The Commonplace Ep 07 | Reads of Requirement: An Interview with Rachel Woodham
It’s generally accepted that children need good stories. It’s not generally accepted that good stories are the most important thing read to children. We moderns think of fiction as a treat, a bonus, or an escape; it’s nice but certainly not something we have to require for school. This is why many new classical moms find themselves confused while looking over a book list of The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, and The Secret Garden for next term. If education is about the future, then we have a question: Shouldn’t I give my children real stories to prepare them for the real world?
I’m joined by Rachel Woodham to discuss how stories are a better preparation for Reality and why every mother-teacher should create her list of Reads of Requirement for her home.
Footnotes for this episode
The Still Point | CiRCE Institute column
“Harry Potter, Read of Requirement”
“No Bottom: Delighting in Shakespeare with the Young”
Chance or the Dance?: A Critique of Modern Secularism, Thomas Howard
Til We Have Faces, C.S. Lewis
Brideshead Revisted, Evelyn Waugh
Everything Sad is Untrue, Daniel Nayeri
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You can find the full episode notes here (including my footnotes for this episode). You can leave the podcast a rating and review here. (I thank you!)
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