The Literary Life Podcast

Welcome to another episode in our "Best of The Literary Life" podcast series. Today on The Literary Life Podcast, our hosts Angelina and Cindy chat with "superfan" Emily Raible about her own literary life. Emily is a homeschool mom, an avid reader, birdwatcher, baker and probably Angelina's most loyal student. In telling the story of her reading life, Emily talks about her childhood and how she was not a reader as a young person. She shares how she finally started getting interested in reading through Janette Oke and Hardy Boys books. Then she tells about borrowing books from a local family's home library and starting to fall in love with true classics. After getting married to an avid reader, Emily started going through her husband's own library during her long hours at home alone. Even after she became of lover of reading, Emily still didn't define herself as a real reader. Emily shares her journey to becoming a homeschooling parent, how she learned about Charlotte Mason and classical education, and her first time meeting Angelina and Cindy. They continue the conversation expanding on the feast of ideas, what it means to be a "reader," and how we learn and enter into the literary world throughout our lives. If you are listening to this on the day it drops, there is still time to grab a spot for Thomas Banks and Anne Phillips' webinar on Herodotus taking place today January 30, 2024. Head over to HouseofHumaneLetters.com/webinars where you can sign up! Of course, you can also purchase the recordings to tune in after the webinar is released. If you missed the 2020 Back to School Conference with Karen Glass, you can still purchase the recording at MorningTimeforMoms.com. Also, our Sixth Annual Literary Life Online Conference is coming up in April 2024. The theme is "Dispelling the Myth of Modernity" with keynote speaker Jason Baxter. You can learn more and register now at HouseofHumaneLetters.com. Commonplace Quotes: But the object of my school is to show how many extraordinary things even a lazy and ordinary man may see, if he can spur himself to the single activity of seeing. G. K. Chesterton Time can be both a threat and a friend to hope. Injustice, for example, has to be tediously dismantled, not exploded. This is often infuriating, but it is true. Makoto Fujimura The poet is traditionally a blind man, but the Christian poet, and story-teller as well, is like the blind man whom Christ touched, who looked then and saw men as if they were trees but walking. This is the beginning of vision, and it is an invitation to deeper and stranger visions than we shall have to learn to accept if we are to realize a truly Christian literature. Flannery O'Connor Armies in the Fire by Robert Louis Stevenson The lamps now glitter down the street; Faintly sound the falling feet; And the blue even slowly falls About the garden trees and walls. Now in the falling of the gloom The red fire paints the empty room: And warmly on the roof it looks, And flickers on the back of books. Armies march by tower and spire Of cities blazing, in the fire;— Till as I gaze with staring eyes, The armies fall, the lustre dies. Then once again the glow returns; Again the phantom city burns; And down the red-hot valley, lo! The phantom armies marching go! Blinking embers, tell me true Where are those armies marching to, And what the burning city is That crumbles in your furnaces! Book List: Tremendous Trifles by G. K. Chesterton Culture Care by Makoto Fujimura Rascal by Sterling North Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Poppy Ott by Leo Edwards Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare The Once and Future King by T. H. White The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkein The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan Agatha Christie James Patterson Tom Clancy Harry Potter series Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Mansfield Park by Jane Austen Howards End by E. M. Forster The Divine Comedy by Dante (trans. by Dorothy Sayers) Illiad and Odyssey by Homer Dorothy L. Sayers The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf Why Should Businessmen Read Great Literature? by Vigen Guroian The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy Arabian Nights Are Women Human? by Dorothy Sayers Confessions by Augustine Beatrix Potter Treasury Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame Babe the Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem 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: You can find Angelina and Thomas at HouseofHumaneLetters.com, on Instagram @angelinastanford, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ANGStanford/ Find Cindy at morningtimeformoms.com, on Instagram @cindyordoamoris and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CindyRollinsWriter. Check out Cindy's own Patreon page also! Follow The Literary Life on Instagram, and jump into our private Facebook group, The Literary Life Discussion Group, and let's get the book talk going! http://bit.ly/literarylifeFB

Delve into the whimsical final acts of A Midsummer Night's Dream as the hosts discuss love, illusion, and character transformations. They explore the dream-like treatment of time and reality, revealing the enchanting interplay between imagination and the mundane. A playful examination of Shakespeare's comedic structure uncovers themes of harmony and discord. With lighthearted banter and personal anecdotes, the hosts encourage a deeper appreciation for Shakespeare, especially among younger audiences.

In this lively discussion, Angelina delves into the chaotic pacing and lunatic behavior of characters in Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream.' She emphasizes the tension between imagination, art, and reality. Thomas highlights the play's dreamlike structure, while Cindy raises concerns about distinguishing real from pretend for young audiences. Together, they explore the intertwining themes of madness, humor, and the historical reception of Shakespeare's work, creating a rich tapestry of literary analysis and personal insights.

Explore Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream with in-depth discussions on characters, themes, symbolism, and movie adaptations. Uncover the significance of the setting, spiritual themes, and contrasting worlds in the play. Delve into the complexities of Theseus as a symbol of reason and order amidst the fairy world. Discover the enchantment, imagination, and mischievous antics of Puck and Oberon, highlighting the blend of chaos and harmony in Shakespeare's comedies.

In this episode, the hosts introduce William Shakespeare and his play 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. They discuss how to cultivate a love for Shakespeare, whether to read or watch the play, and provide book recommendations. The format of Shakespeare's comedies and Roman comedy are explored. They also touch on the conference 'The Battle Over Children's Literature' and upcoming webinars. The chapter descriptions cover topics like positive thinking, Herodotus, ethical considerations in biography, Shakespeare's storytelling, and the themes of appearance versus reality in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.

On The Literary Life today, Angelina and Thomas preview the upcoming season of the podcast and what books you can expect them to cover in 2024. We have some short books and exciting new series coming up in the new year, and you can scroll down for Amazon affiliate links to all the books planned. The House of Humane Letters is currently having their Christmas sale until December 31, 2023. Everything is now 20% OFF, so hop on over and get the classes at their best prices now. In addition, you can still sign up for Atlee Northmore's webinar "A Medieval Romance in a Galaxy Far, Far Away: How to Read Star Wars." If you missed it, go back to last month's episode to get all the information about our 2024 Reading Challenge, Book of Centuries. Books Mentioned: A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare Howards End by E. M. Forster Tartuffe by Jean-Baptiste Moliere, trans. by Donald M. Frame Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë Harry Potter, Book 1 by J. K. Rowling Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde 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: You can find Angelina and Thomas at HouseofHumaneLetters.com, on Instagram @angelinastanford, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ANGStanford/ Follow The Literary Life on Instagram, and jump into our private Facebook group, The Literary Life Discussion Group, and let's get the book talk going! http://bit.ly/literarylifeFB

On The Literary Life today, Angelina, Cindy and Thomas recap their reading from the past year. They first share some general thoughts on their year of reading and what sorts of books they completed. Other questions they discuss are on what books surprised them, what "low brow" books they read, and more! Come back next week for a preview of all the books we will be covering in the podcast in 2024. Stay tuned to the end of the episode for an important announcement! Cindy is currewntly offering at 20% OFF discount throughout the holidays. Use coupon code "advent2023" on MorningTimeforMoms.com/shop until January 2024. The House of Humane Letters is currently having their Christmas sale until December 31, 2023. Everything pre-recorded is now 20% OFF, so hop on over and get the classes at their best prices now. You can now also sign up for Atlee Northmore's webinar "A Medieval Romance in a Galaxy Far, Far Away: How to Read Star Wars." If you missed it, go back to last month's episode to get all the information about our 2024 Reading Challenge, Book of Centuries. Commonplace Quotes: Life was a hiding place that played me false. Lascelles Abercrombie, from "Epitaph" But if man's attention is repaid so handsomely, his inattention costs him dearly. Every time he diagrams something instead of looking at it, every time he regards not what a thing is but what it can be made to mean to him, every time he substitutes a conceit for a fact, he gets grease all over the kitchen of the world. Reality slips away from him, and he is left with nothing but the oldest monstrosity in the world–an idol. Robert Farrar Capon, from The Supper of the Lamb Some writers confuse authenticity, which they ought always to aim at, with originality, which they should never bother about. There is a certain kind of person who is so dominated by the desire to be loved for himself alone that he has constantly to test those around him by tiresome behavior; what he says and does must be admired, not because it is intrinsically admirable, but because it is his remark, his act. Does not this explain a good deal of avant-garde art? W. H. Auden, from The Dyer's Hand On Sitting Down to Read King Lear Once Again by John Keats O golden-tongued Romance with serene lute! Fair pluméd Syren! Queen of far away! Leave melodizing on this wintry day, Shut up thine olden pages, and be mute: Adieu! for once again the fierce dispute, Betwixt damnation and impassion'd clay Must I burn through; once more humbly assay The bitter-sweet of this Shakespearian fruit. Chief Poet! and ye clouds of Albion, Begetters of our deep eternal theme, When through the old oak forest I am gone, Let me not wander in a barren dream, But when I am consumed in the fire, Give me new Phoenix wings to fly at my desire. Books Mentioned: English Literature in the 16th Century by C. S. Lewis The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers The Trumpet Major by Thomas Hardy The Talisman by Sir Walter Scott Anne of Geierstein by Sir Walter Scott The Victorian Cycle by Esme Wingfield-Stratford The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon In the South Seas by Robert Louis Stevenson The History of Tom Jones, Foundling by Henry Fielding The History of the Life of the Late Mr. Jonathan Wild the Great by Henry Fielding The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith The Clergyman's Daughter by George Orwell Coming Up for Air by George Orwell The Road to Wigan Pier by George Orwell Our Island Story by H. E Marshall English Literature for Boys and Girls by H. E. Marshall 1066 and All That by Sellar and Yeatman Dave Berry Slept Here by Dave Berry The Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling Tied Up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories by P. D. James Lady Susan by Jane Austen The Go-Between by L. P. Hartley The Color Purple by Alice Walker World Enough and Time by Christian McEwen An Anthology of Invective and Verbal Abuse edited by Hugh Kingsmill Encyclopedia Brown books by Donald J. Sobol The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis The Woman in Me by Brittany Spears Sackett Series by Louis L'Amour The Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L'Amour Madly, Deeply by Alan Rickman Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar Spare by Prince Harry (not recommended) Sir John Fielding Series by Bruce Alexander Literary Life Commonplace Books Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe 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: You can find Angelina and Thomas at HouseofHumaneLetters.com, on Instagram @angelinastanford, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ANGStanford/ Find Cindy at morningtimeformoms.com, on Instagram @cindyordoamoris and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CindyRollinsWriter. Check out Cindy's own Patreon page also! Follow The Literary Life on Instagram, and jump into our private Facebook group, The Literary Life Discussion Group, and let's get the book talk going! http://bit.ly/literarylifeFB

This week's episode of The Literary Life we bring you a special interview with Jenn Rogers! Angelina Stanford and Cindy Rollins talk with Jenn about her own literary life and how she learned the things she is now passing on to others through The House of Humane Letters. Jenn shares how languages and literature were a part of her life from a young age as a child of missionaries in the Dominican Republic and homeschooled in a Charlotte Mason style. She also shares how surprising challenges ended up opening a door for her family to use AmblesideOnline and other resources, using their imaginations and creativity in getting a great education. The House of Humane Letters is currently having their Christmas sale until December 31, 2023. Everything is now 20% OFF, so hop on over and get the classes at their best prices now. In addition to the sale, you can also sign up for Atlee Northmore's webinar "A Medieval Romance in a Galaxy Far, Far Away: How to Read Star Wars." Cindy is also offering at 20% OFF discount throughout the holidays. Use coupon code "advent2023" on MorningTimeforMoms.com/shop until January 2024. Commonplace Quotes: But if literature teaches us anything at all, it is this, that we have an eternal element free from care and fear which can survey the things in life we call evil with serenity, that is, not without appreciating their quality but without any disturbance of our spiritual equilibrium. Not in the same way, but in some such way, we shall all doubtless survey our own story when we know it, and a great deal more of the Whole Story. J. R. R. Tolkien, from The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien This final argument is an indication of how monastic writers like Ælfric sought to understand the cycle of the seasons. They wanted to read and interpret the natural world, to learn to recognize the meaning God had planted in it. They saw time and seasons, from the very first day of the world, as carefully arranged by God with method and purpose, so they believed it would be possible to organize the calendar, not according to the randomness of custom and inherited tradition, but in a way that reflected that divine plan. Eleanor Parker, from Winters in the World It is both the glory and the shame of poetry that its medium is not its private property, that a poet cannot invent his words and that words are products, not of nature, but of a human society which uses them for a thousand different purposes. In modern societies where language is continually being debased and reduced to nonspeech, the poet is in constant danger of having his ear corrupted, a danger to which the painter and the composer, whose media are their private property, are not exposed. On the other hand, he is more protected than they from another modern peril, that of solipsist subjectivity; however esoteric a poem may be, the fact that all its words have meanings which can be looked up in a dictionary makes it testify to the existence of other people Even the language of Finnegan's Wake was not created by Joyce ex nihilo; a purely private verbal world is not possible. W. H. Auden, from The Dyer's Hand Cliche Came Out of Its Cage by C. S. Lewis You said 'The world is going back to Paganism'. Oh bright Vision! I saw our dynasty in the bar of the House Spill from their tumblers a libation to the Erinyes, And Leavis with Lord Russell wreathed in flowers, heralded with flutes, Leading white bulls to the cathedral of the solemn Muses To pay where due the glory of their latest theorem. Hestia's fire in every flat, rekindled, burned before The Lardergods. Unmarried daughters with obedient hands Tended it By the hearth the white-armd venerable mother Domum servabat, lanam faciebat. at the hour Of sacrifice their brothers came, silent, corrected, grave Before their elders; on their downy cheeks easily the blush Arose (it is the mark of freemen's children) as they trooped, Gleaming with oil, demurely home from the palaestra or the dance. Walk carefully, do not wake the envy of the happy gods, Shun Hubris. The middle of the road, the middle sort of men, Are best. Aidos surpasses gold. Reverence for the aged Is wholesome as seasonable rain, and for a man to die Defending the city in battle is a harmonious thing. Thus with magistral hand the Puritan Sophrosune Cooled and schooled and tempered our uneasy motions; Heathendom came again, the circumspection and the holy fears ... You said it. Did you mean it? Oh inordinate liar, stop. Or did you mean another kind of heathenry? Think, then, that under heaven-roof the little disc of the earth, Fortified Midgard, lies encircled by the ravening Worm. Over its icy bastions faces of giant and troll Look in, ready to invade it. The Wolf, admittedly, is bound; But the bond wil1 break, the Beast run free. The weary gods, Scarred with old wounds the one-eyed Odin, Tyr who has lost a hand, Will limp to their stations for the Last defence. Make it your hope To be counted worthy on that day to stand beside them; For the end of man is to partake of their defeat and die His second, final death in good company. The stupid, strong Unteachable monsters are certain to be victorious at last, And every man of decent blood is on the losing side. Take as your model the tall women with yellow hair in plaits Who walked back into burning houses to die with men, Or him who as the death spear entered into his vitals Made critical comments on its workmanship and aim. Are these the Pagans you spoke of? Know your betters and crouch, dogs; You that have Vichy water in your veins and worship the event Your goddess History (whom your fathers called the strumpet Fortune). Books Mentioned: The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis, Volume 3 by C. S. Lewis Macbeth by William Shakespeare 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: You can find Angelina and Thomas at HouseofHumaneLetters.com, on Instagram @angelinastanford, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ANGStanford/ Find Cindy at morningtimeformoms.com, on Instagram @cindyordoamoris and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CindyRollinsWriter. Check out Cindy's own Patreon page also! Follow The Literary Life on Instagram, and jump into our private Facebook group, The Literary Life Discussion Group, and let's get the book talk going! http://bit.ly/literarylifeFB

On The Literary Life today, we wrap up our series on The Mind of the Maker by Dorothy L. Sayers. Angelina, Cindy, and Thomas begin the conversation with C. S. Lewis' critique of Sayers' work, both what he agreed with and disagreed with in this book, as well as touching on Tolkien's idea of artists as sub-creators. Cindy talks about what it is like writing a book in relation to Sayers' thoughts on the subject of authorship. Thomas shares why he took issue with part of her examples of scalene triangles and the Trinity in relation to aesthetic failures. Angelina shares her dilemma with this same portion, and they discuss the principle they think Sayers was trying to illustrate. The House of Humane Letters is currently having their Christmas sale until December 31, 2023. Everything is now 20% OFF, so hop on over and get the classes at their best prices now. In addition to the sale, you can also sign up for Atlee Northmore's webinar "A Medieval Romance in a Galaxy Far, Far Away: How to Read Star Wars." Cindy is also offering at 20% OFF discount throughout the holidays. Use coupon code "advent2023" on MorningTimeforMoms.com/shop until January 2024. If you missed it, go back to last week's episode to get all the information about our 2024 Reading Challenge, Book of Centuries. Commonplace Quotes: Truth herself will, at the promptings of Nature, break forth from even unwilling hearts. "Veritas ipsa cogente natura etiam ab invitis pectoribus erumpit." Lactantius, from Divine Institutes, Bk. II Curiosity may elicit facts, but only real interest may mold these facts to wisdom. Anna Botsford Comstock, from Handbook of Nature Study I must therefore disagree with Miss Sayers very profoundly when she says that 'between the mind of the maker and the Mind of the Maker' there is 'a difference, not of category, but only of quality and degree' (p. 147). On my view there is a greater, far greater, difference between the two than between playing with a doll and suckling a child. But with this, serious disagreement ends. This is the first 'little book on religion' I have read for a long time in which every sentence is intelligible and every page advances the argument. I recommend it heartily to theologians and critics. To novelists and poets, if they are already inclined in any degree to idolatry of their own vocation, I recommend it with much more caution. They had better read it fasting. C. S. Lewis, from Image and Imagination Thoughts by Thomas Beddoes Sweet are the thoughts that haunt the poet's brain Like rainbow-fringed clouds, through which some star Peeps in bright glory on a shepherd swain; They sweep along and trance him; sweeter far Than incense trailing up an out-stretched chain From rocking censer; sweeter too they are Than the thin mist which rises in the gale From out the slender cowslip's bee-scarred breast. Their delicate pinions buoy up a tale Like brittle wings, which curtain in the vest Of cobweb-limbed ephemera, that sail In gauzy mantle of dun twilight dressed, Borne on the wind's soft sighings, when the spring Listens all evening to its whispering. Books Mentioned: Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy Sayers Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers Home Economics by Wendell Berry 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: You can find Angelina and Thomas at HouseofHumaneLetters.com, on Instagram @angelinastanford, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ANGStanford/ Find Cindy at morningtimeformoms.com, on Instagram @cindyordoamoris and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CindyRollinsWriter. Check out Cindy's own Patreon page also! Follow The Literary Life on Instagram, and jump into our private Facebook group, The Literary Life Discussion Group, and let's get the book talk going! http://bit.ly/literarylifeFB

This week on The Literary Life podcast, we have a very special 200th Episode for you! Angelina Stanford, Cindy Rollins and Thomas Banks are joined by their Patreon Friends and Fellows for a live episode recording to launch the 2024 Reading Challenge! This year's challenge theme is "Book of Centuries" and features a timeline of literary periods from which you can choose works to read throughout the next year. The discussion featured suggestions for each literary period and century, and you can get the complete list of book and author suggestions right here. (Due to the length of this list, we will not be adding hyperlinks this week, so please see the document to find any book titles and authors you want to explore.) As usual, there will also be a kids' version of the reading challenge! To download a PDF version of the adult reading challenge, click here. To download a PDF of the kids' version, click here. The House of Humane Letters is currently having their Christmas sale until December 31, 2023. Everything is now 20% OFF, so hop on over and get the classes at their best prices now. In addition to the sale, you can also sign up for Atlee Northmore's webinar "A Medieval Romance in a Galaxy Far, Far Away: How to Read Star Wars." Cindy is also offering at 20% OFF discount throughout the holidays. Use coupon code "advent2023" on MorningTimeforMoms.com/shop until January 2024. Commonplace Quotes: Chaucer had the rare gift of an author of liking people he did not respect. G. K. Chesterton, from Chaucer Modern education promotes the unmitigated study of literature and concentrates our attention on the relation between a writer's life, his surface life, and his work. That is the reason it is such a curse. Madeleine L'Engle, from Walking on Water A very famous writer once said, "A book is like a mirror. If a fool looks in, you can't expect a genius to look out." J. K. Rowling Whitsunday by George Herbert Listen sweet Dove unto my song, And spread thy golden wings in me; Hatching my tender heart so long, Till it get wing, and fly away with thee. Where is that fire which once descended On thy Apostles? thou didst then Keep open house, richly attended, Feasting all comers by twelve chosen men. Such glorious gifts thou didst bestow, That th'earth did like a heav'n appear; The stars were coming down to know If they might mend their wages, and serve here. The sun which once did shine alone, Hung down his head, and wisht for night, When he beheld twelve suns for one Going about the world, and giving light. But since those pipes of gold, which brought That cordial water to our ground, Were cut and martyr'd by the fault Of those, who did themselves through their side wound, Thou shutt'st the door, and keep'st within; Scarce a good joy creeps through the chink: And if the braves of conqu'ring sin Did not excite thee, we should wholly sink. Lord, though we change, thou art the same; The same sweet God of love and light: Restore this day, for thy great name, Unto his ancient and miraculous right. Books Mentioned: 200th Episode Literary Life Book Suggestions 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: You can find Angelina and Thomas at HouseofHumaneLetters.com, on Instagram @angelinastanford, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ANGStanford/ Find Cindy at morningtimeformoms.com, on Instagram @cindyordoamoris and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CindyRollinsWriter. Check out Cindy's own Patreon page also! Follow The Literary Life on Instagram, and jump into our private Facebook group, The Literary Life Discussion Group, and let's get the book talk going! http://bit.ly/literarylifeFB