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Every episode
The Literary Life Podcast
30 episodes
Episode 341: Watership Down by Richard Adams, Ch. 11-20
Ep 341 · Aug 11, 2026 · 1 hr 6 min
Welcome to The Literary Life Podcast and the second episode in our series on Richard Adams' Watership Down.This week Angelina and Thomas will be discussing chapters 11-20. In addition to covering the main plot points and characters in these chapters, they share connections with other stories in the literary tradition and highlight elements of the journey story seen in this section of the book. The contrasts between the Aeneid and the Odyssey and Illiad are part of the conversation in context of…
Episode 340: Watership Down by Richard Adams, Introduction, Ch. 1-10
Ep 340 · Aug 4, 2026 · 1 hr 25 min
Welcome back to The Literary Life Podcast and a new book discussion series! This month, Angelina and Thomas will be covering Richard Adams' Watership Down. Beginning of their commonplace quotes, they talk about the background of this book and what type of story this is, as well as how Angelina is approaching this first read. Thomas gives some biographical information on Richard Adams, including the publishing challenges facing Adams. Angelina highlights the epigraphs beginning each chapter and t…
Episode 339: Ask Us (Almost) Anything
Ep 339 · Jul 28, 2026 · 1 hr 48 min
This week on The Literary Life Podcast, our hosts Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks return from their summer break with a fun "Ask Us (Almost) Anything" episode. The questions they answer include the following: How does Mr. Banks choose the poem for the end of each episode? How do they go about finding sources of good secondary research or literary criticism? How did Angelina first learn about alchemy in the literary tradition? Is Mr. Banks any relation to the sculptor Thomas Banks? Can you giv…
Episode 338: "The Vulture" by Samuel Johnson – Short Story Summer Remix
Ep 338 · Jul 21, 2026 · 1 hr 15 min
Welcome to the final episode of our summer series on short stories and essays! Today your hosts Angelina Stanford and Cindy Rollins are joined once again by Thomas Banks for their discussion of Samuel Johnson's essay "The Vulture." Before getting into the meat of the essay, Angelina talks about why she disagrees with her own commonplace quote on the purpose of poetry. In the process, she gives us a brief history of literary periods from the classical to the neoclassical and enlightenment. Thomas…
Episode 337: "The Celestial Omnibus" by E. M. Forster – Short Story Summer Remix
Ep 337 · Jul 14, 2026 · 1 hr 38 min
On this week's episode of The Literary Life, we continue our series of replays from our Summer of the Short Story with a discussion of "The Celestial Omnibus" by E. M. Forster. Angelina and Cindy tell why they love this short story so much and how it encapsulates their own ideas about literature. Thomas gives us some biographical background on E. M. Forster. We get a brief look at the plot of the story, as well as some discussion of how allegorical Forster makes this story. Angelina highlights t…
Episode 336: "Why I Write" by George Orwell - Short Story Summer Remix
Ep 336 · Jul 7, 2026 · 1 hr 22 min
For this week's installment of our Short Story Summer Remix, we revisit a conversation Angelina and Cindy had covering George Orwell's essay "Why I Write." Our hosts kick off the discussion about how much they each identify with Orwell's description of his childhood. In his story of learning to write, we see many aspects of a good education, even his inclination to imitate other authors. An important point Angelina brings up is Orwell's own struggle against the calling he felt to write, in contr…
Episode 335: "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant – Short Story Summer Remix
Ep 335 · Jun 30, 2026 · 1 hr 22 min
In this week's Short Story Summer Remix from Season 1, Angelina Stanford and Cindy Rollins discuss Guy de Maupassant's short story "The Necklace." Before getting into the short story discussion, Cindy and Angelina chat about what a "commonplace book" is and how they each go about recording quotes and thoughts. First off, Angelina gives us a little background on the author Guy de Maupassant and some information on French naturalism. Then she digs into her thoughts on how this story is a fairy tal…
Episode 334: "The Adventures of a Shilling" by Joseph Addison – Short Story Summer Remix
Ep 334 · Jun 23, 2026 · 1 hr 21 min
Today on The Literary Life, we continue our summer short story series of episodes from the archives. In this episode, Cindy Rollins and Angelina Stanford are joined by Angelina's husband, Thomas Banks. This week's selection for our summer series is Joseph Addison's "The Adventures of a Shilling." Their conversation kicks off with an attempt at defining the "essay" form and giving a brief history on its development. Thomas shares a little background information on Joseph Addison and his writing,…
Episode 333: "The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield - Short Story Summer Remix
Ep 333 · Jun 16, 2026 · 1 hr 20 min
This week on The Literary Life, we continue our Summer of the Short Story replay series. On today's episode, Cindy and Angelina discussed Katherine Mansfield's short story "The Garden Party." 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…
Episode 332: "A Defence of Penny Dreadfuls" by G. K. Chesterton, Short Story Summer Series Remix
Ep 332 · Jun 9, 2026 · 1 hr 19 min
On The Literary Life today we continue our re-airing of a series from our "Summer of the Short Story" that originally aired way back in Season 1 of the podcast! This week's episode features Angelina Stanford and Cindy Rollins discussing G. K. Chesterton's essay "A Defence of Penny Dreadfuls." Angelina opens with a brief history of the Victorian era and the more prevalent availability of the novel to the masses. She also gives several examples of the "penny dreadful." Cindy and Angelina discuss w…
Episode 331: "Araby" by James Joyce – Short Story Summer Series Remix
Ep 331 · Jun 2, 2026 · 1 hr 39 min
This 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 a…
Episode 330: Where to Start with Ancient Literature with Dr. Anne Phillips
Ep 330 · May 26, 2026 · 1 hr 38 min
This 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 G…
Episode 329: "On Fairy Stories" Revisited with Jenn Rogers
Ep 329 · May 19, 2026 · 1 hr 56 min
On 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 importanc…
Episode 328: Best of The Literary Life – "On Fairy Stories" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Ep 328 · May 12, 2026 · 1 hr 31 min
This 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 Grim…
Episode 327: The Power of Story and "Galahad and the Grail" with Malcolm Guite
Ep 327 · May 5, 2026 · 1 hr 13 min
This 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 ha…
Episode 326: "The Rape of the Lock" by Alexander Pope
Ep 326 · Apr 28, 2026 · 1 hr 13 min
On 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 m…
Episode 325: Introduction to Alexander Pope and the Neo-Classical Poets
Ep 325 · Apr 21, 2026 · 1 hr 25 min
Today 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 thi…
Episode 324: "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë, Ch. 34-End
Ep 324 · Apr 14, 2026 · 1 hr 27 min
On 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…
Episode 323: "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë, Ch. 27-33
Ep 323 · Apr 7, 2026 · 1 hr 13 min
This 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.…
Episode 322: "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë, Ch. 20-26
Ep 322 · Mar 31, 2026 · 1 hr 56 min
Welcome 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…
Episode 321: "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë, Ch. 13-19
Ep 321 · Mar 24, 2026 · 1 hr 21 min
On The Literary Life Podcast this week, Angelina and Thomas cover chapters 13-19 of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. Today's episode includes more discussion of the important symbols and images in these chapters. Angelina highlights the stories of Bluebeard, Beauty and the Beast, and Cupid and Psyche and their connections to this book. She and Thomas also talk about the trope of the "reformed rake" and how it relates to Brontë is setting up that possibility here. In these chapters we see more fire…
Episode 320: "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë, Ch. 6-12
Ep 320 · Mar 17, 2026 · 1 hr 35 min
On today's episode of The Literary Life Podcast with Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks, we continue our series on Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. Before jumping into chapters 6-12, Angelina and Thomas re-cap chapter 5 so that they can keep the entire Lowood School storyline together. They discuss the character of Helen and how she mirrors Jane, as well as the images of fire and ice throughout this book. In looking at the character of Miss Temple, they also highlight her as the picture of a well-…
Episode 319: "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte, Intro and Ch. 1-5
Ep 319 · Mar 10, 2026 · 1 hr 30 min
Welcome to The Literary Life Podcast with Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks. This week we begin our much-anticipated series on Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë! After sharing their commonplace quotes, Angelina and Thomas set the stage for this book by covering some of Charlotte Brontë's personal and literary background. Angelina points out some symbolic things that we will be looking for in this book, as well as the important fact that it is a journey story. They also discuss the history and chara…
Episode 318: How to Read Shakespeare
Ep 318 · Mar 3, 2026 · 1 hr 24 min
Today on The Literary Life podcast, Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks are here to offer some helpful ideas for reading Shakespeare plays and how to approach the Bard. They start off sharing their own stories of first being exposed to Shakespeare. Next, Thomas and Angelina address the idea that Shakespeare is too high-brow for the ordinary reader. Angelina also gives her hot take on whether you should watch or read a Shakespeare play first. She also tells some stories about reading the Bard with…
Episode 317: "Best of" – The Literary Life of Charlotte Mason
Ep 317 · Feb 24, 2026 · 1 hr 39 min
This week on The Literary Life podcast, we are excited to bring back a special episode from the vault: The Literary Life of Charlotte Mason! Along with Angelina, Thomas, and Cindy, we also have Donna-Jean Breckenridge and Karen Glass of the AmblesideOnline Advisory. They start the conversation by sharing who Charlotte Mason was and what her background was. Karen also talks about how and why Mason developed her practices and philosophy and her educational foundation, the PNEU. Donna-Jean mentions…
Episode 316: "Don Juan" by Moliere, Acts 2-5
Ep 316 · Feb 17, 2026 · 1 hr 31 min
On The Literary Life podcast this week, Angelina and Thomas are back with this second episode on the play Don Juan by Moliere. After sharing their commonplace quotes for this week, Thomas kicks off the discussion of the play with a definition of the farce and how it applies to this play. They share more notable passages of Don Juan as they highlight related literature and stories from across Europe, the archetypes and stock characters represented by Sganarelle, and the value of the comedic form.…
Episode 315: "Don Juan" by Moliere, Introduction and Act 1
Ep 315 · Feb 10, 2026 · 1 hr 24 min
Today on The Literary Life podcast, Angelina and Thomas begin a new series discussing Moliere's farcical play Don Juan. They open the discussion with some background on Moliere's plays in general, as well as other drama of this time period, then the origins of the story of Don Juan itself. After this introduction, Thomas and Angelina read some of the play and discuss some of the key characters and ideas presented in the opening acts. If you missed this year's annual Literary Life Online Conferen…
Episode 314: "Best of" - Our Favorite Poems
Ep 314 · Feb 3, 2026 · 1 hr 22 min
On this "Best of The Literary Life" episode from the vault, our hosts discuss their favorite poems and poets. Cindy starts off by sharing the early influences on her developing a love of poetry. Thomas also shares about his mother reading poetry to him as a child and the poetry that made an impression on him as a child. Angelina talks about coming to poetry later in life and how she finally came to love it through learning about the metaphysical poets. Cindy and Thomas talk about the powerful ef…
Episode 313: The Tower and the Ruin with Dr. Michael Drout
Ep 313 · Jan 27, 2026 · 1 hr 48 min
On The Literary Life Podcast this week, Angelina and Thomas are pleased to have special guest Dr. Michael Drout joining them to discuss his book The Tower and the Ruin: J. R. R. Tolkien's Creation. Together they talk about the background for writing this book and who Drout intended his audience to be. They also share thoughts on the current academic trends and the state of the humanities and literary studies in higher education. Other topics they cover include high modernism, literary criticism,…
Episode 312: "Best of" - Fairy Tales and Children's Literature with Dr. Vigen Guroian
Ep 312 · Jan 20, 2026 · 1 hr 29 min
Welcome to an another great episode from the archives of The Literary Life podcast! This week we bring you an interview our hosts had with special guest Dr. Vigen Guroian, retired professor of Religious Studies and Orthodox Christianity at the University of Virginia and author of twelve book and numerous scholarly articles. Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks discuss with Dr. Guroian the new edition of his book, Tending the Heart of Virtue. They start out talking about how the first edition of th…
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