, and let's get the book talk going! http://bit.ly/literarylifeFB
Today's poem:
The Listeners by Walter De La Mare
'Is there anybody there?' said the Traveller,
Knocking on the moonlit door;
And his horse in the silence champed the grasses
Of the forest's ferny floor:
And a bird flew up out of the turret,
Above the Traveller's head:
And he smote upon the door again a second time;
'Is there anybody there?' he said.
But no one descended to the Traveller;
No head from the leaf-fringed sill
Leaned over and looked into his grey eyes,
Where he stood…
-
The Interview Episode
21 april 2019 · 54 min
Today's Book List: Lees meer
(affiliate links)
One Writer's Beginnings by Eudora Welty
Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L'Engle
The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis
Fairacre and Thrush Green series by Miss Read
Arabian Nights
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Legends of King Arthur Series by Rosemary Sutcliff
The Jeeves and Wooster series by P.G. Wodehouse
The Lord Peter novels and Are Women Human? Dorothy Sayers
Connect with us!
Find Angelina at houseofhumaneletters.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ANGStanford/
Find Cindy at morningtimeformoms.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CindyRollinsWriter
Jump into our private Facebook group, The Literary Life Discussion Group, and let's get the book talk going! http://bit.ly/literarylifeFB
Today's poem:
If I Could Tell You by W.H. Auden
Time will say nothing but I told you so,
Time only knows the price we have to pay;
If I could tell you I would let you know.
If we should weep when clowns put on their show,
If we should stumble when musicians play,
Time will say nothing but I told you so.
There are no fortunes to be told, although,
Because I love you more than I can say,
If I could tell you I would let you know.
The winds must come from somewhere when they blow,
There must be reasons why the leaves decay;
Time will say nothing but I told you so.
Perhaps the roses really want to grow,
The vision seriously intends to stay;
If I could tell you I would let you know.
Suppose the lions all get up and go,
And all the brooks and soldiers run away;
Will Time say nothing but I told you so?
If I could tell you I would let you know.
-
What is the Literary Life?
21 april 2019 · 40 min
Today's Book List: Lees meer
(affiliate links)
An Experiment in Criticism by C.S. Lewis
The Children's Homer, The Golden Fleece, The Stone of Victory, and other Tales by Padraic Colum
For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay
Mutliple novels by Elizabeth Gaskell
Leisure: The Basis of Culture by Joseph Pieper
Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers
Find out more about our sponsor, New College Franklin at https://newcollegefranklin.org/
Connect with us!
Find Angelina at https://angelinastanford.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ANGStanford/
Find Cindy at https://cindyrollins.net and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/cindyrollins.net/
Jump into our private Facebook group, The Literary Life Discussion Group, and let's get the book talk going! http://bit.ly/literarylifeFB
Today's poem:
The Truisms by Louis MacNeice
His father gave him a box of truisms
Shaped like a coffin, then his father died;
The truisms remained on the mantlepiece
As wooden as the play box they had been packed in
Or that his father skulked inside.
Then he left home, left the truisms behind him
Still on the mantlepiece, met love, met war,
Sordor, disappointment, defeat, betrayal,
Till through disbeliefs he arrived at a house
He could not remember seeing before.
And he walked straight in; it was where he had come from
And something told him the way to behave.
He raised his hand and blessed his home;
The truisms flew and perched on his shoulders
And a tall tree sprouted from his father's grave.