Podcast
The Literary Life Podcast
Hosted by Angelina Stanford Thomas Banks · EN
Not just book chat! The Literary Life Podcast is an ongoing conversation about the skill and art of reading well and the lost intellectual tradition needed to fully enter into the great works of literature.
Experienced teachers Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks (of www.HouseOfHumaneLetters.com) join lifelong reader Cindy Rollins (of www.MorningtimeForMoms.com) for slow reads of classic literature, conversations with book lovers, and an ever-unfolding discussion of how Stories Will Save the World.
And check out our sister podcast The Well Read Poem with poet Thomas Banks.
108episodes
Episodes
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Episode 331: "Araby" by James Joyce – Short Story Summer Series Remix
Yesterday01:38:55Summary readyThis week on The Literary Life we begin revisiting a series from our "Summer of the Short Story" that originally aired way back in Season 1 of the podcast! Today we return to Episode 11, in which Angelina and Cindy enjoyed a discussion of the short story "Araby" by James Joyce. 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. If you want to find replays of the 2019 Back to School online conference referenced in this episode, you can purchase them in Cindy's shop at MorningTimeforMoms.com. You can also find out about all the current classes and summer events happening at HouseofHumaneLetters.com. Check out the schedule for the podcast's summer episodes on our Upcoming Events page. View the complete show notes for this episode at https://theliterary.life/331.
SummaryEpisode 330: Where to Start with Ancient Literature with Dr. Anne Phillips
1w ago01:38:26Summary readyThis week on The Literary Life Podcast, our hosts seek to answer your questions about reading ancient literature. Angelina and Thomas and joined by their colleague, Dr. Anne Phillips, and together they cover some of the most frequently asked questions about diving into the ancients, including the following: Which epic should a person start with, and why? How should kids be introduced to the epics? What is a good place to begin reading the Greek dramatists? Where to begin becoming familiar with Greek myth? Where should someone start to dip into ancient history? What if a person wants to read ancient philosophy? Don't forget to check out everything going on over at HouseofHumaneLetters.com to stay up to date on all the upcoming new summer classes and webinars. Also, you can visit Cassiodorus Press to order Dr. Jason Baxter's newest books, and get on the email list so you don't miss any publication news! Finally, if you want to view the full show notes for this episode, including links to books and authors mentioned, as well as today's poem and quotes, please visit https://theliterary.life/330.
SummaryEpisode 329: "On Fairy Stories" Revisited with Jenn Rogers
2w ago01:55:44Summary readyOn today's episode of The Literary Life, our hosts Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks are joined by Jenn Rogers for a new discussion of "On Fairy Stories" by J.R.R. Tolkien. After sharing some opening commonplace quotes, Jenn gives us background and context for how "On Fairy Stories" comes to us today. She talks about the conversations being had by Tolkien and other philologists and folklorists that set the stage for this essay. Angelina highlights the idea of the Tree of Tales and its importance to understanding all of literature. Other topics they discuss together include sub-creation, the soup of story, the real versus the ordinary, recovery and escape, plus so much more! Don't forget to check out everything going on over at HouseofHumaneLetters.com to stay up to date on all the upcoming new summer classes and webinars, including Heather Goodman's May webinar on Mary Poppins. To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/329.
SummaryEpisode 328: Best of The Literary Life – "On Fairy Stories" by J.R.R. Tolkien
3w ago01:31:13Summary readyThis week on The Literary Life, we are re-airing an episode from the archives featuring a discussion of J.R.R. Tolkien's essay "On Fairy Stories" between Angelina Stanford, Cindy Rollins, and Thomas Banks. Angelina sets the stage for this discussion by orienting us to the context for the essay by Tolkien as a critique of what is considered a fairy story. She points out the difference between cautionary tales like those by Charles Perrault and the German folk and fairy tales collected by the Grimm Brothers. Our hosts highlight Tolkien's definition of true fairy stories, ones that take place in the "perilous realm" and involve a journey element. He critiques Andrew Lang as including many stories as fairy tale that are not truly fairy stories. They also discuss topics from the essay including sub-creation, magic and spells, suspension of disbelief, and children's responses to fairy stories. Join us again next week for an additional "update" episode on this same essay with Jenn Rogers. Don't forget to check out everything going on over at HouseofHumaneLetters.com to stay up to date on all the upcoming new summer classes and webinars! Cindy also has some exciting things happening at MorningTimeforMoms.com, including registration for her summer discipleship group. For the full show notes for this episode, see our podcast website at https://theliterarylife/328.
SummaryEpisode 327: The Power of Story and "Galahad and the Grail" with Malcolm Guite
4w ago01:12:37Summary readyThis week on The Literary Life Podcast, we have a special episode in which our hosts Angelina Stanford, Thomas Banks, and Cindy Rollins and joined by poet, priest, scholar, and musician Malcolm Guite. Together they discuss not only Father Guite's newest book, Galahad and the Grail, but also the underlying ideas of why stories matter and what power they have in our lives. Malcolm Guite shares some thoughts on the value of both metrical poetry and the ballad form, as well as his own composition habits. He retells the Arthurian legend his own mother told him as a child and how this story is a powerful picture of the Gospel. Other topics they explore are how we see gospel echoes in "pre-Christian" stories, what it is like to have people find new layers of meaning in your writing, Join us again next week for an episode from the vault on Tolkien's "Why Read Fairy Stories," which will be followed by an additional "update" episode on the same essay with Jenn Rogers. Don't forget to check out everything going on over at HouseofHumaneLetters.com to stay up to date on all the upcoming new summer classes and webinars! Cindy also has some exciting things happening at MorningTimeforMoms.com, including registration for her summer discipleship group. And for the full show notes on this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/327.
SummaryEpisode 326: "The Rape of the Lock" by Alexander Pope
Apr 2801:12:37Summary readyOn this week's episode of The Literary Life, Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks will discuss Pope's mock epic poem, "The Rape of the Lock." They begin the conversation by talking about two types of satire to set us up for an accurate understand of this poem. They also talk about the form of a mock epic poem and a burlesque. This conversation brings out the various allusions to classical heroic epic poems juxtaposed with the frivolous in this story. You can check out all the latest offerings of mini-classes and webinars, including Heather Goodman's upcoming webinar on P.L. Travers' Mary Poppins, at HouseofHumaneLetters.com. For more show notes, please visit https://theliterary.life/326.
SummaryEpisode 325: Introduction to Alexander Pope and the Neo-Classical Poets
Apr 2101:24:36Summary readyToday on The Literary Life podcast, Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks share an introduction to the Neo-Classical Poets, including Alexander Pope, and their poetry. First off, they establish a definition of the Neo-classical period both in terms of time and of culture. In addition, Angelina points out some ways in which the coming of the Enlightenment throws off ideals of the Medievals in favor of those of the Greeks and Romans. Another topic they highlight is the popularity of the satire in this period, as well as the prevelance of the printed word. After this general introduction to the period, Thomas shares a biographical sketch of Alexander Pope. Join us back again here next week when we will discuss Pope's mock epic poem, "The Rape of the Lock." You can check out all the latest offerings of mini-classes and webinars, including Jenn Roger's webinar on C. S. Lewis' The Pilgrim's Regress, at HouseofHumaneLetters.com. For the full show notes for this episode, please visit our podcast website at https://theliterary.life/325.
SummaryEpisode 324: "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë, Ch. 34-End
Apr 1401:26:51Summary readyOn The Literary Life Podcast with Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks this week, we will wrap up our discussion of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. After sharing their commonplace quote for this week, Thomas and Angelina jump right into recapping the important plot points of this last section of the book. They start with some contrasts between St. John and Rochester, then they talk about the journey of the soul and the image of marriage. They also consider the parallels of her return to Thornfield and the reversals in these scenes, as well as how Brontë fulfills the various fairy tale endings she set up earlier in the book. You can check out all the latest offerings of mini-classes and webinars, both upcoming and recorded in the past. Find everything at HouseofHumaneLetters.com, where you can also sign up for the HHL newsletter to stay in the loop about all the latest happenings! Join us back here next week for an introduction to Alexander Pope and the Neo-classical Poets, followed by an episode on Pope's "The Rape of the Lock". In May, we will have a special guest interview of Malcolm Guite all about his new book, Galahad and the Grail. You can check out the full version of our show notes for this episode at https://theliteray.life/324.
SummaryEpisode 323: "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë, Ch. 27-33
Apr 701:13:02Summary readyThis week on The Literary Life Podcast with Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks, we continue our series on Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. In today's episode, they talk about the main plot points and follow threads of meaning in chapters 27-33. Some of the ideas they discuss include Romanticism in literature, Rochester's Byronic qualities, pictures of Jane's awakening, the eucatastrophe in this section of the book, parallels to the story of Cupid and Psyche, and more contrasts between fire and ice. You can check out all the latest offerings of mini-classes and webinars, both upcoming and recorded in the past. Find everything at HouseofHumaneLetters.com, where you can also sign up for the HHL newsletter to stay in the loop about all the latest happenings! Don't forget to visit https://theliterary.life/323 for the full show notes for this episode.
SummaryEpisode 322: "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë, Ch. 20-26
Mar 3101:56:13Summary readyWelcome back to The Literary Life Podcast and our series on Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. This week Angelina and Thomas discuss chapters 20-26, especially looking at the character of Bertha and the symbolism of "the woman in the attic." They talk more about the medieval idea of the well-ordered person in contrast to the person ruled by the passions, as well as how Bertha is a mirror for Jane's inner turmoil. Angelina highlights more ways in which we see glimpses of the stories of Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella in this section, as well as a hint at Sleeping Beauty. Other ideas Thomas and Angelina bring out are the story of Griselda, Jane's journey of the soul, images of the Garden of Eden, and so much more! You can check out all the latest offerings of mini-classes and webinars, both upcoming and recorded in the past. Find everything at HouseofHumaneLetters.com, where you can also sign up for the HHL newsletter to stay in the loop about all the latest happenings! You can pre-order Jason Baxter's new book Falling Inward in its revised and expanded 2nd edition now! Also, if you missed it, here is the podcast episode in which he shares more personal thoughts on how this book came to be. And to view the full show notes for this episode, head over to https://theliterary.life/322.
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