Episode 264: "Much Ado About Nothing" On-Screen Adaptations
Release Date: 02/18/2025
Episode 274: The Literary Life of Dr. Anne Phillips
The Literary Life Podcast
This week on The Literary Life Podcast, our hosts Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks are back with a new “Literary Life of…” interview, this time with their teaching colleague at , Dr. Anne Phillips. In addition to her classes at HHL, you can also find Dr. Phillips writing on . Angelina starts off the conversation asking Anne about her reading life growing up and her homeschool experience. She talks about how she came to love the Greek myths and started pursuing Latin. The three of them discuss how having a diet of truly good literature cultivates discernment in reading less valuable...
info_outline
Episode 273: Best of Series- “The Enchanted April” by Elizabeth von Arnim, Ch. 12-22
The Literary Life Podcast
This week on The Literary Life podcast, Angelina, Cindy and Thomas continue their discussion of by Elizabeth von Arnim, on chapters 12-22. Angelina and Thomas begin the conversation sharing some thoughts on modern literature and why we don’t hear of modern authors like Elizabeth von Arnim among “the academy.” Cindy tells us what stood out to her most in the second half of the book and the surprising turns von Arnim takes in the storyline. Angelina and Thomas also talk about the types of books they enjoy, and Cindy brings up the longings and fears of the various characters. The...
info_outline
Episode 272: Best of Series – “The Enchanted April” by Elizabeth von Arnim, Ch. 1-11
The Literary Life Podcast
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 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...
info_outline
Episode 271: The Literary Life of Peter Hitchens
The Literary Life Podcast
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...
info_outline
Episode 270: “Best of” Series – “How Much Land Does a Man Need” by Leo Tolstoy
The Literary Life Podcast
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 . 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...
info_outline
Episode 269: "An Experiment in Criticism" Revisited
The Literary Life Podcast
Welcome back to The Literary Life Podcast this week! Today we are bringing you a brand new episode on 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...
info_outline
Episode 268: “Best of” Series: An Experiment in Criticism, Ch. 10-Epilogue
The Literary Life Podcast
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 . 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,...
info_outline
Episode 267: “Best of” Series – An Experiment in Criticism, Ch. 8-9
The Literary Life Podcast
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...
info_outline
Episode 266: “Best of” Series – An Experiment in Criticism, Ch. 5-7
The Literary Life Podcast
Angelina and Cindy open today’s discussion of C. S. Lewis’ 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...
info_outline
Episode 265: “Best of” Series – An Experiment in Criticism, Ch. 1-4
The Literary Life Podcast
This week on The Literary Life Podcast, we bring you the first installment of our series reprising C. S. Lewis’ . 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 to sign up for that as well as all the other upcoming...
info_outlineThis week on The Literary Life podcast we are back with a fun episode all about film adaptations of Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare! Angelina and Thomas are joined by Atlee Northmore for today's discussion, and you are in for quite a ride! Atlee begins the conversation with a general history of Shakespeare works on film, and the second half of the episode covers the two main film adaptations of Much Ado About Nothing. Whether talking about this play or the many others which have been made into movies, our hosts share thoughts on what makes a great adaptation work well and what interpretational choices make for a complete flop.
To view the complete show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/264.