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The Literary Life Podcast

作者: Angelina Stanford Thomas Banks

最近更新: 2天前

Not just book chat! The Literary Life Podcast is an ongoing conversation about the skill and art of ...

Recent Episodes

Episode 306: "Best of" – What Is the Literary Life?

Welcome back to The Literary Life podcast and one of our "best of" episodes from the vault! Due to the busyness of the holiday season, we thought this would be the perfect time to bring you a replay from our archives instead of starting a brand new book discussion series. This week, we re-air the inaugural episode of The Literary Life, in which Cindy and Angelina introduce the podcast and what they mean when they talk about having a "literary life." Each of them share how stories have shaped their personal lives, as well as how they believe stories have the power to shape culture. You can find and listen to the other 3 introductory episodes of The Literary Life mentioned in this replay at the links below- Episode 2: The Interview Episode Episode 3: The Importance of Detective Fiction Episode 4: Gaudy Night, Ch. 1-3 Happening now–the House of Humane Letters Christmas sale! Head over to the website to peruse the discounted webinars and mini-classes on sale, already discounted, no coupon code needed. Don't forget to check out this coming year's annual Literary Life Online Conference, happening January 23-30, 2026, "The Letter Killeth, but the Spirit Quickeneth: Reading Like a Human". Our speakers will be Dr. Jason Baxter, Jenn Rogers, Dr. Anne Phillips, and, of course, Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks. Finally, you can also sign up now for upcoming classes like "Abiding in the Fields: Spenser, Milton, and the Pastoral Poetic Tradition" taught by Dr. Anne Phillips, or Dr. Michael Drought's "Viking and Old Norse Culture." For the full show notes of this episode, including quotes, book links, and this week's poem, please visit https://theliterary.life/306.

2天前

47:07

Episode 305: Books on Screen – Our Favorite Film Adaptations

On this week's episode of The Literary Life podcast, Angelina Stanford, Thomas Banks, and Atlee Northmore talk about their favorite film adaptations of books they like and why they think these are worthy adaptations. Genres of movies they discuss include adaptations of classic books, kids and family films, film noir favorites, beloved directors, and so much more. They also share some "hot takes" on movies they liked better than the books, and vice versa. We hope this lighthearted, chatty episode will be a little treat for your listening enjoyment during this holiday season. Join us back here again next week for the beginning of our new series on Moliere's Don Juan. Happening now–the House of Humane Letters Christmas sale! Head over to the website to peruse the discounted webinars and mini-classes on sale, already discounted, no coupon code needed. Don't forget to check out this coming year's annual Literary Life Online Conference, happening January 23-30, 2026, "The Letter Killeth, but the Spirit Quickeneth: Reading Like a Human". Our speakers will be Dr. Jason Baxter, Jenn Rogers, Dr. Anne Phillips, and, of course, Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks. For the full show notes of this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/305.

2周前

1小时48分钟

Episode 304: Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" Ch. 14-End

Today on The Literary Life podcast, Angelina, Thomas, and Ella cover the final chapters of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. They begin the conversation considering the ending of the story and mistakes readers may make in thinking it is a despairing ending. Angelina asks the question "how does Huxley tell us to interpret the ending?" They also dig deeper into the rest of the last few chapters, including more instances of parody, religion and self-denial, and so much symbolism! Be sure to head over to our website at https://theliterary.life/304 to check out all the links and additional information in the show notes for today's episode.

3周前

1小时51分钟

Episode 303: Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" Ch. 8-13

This week on The Literary Life podcast, Angelina, Thomas, and Ella continue discussing Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. They begin engaging with the text today by talking more about satire and parody as elements in this story. While recapping the major plot points in these chapters, they go deeper into the character of John the Savage, the ways in which this story is like a distorted reflection of The Tempest and Othello, as well as so many other Shakespeare references. Come back again next week for our final episode in this series as we cover the final chapters of Brave New World! Don't forget to check out our show notes page for links to books mentioned, commonplace quotes, and today's poem! https://theliterary.life/303.

4周前

1小时36分钟

Episode 302: Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" Ch. 4-7

Welcome back to The Literary Life podcast and our series on Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Angelina Stanford, Thomas Banks, and Ella Hornstra open the conversation by sharing their commonplace quotes, then jump into the book discussion with some connections between Huxley and Lewis Carroll and how Brave New World is like Alice in Wonderland. Angelina also teaches about the medieval conception of the tripartite soul and how it relates to this story, as well as making some distinctions between literary satire and parody. They talk about more of the pictures of Freudian principles as illustrated in this society, as well as the way in which the characters live like machines. Ella goes into a little introductory information on Shakespeare's The Tempest and its connections to Brave New World to keep in mind as we continue reading. Don't forget to check out this coming year's annual Literary Life Online Conference, happening January 23-30, 2026, "The Letter Killeth, but the Spirit Quickeneth: Reading Like a Human". Our speakers will be Dr. Jason Baxter, Jenn Rogers, Dr. Anne Phillips, and, of course, Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks. Also, we are excited to announce the upcoming spring course with Dr. Michael Drout, Viking and Old Norse Culture. Learn more and register at HouseofHumaneLetters.com. To view the full show notes for this episode, including book links, quotes and more, please visit https://theliterary.life/302.

5周前

1小时47分钟

Episode 301: Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" Intro and Ch. 1-3

Welcome back to The Literary Life podcast with Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks! They are joined by Ella Hornstra for the beginning of a new series on Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Thomas and Ella kick off the book discussion with a little biographical background on Huxley and dispel the myth that he belonged to the Bloomsbury Group. Angelina gives some literary history of the period in which Huxley wrote, as well as some thoughts on satire as a response to an age of overwhelming optimism. She also highlights the literary and cultural influences that Huxley satirizes in this novel, including Wells, Ford, and Freud. Visit the HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for all the upcoming and past mini-classes and webinars taught by Angelina, Thomas, and their colleagues! Don't forget to check out this coming year's annual Literary Life Online Conference, happening January 23-30, 2026, "The Letter Killeth, but the Spirit Quickeneth: Reading Like a Human". Our speakers will be Dr. Jason Baxter, Jenn Rogers, Dr. Anne Phillips, and, of course, Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks. To view the full show notes for this episode, including commonplace quotes and today's poem, please visit https://theliterary.life/301.

2个月前

1小时42分钟

Best of Series – "Dracula" by Bram Stoker, Ch. 18-End

On The Literary Life podcast this week, Angelina, Cindy and Thomas are back to wrap up their series on Bram Stoker's Dracula. They open with their commonplace quotes then begin diving into the major plot points and the connections being made. Angelina and Cindy discuss what happens to Mina, especially in relation to the idea of the New Woman versus the Angel in the House. Thomas and Angelina talk about Dracula's background and his connection with Satan seen more clearly here at the end of the book. They all share thoughts on the Christian images that are increasingly brought out as the story line progresses. To check out the latest classes and offerings from Angelina, Thomas and their colleagues, you can visit HouseofHumaneLetters.com. You can also find out what Cindy is up to over on her website, MorningTimeforMoms.com. Don't forget to head over to https://theliterary.life/300/ to view the full show notes for this episode, including book links, commonplace quotes, and this week's poem.

2个月前

1小时42分钟

Episode 299: Best of Series – "Dracula" by Bram Stoker, Ch. 12-17

Our hosts are back on The Literary Life podcast today to continue our series on Bram Stoker's Dracula. This week we are covering chapters 12-17, and in the introduction to this episode, Angelina, Cindy and Thomas discuss the purpose of the Gothic novel in reorienting us to realize there is more to the world than the physical and empirical. As they cover the plot in these chapters, other ideas shared are the effective blending of modern technology with ancient wisdom in fighting evil, the many mythological and fairy tale elements in this story, the contrast between the true woman and the false woman, the parallels to Paradise Lost, and so much more. Be sure to check out all that is happening at The House of Humane Letters and Morning Time for Moms in this season so you don't miss out on all their current offerings! Also, check out the full show notes for this episode on our podcast website at https://theliterary.life/299.

2个月前

1小时14分钟

Episode 298: Best of Series – "Dracula" by Bram Stoker, Ch. 8-11

Welcome back to The Literary Life podcast today and our series on Bram Stoker's Dracula. This week Angelina Stanford, Cindy Rollins, and Thomas Banks cover chapters 8-11 of the book. Angelina explains both the "New Woman" and "Angel in the House" ideas of the Victorian era and makes some observations about Dr. Seward's interactions with Renfield in contrast to the nuns ministrations to Jonathan Harker. We are also introduced to Dr. Van Helsing in this section of the book as the foil for Dracula, and we quickly learn that he is more than just a medical man. Our hosts discuss Stoker's own medical knowledge and both the historical and metaphorical context of the blood transfusion procedures in these chapters. Be sure to check out all that is happening at The House of Humane Letters and Morning Time for Moms in this season so you don't miss out on all their current offerings! And to view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/298.

2个月前

1小时1分钟

Episode 297: Best of Series - Bram Stoker's "Dracula" Ch. 3-7

On The Literary Life Podcast this week, our hosts continue with part 2 of their series on Bram Stoker's Dracula. After sharing their commonplace quotes, Angelina, Cindy and Thomas begin discussing how to properly read Dracula and other books written in this tradition. (Hint: It's not the Freudian or psychoanalytical approach!) Angelina argues that Bram Stoker was trying, among other things, to reintroduce the traditional forms and metaphors into the modern era. Thomas shares the dark etymology of the name Dracula and how that relates to the image of Satan in this character. Cindy brings up Jonathan's memory of Mina when he is in his darkest moments and the power of love against evil. For the full show notes on this episode, including book links, quotes, and more, please visit https://theliterary.life/297.

3个月前

1小时14分钟

Episode 296: Best of Series – Introduction to "Dracula" by Bram Stoker, Ch. 1-2

On this week's episode of The Literary Life Podcast, Angelina Stanford is joined as always by Thomas Banks and Cindy Rollins for the opening of their series on Bram Stoker's Dracula. Today our hosts focus on the background and historical context for this piece of literature, as well as going over the highlights of the first two chapters. They talk about the question of the role of the monster in literature in modernity versus its historical interpretation. Understanding the form of the Gothic novel and the time period in which this book was written are important aspects of approaching Dracula. Keep listening next week for more about how to read this book. We will be covering chapters 3-7. To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/296. Get the latest news from House of Humane Letters by signing up for their e-newsletter today! We are excited to announce this coming year's annual Literary Life Online Conference, happening January 23-30, 2026, "The Letter Killeth, but the Spirit Quickeneth: Reading Like a Human". Our speakers will be Dr. Jason Baxter, Jenn Rogers, Dr. Anne Phillips, and, of course, Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks.

3个月前

1小时28分钟

Episode 295: "Goblin Market" by Christina Rossetti, Part 2

Today on The Literary Life podcast Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks continue their two-part series on Christina Rossetti's narrative poem "Goblin Market." They begin discussing this poem by connecting it with the larger conversation on art and the literary tradition, pointing out the flaws of modern ways of reading. Angelina emphasizes the importance of understanding this poem, as well as other classic works of fantasy, in terms of the fairy world and how symbolism and allegory work in fairy tales. After these preliminary thoughts, they go into more detail about this poem, including the obvious picture of the Fall, the vampire imagery, other Scriptural allusions, and the false versus the true Eucharist. Join us back here next week for our Dracula series reboot and more examples of how to read well! And for the full show notes for this week's episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/295. Visit the HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for all the upcoming and past mini-classes and webinars taught by Angelina, Thomas, and their colleagues! We are excited to announce this coming year's annual Literary Life Online Conference, happening January 23-30, 2026, "The Letter Killeth, but the Spirit Quickeneth: Reading Like a Human". Our speakers will be Dr. Jason Baxter, Jenn Rogers, Dr. Anne Phillips, and, of course, Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks.

3个月前

1小时35分钟

Episode 294: "Goblin Market" by Christina Rossetti, Part 1

Welcome back to The Literary Life Podcast! This week we begin a brief, two-episode series covering Christina Rossetti's narrative poem "Goblin Market." Our hosts, Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks, look at the life and family background of Christina Rossetti, highlighting her devout Christian faith as key to understanding her poetry. Thomas shares the dates for the Victorian and Pre-Raphaelite periods in terms of art and literature. Angelina asks what the form of this poem is as we approach this together, and she and Thomas propose a few connections and preliminary ideas they have about "Goblin Market" before we dive into the full text. Join us next week as they walk through the poem together and further discuss how to read this work as well as so much more! Visit the HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for all the upcoming and past mini-classes and webinars taught by Angelina, Thomas, and their colleagues! We are excited to announce this coming year's annual Literary Life Online Conference, happening January 23-30, 2026, "The Letter Killeth, but the Spirit Quickeneth: Reading Like a Human". Our speakers will be Dr. Jason Baxter, Jenn Rogers, Dr. Anne Phillips, and, of course, Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks. And to view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/294.

3个月前

1小时3分钟

Episode 293: The Literary Tradition

On today's episode of The Literary Life podcast, our hosts Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks attempt to get us closer to an answer to the question "What is the literary tradition?" After acknowledging the difficulty of approaching this question, Angelina shares an analogy for understanding the literary tradition as differing degrees of ability to see. The first big idea she wants us to consider is that literature is not a closed system but is a coherent, consistent, self-referential world of literature. Thomas and Angelina also discuss the resonances and symbols of the tradition, the problem with works of literature as self-expression, and how the tradition upholds the imagination, plus so much more! Don't forget to check out of full show notes for quotes, today's poem, and links to books and more! Visit https://theliterary.life/293.

4个月前

1小时43分钟

Episode 292: The Age of Innocence on Screen

On today's episode of The Literary Life Podcast, Angelina and Thomas are joined by Atlee Northmore to discuss film adaptations of Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence. After sharing their commonplace quotes, Atlee begins outlining the history of screen adaptations of Edith Wharton's novels, some of which were made during her own lifetime. Angelina and Thomas talk about their high standards for movie adaptations of books and how Scorsese's film surpassed their expectations. Together they discuss Scorsese's inspiration for this film, the painstaking detail of each scene in the film, how the editing enhanced the audience's understanding of the characters' emotions, and so much more! Also, Atlee's list of Scorsese's influences for making The Age of Innocence can be found here. Tune in again next week to learn more about what we mean when we talk about "the literary tradition"! For full show notes, including links to everything mentioned today, please visit our website at https://theliterary.life/292.

4个月前

1小时40分钟

Episode 291: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, Ch. 22-End

This week on The Literary Life Podcast we wrap up the book discussion portion of our series on Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence. Today, Angelina and Thomas begin with chapter 22, going through the significant scenes all the way to the end of the book. They talk about the ways in which this book is an elegy, as well as the continued glimpses of "the family" as the main character. They also discuss the ways in which May shows herself to be more cunning that she pretends in contrast to Ellen's lack of pretense. Other topics of discussion are America's relationship with foreign influence, Archer's desire to live in an illusion, and the recurring theme of "Faust." They conclude with some thoughts on this book as a parable of American culture. Join us next week for an episode on the film adaptation of this book with our film guru, Atlee Northmore. Visit the HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for all the upcoming and past mini-classes and webinars, especially "The Viking World" taught by Dr. Michael Drout. To view the full show notes for this week's episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/291.

4个月前

1小时38分钟

Episode 290: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, Ch. 9-21

Welcome to The Literary Life Podcast and our series covering The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. Angelina and Thomas open with their commonplace quotes, then begin discussing the events and characters of this section of the book. Some of the ideas they build on this week are the challenges to social conventions, the many references to the goddess Diana and May's "boyishness", examples of the pretense of society, and the language of flowers. In addition, Thomas shares his feelings about the character of Newland Archer, and Angelina points out the recurring themes of love triangles throughout these chapters. Join us next week when we finish up the last chapters of this book, then come back after that for an episode on the film adaptation of this book with our film guru, Atlee Northmore. Visit the HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for all the upcoming and past mini-classes and webinars taught by Angelina, Thomas, and their colleagues! Be sure to visit https://theliterary.life/290 to view the full show notes for this episode, complete with quotes, book lists, and today's poem.

4个月前

1小时53分钟

Episode 289: "The Age of Innocence" by Edith Wharton, Ch. 1-8

Welcome to The Literary Life Podcast and a new series featuring the book The Age of Innocence. Our hosts, Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks introduce us to American Gilded Age author, Edith Wharton, the "First Lady of American Letters." They also share their own experiences with reading Wharton's stories, novels, and letters, as well as some background on the time period and cultural context in which she was writing. In discussing the first several chapters of this book, Angelina and Thomas point out small details and subtleties that Wharton uses to give us hints about the characters and situations she presents. Visit the HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for all the upcoming and past mini-classes and webinars taught by Angelina, Thomas, and their colleagues! To view the full show notes for this episode, including book links, commonplace quotes, and today's poem, please visit https://theliterary.life/289.

5个月前

1小时39分钟

Episode 288: Literary Milestones

On today's episode of The Literary Life podcast, Angelina and Thomas will be talking about the milestones of a reader's literary life. This episode developed in response to the many questions they've received over the years about challenges people face throughout their reading lives. They begin by thinking back to childhood and recalling the first time they each chose a book for themselves and fell in love with the story, as well as the feeling of getting their first library cards as children. Thomas asks Angelina when was the first time she found herself arguing with a book, and he answers the same question himself. Other milestones they discuss are changing your mind about a book on a re-read, learning to see past the imperfections of a book to see the underlying truth, distinguishing the work of art from your subjective reading experience, as well as separating the life of the author from the work of literature. They also answer other common concerns such as "Help! I dislike all the characters in this book!" Be sure to come back next week as we open our next series on Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence in which we will be covering chapters 1-8. Visit the HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for all the upcoming and past mini-classes and webinars taught by Angelina, Thomas, and their colleagues! To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/288.

5个月前

1小时29分钟

Episode 287: The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, "Tiger, Tiger"

On today's episode of The Literary Life podcast, Angelina, Cindy, and Thomas wrap up their discussion of The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling with the final Mowgli story–"Tiger, Tiger." Before beginning to talk about the story, the chat a little about Kipling's other works and his place in literary history and what sort of writer he was. In this section, Angelina points out the parallels to the first story, as well as the mythic qualities of the whole tale. Together they cover the various ideas in this section, including the ideas of belonging, freedom and boundaries, and heroism. Join is next week for an episode on "Literary Milestones" in the life of a reader. After that we will begin a new series on Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence. Over at House of Humane Letters, a new webinar is now available for registration. It is taught by Heather Goodman and is titled "Coleridge's Imagination: Restoring the Chain of Being." Also, check out this year's Back to School Online Conference, "Educating the Freeborn," over at MorningTimeforMoms.com to get registered and hear all of this year's amazing speakers! To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/287.

5个月前

1小时14分钟

Episode 286: The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, "Kaa's Hunting"

On The Literary Life podcast this week, Angelina, Cindy, and Thomas continue their discussion of The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. After sharing their commonplace quotes for this week, they begin talking about "Kaa's Hunting." Angelina asks Cindy about the age range for this book, which is recommended on AmblesideOnline for Year 3 students. They talk about Mowgli's upbringing and training in the law of jungle, in contrast to the monkeys who are lawless. Other highlights of this conversation are the Edenic ability of Mowgli to speak to the animals, the complex role of the serpent in folklore, and the resurrection imagery in this story. Check out this year's Back to School Online Conference, "Educating the Freeborn," over at MorningTimeforMoms.com to get registered and hear all of this year's amazing speakers! For the full show notes for this episode, please visit our website at https://theliterary.life/286.

5个月前

1小时20分钟

Episode 285: The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, "Mowgli's Brothers"

Today on The Literary Life podcast, we begin a new series of episodes on The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling with our hosts Angelina Stanford, Cindy Rollins, and Thomas Banks! After sharing their commonplace quotes, each of them talks about their own reading histories with Rudyard Kipling's work. Thomas gives us some biographical information about Kipling and sets up the literary period in which he wrote. They then begin talking about the structure and form of this book as it is set up as a series of short stories as beast fables. Angelina shares some of the mythic and fairy tale elements she noticed while reading this first story, "Mowgli's Brothers." They also discuss some of the challenges we face reading stories written in a different time and place without imposing our current views on all the literature of the period. Check out this year's Back to School Online Conference, "Educating the Freeborn," over at MorningTimeforMoms.com to get registered and hear all of this year's amazing speakers! To view the full show notes for this episode complete with book links, quotes, and today's poem, please visit https://theliterary.life/285.

5个月前

1小时26分钟

Episode 284: Best of – "The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield

This week on The Literary Life, we bring you an episode from deep in the archives in which Cindy and Angelina discussed Katherine Mansfield's short story "The Garden Party." After a great chat over their commonplace quotes, Angelina and Cindy dig into this week's story. 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. To view the full show notes for this episode, complete with commonplace quotes, book links, and this week's poem, please visit https://theliterary.life/284.

6个月前

1小时17分钟

Episode 283: Catching Up with Jason Baxter – Dante, Teacher as Translator, Learning to Read Poetry, and Hot Takes

This week on The Literary Life Podcast, Angelina and Thomas are once again joined Dr. Jason Baxter, author of Why Literature Still Matters. In this episode, our hosts sit down with Dr. Baxter for a chat about a wide variety of topics, including teaching the old books, reading poetry to understand it, the delight of teaching students at HHL, their hot takes on hot takes, making reading recommendations, and translating Dante, and so much more. We will be back next week with a "best of" episode covering Katherine Mansfield's short story "The Garden Party," and after that we begin a fun new series on The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit our website at https://theliterary.life/283.

6个月前

1小时32分钟

Episode 282: Best of - "Harry Potter" Book 1, Ch. 13-End

This week on The Literary Life, Angelina and Thomas wrap up our encore series on J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter: Book 1. Angelina and Thomas begin the episode with some thoughts on their Aristotelian approach to literature as seen in this series of episodes. After sharing their commonplace quotes, they dive into their discussion of the last few chapters of the book. Some of the ideas they consider are how the entire plot is a series of symbols, alchemy and the allegory of the soul, and the figure of the "wildman" in the literary tradition. They also go over the characters of the centaurs, the significance of the unicorn, more references to Greek mythology, how Harry exemplifies the "chest" of the well-ordered man, and the great importance of the philosopher's stone as a Christ symbol. Visit HouseofHumaneLetters.com for classes with Angelina, Thomas, and other members of their teaching team. To view the full show notes for this episode, including commonplace quotes, book links, and today's poem, please visit https://theliterary.life/282.

6个月前

2小时2分钟

Episode 281: "Best of" – "Harry Potter" Book 1, Ch. 8-12

Welcome back to The Literary Life podcast and our series on J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter: Book 1. After sharing some thoughts on detective fiction as it relates to Rowling, our hosts Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks discuss chapters 8-12. Some of the ideas they share are the following: Homeric echos and classical allusions in this book, the identity quest, the significance of characters' names, the four houses and the bestiary, the three parts of the soul, the Christian influence on Rowling's stories. Angelina also seeks to teach something about symbolism and structure of literature and art as seen through the Harry Potter books. Visit HouseofHumaneLetters.com for updates on classes with Angelina, Thomas, and other members of their teaching team. To view the full show notes for this episode including book links, quotes and today's poem, please visit https://theliterary.life/281.

6个月前

1小时51分钟

Episode 280: "Best of" – "Harry Potter" Book Ch. 3-7

This week we are back with the second part of our remix of Angelina and Thomas' podcast series on Harry Potter: Book 1 by J. K. Rowling. This week we are covering chapters 3-7. Angelina opens the book discussion with an overview of the literary motifs used by Rowling in the Harry Potter books to help modern readers better understand these kinds of stories. One of the motifs she highlights is the identity quest and how we see Harry on a journey of the soul. She also shares some thoughts on the fairy tale "magic" of these stories in contrast to actual witchcraft as well as the symbolism used to show us that this is a fairy world. Thomas and Angelina talk about the characters we meet in these chapters, including the symbolism of some of their names. Other ideas discussed in this episode include the importance of alchemy, the Gothic literary tradition, the layers of the quest, the rise of the fantasy genre, and so much more! Visit HouseofHumaneLetters.com for updates on classes with Angelina, Thomas, and other members of their teaching team. To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/280.

7个月前

1小时36分钟

Episode 279: "Best of" – "Harry Potter" Book 1, Intro and Ch. 1-2

On today's episode on The Literary Life podcast, we bring you a special re-mix of our popular series on Harry Potter: Book 1 by J. K. Rowling, with hosts Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks. After sharing a little on their own backgrounds as teachers and their commonplace quotations for the week, Angelina and Thomas open the book discussion with some introductory information on this book and series. They address the controversy surrounding these books in Christian circles. For our previous episode on magic, listen to our Best of Series Episode 168: Wizards, Witches and Magic, Oh My! Angelina sets up this series with some background on children's publishing in the 1990s, the why there are differences in the British and American editions, the basis for this book in the classic literary tradition, the form and structure of stories. They also share some thoughts on these first couple of chapters. Join us again next week for chapters 3-7! Visit HouseofHumaneLetters.com for updates on classes with Angelina, Thomas, and other members of their teaching team. To view the full show notes for this episode, including links to books mentioned, today's commonplace quotes, and poem, please visit https://theliterary.life/279.

7个月前

1小时32分钟

Episode 278: The Literary Life of Natalia Testa

On this week's episode of The Literary Life, Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks chat with their student Natalia Testa about her literary life. She is a rising homeschool junior living in Houston, Texas. She enjoys researching obscure manuscripts, classical languages and all things Lord Peter Wimsey. Angelina kicks off the conversation asking about Natalia's childhood reading memories and how she became interested in ancient history and literature. They also discuss how the research bug bit Natalia, as well as her thoughts about reading books that seem "above" a child's level. Other topics of conversation is how Natalia found Dorothy Sayers and fell in love with detective novels, how she started taking classes with House of Humane Letters, and how she deals with a reading slump. Please visit HouseofHumaneLetters.com to check out all the past and upcoming classes, conferences, and webinars mentioned in this episode. To view the full show notes for this episode, complete with poems, quotes, and book links, please visit https://theliterary.life/278.

7个月前

1小时29分钟

Episode 277: "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor

On today's episode of The Literary Life podcast, Angelina and Thomas continue their series on Flannery O'Connor with a discussion of her short story "A Good Man is Hard to Find." After sharing their commonplace quotes, Angelina explains why she chose this particular story to go over on the podcast. She and Thomas then go over the characters in the family and the dynamics at play. Some of the ideas they talk about in this story are the appearance of respectability, the sentimental view of the "Old South," the medieval and Sophoclean elements in the story, superficial Christianity versus nihilism, and so much more. They wrap up this episode with more thoughts on O'Connor's use of violence as a means of grace and how her stories can open people's eyes to their own depravity. If you are interested in learning more about Flannery O'Connor, you can purchase Angelina's previously recorded class, The Redemptive Vision of Flannery O'Connor. Now is the time to sign up for the upcoming summer classes and webinars at The House of Humane Letters. Some of the classes highlighted in this episode are Angelina's next installment in her series of classes on Harry Potter and Thomas' class on five famous figures of the Victorian era. To view the full show notes for this episode, including book links, quotes and this week's poem, please visit https://theliterary.life/277.

7个月前

1小时35分钟