Welcome back to The Literary Life podcast with Angelina Stanford, Cindy Rollins and Thomas Banks. This week we are bringing you another episode from the vault, this time part one of our series on The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. Thomas gives some interesting biographical information about von Arnim, and Angelina shares some perspective on appreciating the art and the life of artist. Cindy highlights the fact that we see only caricatures of the women in England, and it isn’t until they get to Italy that we begin to see their real selves. Angelina also points out that all the women are on identity quests in this story. Angelina unpacks some of the metaphors in this book and the Dante-esque images, in addition to the key place beauty has in the story.

Don’t forget to sign up for this year’s Literary Life Online Conference coming up later this month! Register today for “Living Language: Why Words Matter” at HouseofHumaneLetters.com for full live or later access.

To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit our website at https://theliterary.life/282.

On The Literary Life Podcast today we bring you a special “Literary Life of…” episode featuring author and journalist Peter Hitchens. After sharing their commonplace quotes, Angelina and Thomas dive into the interview with Mr. Hitchens, first asking about his memories of books and reading in his childhood. In this wide-ranging conversation, our hosts and Mr. Hitchens discuss such topics as the George Orwell’s lesser known works, the Spanish Civil War and the Balkan Wars, oft overlooked 20th Century authors, ghost stories, losing our literary tradition, and so much more!

The seventh annual Literary Life Online Conference is coming up April 23-26, 2025! Please visit HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for that as well as all the other upcoming webinars of this year.

Be sure to visit https://theliterary.life/271 to view the full show notes for this episode, including links to all the books mentioned in this conversation.

This week on The Literary Life, we bring you a gem from the archives. In this episode hosts Angelina Stanford, Thomas Banks, and Cindy Rollins discuss “How Much Land Does a Man Need?” by Leo Tolstoy. To start off the discussion of this short story, Thomas gives us some background to help answer Angelina’s question about why this story seems so very different from other Tolstoy works. Angelina shares how to approach this story like a parable. Cindy brings up the question of the difference between ambition and vocation in terms of contentment.

The Literary Life Online Conference “Living Language: Why Words Matter” is coming up this month, so now is the time to register for lifetime access. Head over the HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up today!

Don't forget to visit our website at https://theliterary.life/270 for the full show notes for this episode.

Welcome back to The Literary Life Podcast this week! Today we are bringing you a brand new episode on An Experiment in Criticism in which Angelina and Thomas revisit the ideas in this book and answer some listener questions from over the years! Angelina opens the discussion with a little background on the first series of episodes, then begins to unravel the two main areas of confusion about this book. First, she and Thomas talk about the idea that we are supposed to "receive" literature as opposed to "using" literature. Angelina seeks an answer the question, "What is a literary experience?" They also tackle the problem of the purpose of this book, since many people think it is Lewis' guide on how to read literature. Finally, they discuss how to have a literary experience and where Lewis addresses how to read well.

The seventh annual Literary Life Online Conference is coming up April 23-26, 2025! Please visit HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for that as well as all the other upcoming webinars of this year.

To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/269.

On today’s “Best of” 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.

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.

Join us right here again next week for a brand new episode on An Experiment in Criticism in which Angelina and Thomas will revisit the book and answer some listener questions from over the years!

The seventh annual Literary Life Online Conference is coming very soon! Please visit HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for that as well as all the other upcoming webinars of 2025!

To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit our website at https://theliterary.life/268.

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.

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.

The seventh annual Literary Life Online Conference is coming very soon! Please visit HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for that as well as all the other upcoming webinars of 2025!

To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/267/.

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.

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.

To view the full show notes for this episode, including quotes, poetry, and book links, please visit https://theliterary.life/266/.

This week on The Literary Life Podcast, we bring you the first installment of our series reprising C. S. Lewis’ An Experiment in Criticism. Join us over the next few weeks as we replay the original discussions of this book hosted by Angelina Stanford and Cindy Rollins. Then come back for a new episode at the end of the series in which Angelina and Thomas Banks will add some further thoughts and clarity in reply to questions listeners have had over the years.

The seventh annual Literary Life Online Conference is now open for registration. Please visit HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for that as well as all the other upcoming webinars of 2025!

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.

For the full show notes of this episode, including links to books mentioned, please visit our website at https://theliterary.life/265.