The Lamppost in the Woods: Recent Episodes
The Lamppost in the Woods
Here at The Lamppost in the Woods, we journey through the great books, dramas, poems, and stories to find what they have to say for our lives today.
Join us on our quest to find true meaning in some of our favorite stories.
In this episode the team talks modern fairytales with The Princess Bride and The Tale of Despereaux. How do these modern stories measure up the classics, do they have a placein our reading, and what might the next generation of fairytales look like to an ever-changing world?
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Episode 4.7 - Modern Fairy Tales: The Princess Bride & The Tale of Despereaux
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In this episode, the team looks at a variety of tales from Arthurian legend, if King Arthur existed, and what these stories might be based on. In this episode we discuss Le Morte D’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (translated by Jesse Weston), The Story of Arthur and His Knights by Howard Pyle, and The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights by John Steinbeck.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Episode 4.6 - King Arthur: Legend, Literature & Legacy
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Dinosaurs and puritanical ministers? Jungle theme parks and pre-revolutionary America? What kind of juxtaposition is this? Join us as we compare two incomparable novels and explore the consequences of fanatical devotion.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Episode 4.5 - Jurassic Park & The Scarlet Letter
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In this episode, the team discusses what many consider the birth of science fiction (and the birth of a monster), Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the original story of an overreaching scientist and his tragic creation. Through many cultural changes, retellings, and iterations, the source material is still the most unsettling version of the story.
Join us as we explore the themes of ethics, morality, and shocking realization that this may in fact be the first Young Adult Fiction novel ever written.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Episode 4.4 - Spotlight on Classics: Frankenstein
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In this episode, the team talks about literature revolving around themes of pain, suffering and ultimately salvation. In this episode we discuss the Book of Job, the various retellings of Snow White, as well as a number of other works that inspired our attraction to this theme.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 4 Episode 3.
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In this episode, the team breaks down the best, worst, and the most surprising reads of 2023. Listen along to find out what books to avoid reading for yourself as well as some books that are just too good to pass up!
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 4 Episode 2.
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In this episode the team reminisces about the childhood books and stories that inspired us and fueled our passion for literature at a young age.
Stories like Where the Red Fern Grows, Treasure Island, Little House on the Prairie, and the American Girl Doll books formed the way we look at books today. What inspired you growing up?
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Episode 4.1 - Children's Classics
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In this week's special Christmas episode, the team talks about Hans Christian Anderson's 7 part story, The Snow Queen. From its inspirations to its many retellings and everything that it has inspired over the years, The Snow Queen is sure to get you into the mood for the festivities of the season. So grab a cup of hot cocoa, light a fire, and settle for the final episode of season 3 of the Lamppost in the Woods.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Episode 3.12 - Spotlight on Classics: Shane
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In this episode, the team discusses what some would consider the definitive western, Shane, by Jack Shaefer. Sporting a multitude of adaptations, both classic and modern, as well as a series of influences played out in present-day film, Shane offers a pure look at life on the range, cowboys, and the tropes that this book made famous.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Episode 3.11 - Spotlight on Classics: Shane
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In this episode, the team get's stuck with another one of Evan's scary reads, on Halloween of all nights. A short story, the Call of Cthulhu by H. P. Lovecraft represents our first foray into the realm of existential dread and fear of the unknown. Less jumpscare and more the unlimited expanse of space, we read to find just how true those whispered stories from far off places really are, and how deep this rabbit hole goes...
Listeners Beware!
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Episode 3.10 - Evan's Choice: The Call of Cthulhu
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In this episode, the team takes a look at a book you might find on airport bookshelves around the country: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. With compelling characters and an interweaving narrative that spans 4 separate timelines, this book effectively balances a variety of themes without getting bogged down in the details, and while we may not agree with some of the themes presented, it is difficult to ignore the talent and care with which Doerr writes.
Cloud Cuckoo Land brings together an unforgettable cast of dreamers and outsiders from past, present and future to offer a vision of survival against all odds.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Episode 3.9 - Airport Read: Cloud Cuckoo Land
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You knew we couldn’t stay away from Lewis for long! This episode, the team tackles our obligatory "one C.S. Lewis book per season" in the form of The Screwtape Letters. Join us as we study morality from the viewpoint of the diabolical demon uncle Screwtape and his bumbling nephew Wormwood.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Episode 3.8 - Spotlight on the Classics: The Screwtape Letters
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This week the team dives into The Greatest Story Ever Told: The Bible to answer important questions like how does the Bible stack up against our other stories so far? How does it relate? Which authors were influenced by it? Where can we see that influence? How can we learn from the Bible on how to tell and write our own stories.
From myths and legends to classic literature and popular retellings, the Bible serves as the source of inspiration for countless stories throughout time. Come along with us as we explore the greatest story ever told.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 3 Episode 7 - The Greatest Story Ever Told
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This week, the team welcomes a very special guest, Dr. Jeremy Painter. Join us as we pick his brain about literature, the Bible, the Bible and literature, and all things Tolkien.
Dr. Jeremy Painter works as the General Studies Program Director & the Assistant Professor of English at Urshan College. Dr. Painter has a Doctor of Letters from the University of Pretoria, a Doctor of Ministry from Regent University, and a PHD from Radboud University. He currently teaches English & Composition, literature, and a variety of other courses for Urshan College, Lindenwood Unversity, and Urshan Graduate School of Theology.
To get connected with us, check us out on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamppostinthewoods/
Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 3 Episode 6.
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What’s a podcast in the twenty-first century without a little gender-based disagreement?
Today we split our fellowship down the middle as the girls pick one of their favorite books to go head-to-head with one of the guys' favorites. We hope you've read The Clockmaker’s Daughter and Ender’s Game because in this episode, there are no neutral parties.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 3 Episode 5.
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We all deal with guilt, so it’s no surprise to find that many of the greatest stories in history portray a guilty conscience. This episode, the team takes on Shakespeare’s Macbeth and the Son of Perdition himself, Judas Iscariot as we discuss the portrayal of guilty characters in literature and try to give a little hope for dealing with guilt in real life.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 3 Episode 4.
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Time to break out your scones and milky tea, because for this season's spotlight we’re doing that absolute classic of female romance fantasy written by a life-long spinster: Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. No, but seriously, P & P is a classic, and we would be remiss in our duties as bibliophiles if we left it out.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 3 Episode 3.
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In this episode, the team breaks down the best, worst, and the most surprising reads of 2022. Listen along to find out what books to avoid reading for yourself as well as some books that are just too good to pass up!
To get connected with us, check us out on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamppostinthewoods/
Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 3 Episode 2.
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The team is back this month to discuss: "What makes a book a flop?" Between familiar jabs of Catch 22, we take a look at maligned literature and ask ourselves "what went wrong" with some of the most hated books of all time.
To get connected with us, check us out on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamppostinthewoods/
Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 3 Episode 1.
--- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
The second-most famous Christmas character has become possibly the most legendary folk hero in world history. In this episode, the team interrogates the many faces of the "fat man in the red suit" while trying to answer that age-old question: Should you believe in Santa Claus?
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 2 Episode 12.
Join our fellowship as we dive into one of our very favorite classics: J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings (yes, it’s all one book). Get ready to laugh, cry, and fangirl as we ponder a burning question: who is the Lord of the Rings?
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 2 Episode 11.
This episode, the team gets a spooky surprise as they review Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian. This novel interweaves the story of a young woman plunged into a labyrinth where the secrets of her family’s past connect to an inconceivable evil and the dark history and folklore of Vlad Tepes, a 15th-century prince of Wallachia known as "Vlad the Impaler", and his fictional equivalent Count Dracula.
Listeners beware!
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 2 Episode 10.
Finally. We told you it was coming, and here it is: our throw-down, knock-out, WWE-style wrestling match over Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. Is it the masterpiece so many believe it to be or is it a literary failure? Find out today as our team discusses the triumphs and shortcomings of this polarizing novel.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 2 Episode 9.
This episode, the team digs into the listener's choice, Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi.
Gifty is a sixth-year PhD candidate in neuroscience at the Stanford University School of Medicine studying reward-seeking behavior in mice and the neural circuits of depression and addiction. Gifty is determined to discover the scientific basis for the suffering she sees all around her. But even as she turns to the hard sciences to unlock the mystery of her family's loss, she finds herself hungering for her childhood faith and grappling with the evangelical church in which she was raised, whose promise of salvation remains as tantalizing as it is elusive.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 2 Episode 8.
Motherhood may just be the toughest job of all, so join four non-mothers as we discuss the best (and worst) aspects of motherhood in literature.
This episode contains references to An Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie, Rapunzel, and various other works over the last few hundred years.
To get connected with us, check us out on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamppostinthewoods/
Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 2 Episode 7.
This episode we turn to the historical time period of World War I and the literature it spawned. Join with us as we discuss the events surrounding the war that informed a generation of writers and take the time to reflect on two classic novels: All Quiet on the Western Front and The Great Gatsby
This episode includes references to The Sun Also Rises, Testament of Youth, and Rilla of Ingleside
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 2 Episode 6.
This week the team connects the dragon slayer themes of 2.4 to "Beauty and the Beast" as they explore the primal nature of mankind and the themes of sin, forgiveness, and redemption.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 2 Episode 5.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 2 Episode 4.
For our second spotlight episode, we’ve chosen another popular classic: J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Join us as we follow Bilbo Baggins along his journey, debate his motives, scrutinize his supporting cast, and, ultimately, tell you why this little “children’s book” is one of the greatest stories ever told.
This episode discusses elements of Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey and seeks to understand how The Hobbit follows in old literary paths, but manages to tread many new ones along the way as well.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 2 Episode 3.
In this episode we review our personal reading lists from 2021 to give you as many classics to read this year as possible.
This episode includes references to All the Light We Cannot See, Endless Night, Out of the Silent Planet, Ben-Hur, Dune, The Outsiders, News of the World, Once Upon a Wardrobe, We Were the Lucky Ones, as well as a number of other books. We hope that this extensive list of our personal 2021 reads offers you a chance to find something you might like for yourself!
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 2 Episode 2.
All our lives we’ve been told to “read the classics!” But why should we read the classics? Even more importantly, why are some books considered classics and others not? Today, we answer the question: "what makes a classic a classic?"
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 2 Episode 1.
In the season 1 finale we take a look at the power of experience and the spiritual parallels that we see between the character of Ebenezer Scrooge and the Apostle Paul.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Episode 10.
In this episode we take a look at the not-so-kind portrayal of fathers in literature using Faulkner’s "Absalom, Absalom!" as well as the story of David and Absalom from the Bible.
This episode includes references to Treasure Island, The Lion King, and Peter Pan.
To get connected with us, check us out on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamppostinthewoods/
Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Episode 9.
In this episode we take a look at how mentors operate as a literary device that move the story along past a midpoint, and how mentors and teachers alike hold the skills and information needed for proper character development, and progression, represented in an interesting way.
This episode's primary influence comes from Joseph Campbell's The Hero With A Thousand Faces and includes references to the Lord of the Rings, Great Expectations, Samuel the Prophet, and Harry Potter.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Episode 8.
For our first Book Club episode, we dive into the C.S. Lewis's 1956 classic, Till We Have Faces, a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche. Till We Have Faces serves as Lewis's attempt to legitimize the actions of the myth's key characters while allowing himself a space in which to explore the deeper motivations and development of the characters he loved.
This episode includes references to mythology, Beauty and the Beast, and explores literary tropes of masculinity and femininity.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Episode 7.
This episode we turn to the historical time period of World War II and the literature it spawned. Join with us as we discuss the events surrounding the war that informed a generation of writers and take the time to reflect on two classic novels: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and Joseph Heller’s infamous Catch-22.
This episode includes references to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Catch-22, and the war's influences on Agatha Christie.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Episode 6.
What about the “little guys” in every story that do small things, but have a big impact? Today, we look at some those unsung literary heroes.
This episode includes references to The Lord of the Rings, The Count of Monte Cristo, MIddlemarch, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and the story of Andrew the Apostle.
To get connected with us, check us out on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamppostinthewoods/
Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Episode 5.
So many stories start with a suffering hero who, at the end of his/her journey, is rewarded with your typical, fairytale happy ending. Why do we gravitate to these stories so much? Are they realistic? More importantly, what can we learn from them? We discuss the classic tale of Cinderella and the story of Joseph to find out.
This episode includes references to a number of versions of the Cinderella tale, the story of Joseph, the Book of Job, Snow White, and the song The Big Rock-Candy Mountains.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Episode 4.
Sometimes the simplest stories are the most important. In our effort to survey the greatest stories ever told, we turn to the simplest and earliest stories: fables, parables, fairy tales, and beyond. These genres highlight two important aspects of great stories: 1) the interconnectedness of story and 2) how stories teach.
This episode includes references to various fairy tales, The Little Red Hen, Charlotte's Web, Aesop's Fables, and Arabian Nights.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Episode 3.
In our first full episode, we wanted to cover a book that is very special to each of us; a book that represents our podcast, and one that we all love. What better book to start out with than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, the book that gave us our podcast name? Come with us as we dig into this perennial classic, tell you all why we love it, and why it’s important to your spiritual life.
This episode includes references to WWII, literary magic, and references to mythology from various countries of origin.
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Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Episode 2.
In this episode we introduce listeners to the purpose, background, and members of the podcast. Together we set out to answer why fiction is important to each of us as well as discuss how it connected us in such a way that we just had to start a podcast about it.
This episode includes references to mythological stories, Aesop's Fables, and the Parables of Jesus.
To get connected with us, check us out on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamppostinthewoods/
Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Episode 1.
Welcome to The Lamppost in the Woods, the podcast that shines a light on the significance of the greatest stories ever told.
From fairy tales to literary classics to the parables of Jesus, these stories have influenced the lives of countless people and still do.
Here at The Lamppost in the Woods, we journey through the great books, dramas, poems, and stories to find what they have to say for our lives today.
Join us on our quest to find true meaning in our favorite stories.
You can find The Lamppost in the Woods on Spotify, Apple podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Be sure to follow us on Instagram @lamppostinthewoods.
Hosts: Dinah Copple, Benjamin Copple, Jennifer Malech and Evan Zenobia