Risking Enchantment: Recent Episodes
Rachel Sherlock
“The glory of colour, which was his chief gift, is a strange blend of dark beauty and almost spectral luminosity.” - A.Kelly
In this episode Rachel and Phoebe put a spotlight on one of Ireland’s great artists: Harry Clarke. Famed for his stained glass art, Clarke’s work can be found in churches throughout Ireland, exhibiting his astounding use of colour and his distinctive figurative style. We discuss his place in Irish art history and his work establishing a distinctively Irish style in the 20th century. We contrast his religious work with his secular, often literary based pieces, and his use of gothic and grotesque elements in both. And we discuss how Clarke’s distinctive style draws the humanity out in his depictions of saints and his biblical scenes.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
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Works Mentioned:
To see the stained glass pieces discussed in this episode, visit the Risking Enchantment Substack.
Dark Beauty: Hidden Detail in Harry Clarke’s Stained Glass by Lucy Costigan and Michael Cullen
Poems / by Theodore Maynard ; with an introduction by G.K. Chesterton
Alarms and Discursions by G.K.Chesterton
Orthodoxy by G.K Chesterton
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe: Murder on the Orient Express (on stage)
Rachel: A Spring Harvest by Geoffrey Bache Smith
"I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them."
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
In this episode, Jacob Moran returns to join me on a dive back into Middle-Earth, this time to explore the character of Frodo Baggins. Even among fans of The Lord of the Rings, Frodo comes in for a deal of criticism and even maligning, usually centred around his likeability and his failure at the end of the quest. Yet to misunderstand Frodo is to misunderstand a crucial part of what Tolkien is saying about heroism and virtue. In this episode Rachel and Jacob discuss Frodo's qualities, his example of self-sacrifice and his willingness to lay down even his likeability in order to save his friends and his home.
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock and Jacob Moran
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works Mentioned:
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, ed Humphrey Carpenter
The Once and Future King by T.H. White
The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot
What We're Enjoying at the Moment:
Rachel: Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
Jacob: DnD campaign planning
"I was feeling like I never was young
Followed a dream and a strange desire
You picked me up in the dead of the night
And gave me a chance to move on inside of your mystery"
- You're Still a Mystery, Bleachers
In this February episode of Risking Enchantment, Matthias Conroy joins after a five year absence to talk about one of our favourite bands and albums, Strange Desire by Bleachers.
Bleachers is founded and fronted by pop producer extraordinaire Jack Antonoff. While he is most famous for his work co-writing and producing the music of Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey and The 1975, Jack’s band Bleachers gives him the space to explore emotions and experiences close to his heart, namely love, grief, sorrow and hope. While in no way a Christian album, Strange Desire gives a depth of wisdom to the experience of love that gives us glimpses of divine love. Even the album’s title ‘Strange Desire’ has an almost Augustinian quality, hinting at our restless hearts yearning for the world beyond our senses. In the episode we discuss and explore the themes of the album and show how we can encounter God in unlikely places in our life and in our culture.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
The Risking Enchantment Substack account: https://riskingenchantment.substack.com/
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
For links to the works mentioned in this podcast, visit our substack post below:
https://riskingenchantment.substack.com/p/strange-desire-and-the-mystery-of
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment:
Matthias:
David Bennet Piano - YouTube Channel
Rachel:
A Father Who Keeps His Promises by Scott Hahn
"[T]he life and work of the Forerunner, especially as presented in the gospel of John, greatly illuminates the poetic character of Christian life—indeed of all life"
- Dwight Lindley, "The Poetics of John the Baptist"
Risking Enchantment is back for 2025 and for our first episode of the year we’re taking a look at St. John the Baptist. We discuss a fictionalised depiction of his imprisonment by Henriette Brey, a 20th-century Catholic writer, as well at looking at how this foremost of saints is represented in art and how his very life and divine mission gives us a lens to understand art from a Christian perspective.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Important Links:
- The new Risking Enchantment Substack account: https://riskingenchantment.substack.com/
Sign up as a paid subscriber in order to receive our monthly newsletter of recommendations. * The video of the conference panel featuring my talk: “The Ends of the Affairs: Medieval Ideals, Modern Trysts, and the Offering of Redemption in the Works of Graham Greene and T. H. White”
FC24: A Hint of an Explanation – Graham Greene * The chapter discussed in this episode: “Out of the Depths” When The Soul Is In Darkness: A Book For Those That Labor And Are Burdened by Henriette Brey
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
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Works Mentioned
“Out of the Depths” When The Soul Is In Darkness: A Book For Those That Labor And Are Burdened by Henriette Brey
“The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot
“The Poetics of John the Baptist”, by Dwight Lindley - Dappled Things
L’Apparition by Gustave Moreau
Isenheim Altarpiece by Matthias Grunewald
John the Baptist by Donatello (V&A Hall of Casts)
Saint John the Baptist by Leonardo da Vinci
Bacchus by Leonardo da Vinci
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe: Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
12 Angry Men
Rachel: When Harry Met Sally
Word on Fire Bible Series
"I can imagine that if there existed a God who loved, the devil would be driven to destroy even the weakest, most faulty imitation of that love. Wouldn’t he be afraid that the habit of love might grow, and wouldn’t he try to trap us all into being traitors, into helping him extinguish love."
- Graham Greene
This episode of Risking Enchantment features a recording of paper given by Rachel Sherlock at this year's Fall Conference held by the de Nicola Institute for Ethics in Culture in Notre Dame University, held in conjuction with the Biennial Catholic Imagination Conference. the theme was Ever Ancient, Ever New: On Catholic Imagination. The focus of the conference was on the literary arts and so this paper was part of a panel on the author Graham Greene.
Host: Rachel Sherlock
Follow Rachel on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Find out more about the conference: https://ethicscenter.nd.edu/programs/fall-conference/2024-ever-ancient-ever-new/
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
“I am not a reformer nor an embalmer! I am not a ‘reformer’ (by exercise of power) since it seems doomed to Sarumanism. But ‘embalming’ has its own punishments.”
-J.R.R. Tolkien
For this episode we are delighted to be joined by Dr. Holly Ordway, Fellow of Faith and Culture at the Word on Fire Institute. We discuss her recent title, Tolkien's Faith: A Spiritual Biography, which traces Tolkien’s experience of the Catholic faith throughout his life, how he integrated it into his daily practices, his personal life and his work. We discuss his early religious experiences, his opinions on changes in the liturgy, and the ways he integrated his work and faith in his translation work especially on the Book of Jonah.
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Dr Holly Ordway
Follow Rachel on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow Holly on social media: @HollyOrdway
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Find out more about Holly at http://www.hollyordway.com/
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Works Mentioned
Tolkien’s Faith: A Spiritual Biography by Dr Holly Orday
Tolkien’s Modern Reading: Middle-earth Beyond the Middle Ages by Dr Holly Ordway
The Letters of J.R.R Tolkien
Tolkien and the Great War by John Garth
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Holly: The Three Investigators Series by Robert Arthur, Jr.
Rachel: The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
“I'm capable of a great jerk, an effort, and then a relaxation—but steady, every-day goodness is beyond me. I must be a moral kangaroo!”
-Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
In our final episode before the summer break, Phoebe and Rachel are joined by their good friend, and long-time Risking Enchantment listener, Jacob Moran, to discuss his favourite novel: Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell. We discuss how Gaskell demonstrates the precariousness of the moral life, even or perhaps especially in middle class and comfortable lives. The novel highlights the need to cultivate every-day virtue and how easily we can stray from our principles. We explore these themes through the various contrasting characters, including Molly Gibson with her steadfast virtue in difficult circumstances, her step-mother Mrs Gibson with all her facade of care.
We hope you enjoy the summer and we look forward to returning with more Risking Enchantment episodes in September.
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson, Jacob Moran
Follow us on social media: Rachel: @seekingwatson Jacob: @piousmouse
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works Mentioned:
Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
Keeping Your Word: Unfashionable Virtues in North and South - Risking Enchantment
‘Advice’ by Robert Crawford
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Collective Recommendation:
The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel - Jenny Nicholson
Phoebe:
Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot - performed by CityLit Theatre, Chicago
Rachel:
Wildcat (2023)
Jacob:
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
“Joyful singing and music is likewise a constant invitation to believers and to all people of good will to work hard to give humanity a future rich in hope.”
-Pope Benedict XVI
In this episode we are joined by Katie Marquette, host of the Born of Wonder podcast. We discuss our love of music, what can learn about the human desire to write new songs about our common experiences, and how participating in the creation of music unites us to the music imbued in God’s creation.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Katie Marquette
Listen to Katie’s podcast: Born of Wonder
Follow Rachel on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow Katie on social media: @bornofwonder
Read Katie on Substack: https://bornofwonder.substack.com/
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Join Katie Marquette on a pilgrimage to Ireland: https://www.bornofwonder.com/come-to-ireland-with-me
Rachel was also previously a guest on the Born of Wonder podcast. To listen to that episode, click here: S7:10 EP102: Taylor Swift and the Power of Collective Experience with Rachel Sherlock
Works Referenced:
Music is fundamentally joy, says this professor of music
What about Bad Music?
Pope Benedict XVI and The Power of Music
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Katie: Les Misérables [Katie’s recent episode on this topic: S7:12 EP 104: The Economy of Love in Les Miserables with Maddie Dobrowski]
Rachel: Detectorists
"We are watchful for works written in a contemporary idiom that yet reach the roots of fundamental questions, that honor the almost three-thousand-year-long conversations committed to these questions, and that incite our hunger for the splendor of truth."
Masthead for Wiseblood Books
We are delighted to welcome to the podcast Mary Finnegan, deputy editor at Wiseblood Books, a small Catholic press which fosters works of fiction, poetry, and philosophy. In our episode today we discuss the process of publishing, how to strive for excellent in craft while encouraging new writers, and publishing as a vocation. We dive into Dana Gioia's essay "The Catholic Writer Today" and address the problems facing Catholic writing and publishing in our current times.
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Mary Finnegan
Follow us on social media: @seekingwatson @maryraphaela
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Wiseblood Books: https://www.wisebloodbooks.com/
University of St Thomas: Masters in Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Dappled Things: https://www.dappledthings.org/
Works Mentioned
"The Catholic Writer Today" by Dana Gioia - Article in First Things
The Catholic Writer Today by Dana Gioia - Monograph by Wiseblood
Mystery and Manners by Flannery O'Connor
"Christianity and Poetry" by Dana Gioia - Article in First Things
Christianity and Poetry by Dana Gioia - Monograph by Wiseblood
Under Satan's Sun by Georges Bernanos
The Demons: A Double-Volume Novel by Heimito von Doderer
Seneca: The Madness of Hercules, Translated and Introduced by Dana Gioia
Memory's Abacus: Poems by Anna Lewis
Painting Over the Growth Chart: Poems, by Dan Rattelle
Works of Mercy by Sally Thomas
How to Think Like a Poet by Ryan Wilson
What We're Enjoying at the Moment
"A Theology of Fiction" by Cassandra Nelson
The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
“What does the Lord want of me? Of course, this is always a great adventure, but life can be successful only if we have the courage to be adventurous, trusting that the Lord will never leave me alone, that the Lord will go with me and help me.”
– Pope Benedict XVI
For this episode of Risking Enchantment, Rachel and Phoebe discuss Arthur Ransome’s series of children’s books known as the Swallows and Amazons series. These books are full of wonder and imagination as well as practical detail, as they follow a group of children spending their holidays in the Lake District of northern England. The children sail, set up camp, climb mountains and have many delightful adventures. In our podcast discussion we explore the importance of this sense of adventure for both children and adults, and how this relates to our spiritual lives and how we embrace God’s plan for us. We discuss the balance of duty and responsibility with the sense of freedom that this kind of adventuring perspective brings, and we highlight the connection with Creation that can come from being out in nature.
Works mentioned in this episode
Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
Swallowdale by Arthur Ransome
Winter Holiday by Arthur Ransome
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Matilda by Roald Dahl
‘Swallows and Amazons for Ever!’ Slightly Foxed, by Jim Ring
Spe Salvi by Pope Benedict XVI
“Encounter of His Holiness Benedict XVI with the Youth, Saint Peter's Square, Thursday, 6 April 2006”
S2:9 EP18: Wonder in a Digital Age, Born of Wonder podcast
“Swallows, Amazons and Adventure, Part 1” by Jon Sparks
“Oxford Junior Dictionary’s replacement of ‘natural’ words with 21st-century terms sparks outcry”, The Guardian, Alison Flood
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment:
Phoebe: BBC’s Hildegard von Bingen - In Portrait (1994)
Rachel: Knitting
“Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.”
- David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
We are joined for this episode of Risking Enchantment by Catholic author Eleanor Bourg Nicholson. Eleanor has previously published several Gothic novels including, A Bloody Habit (2018) and Brother Wolf (2021), with her latest novel Wake of Malice set to publish later this year.
In this episode we discuss our deep love of the novels of Charles Dickens. We explore three of his greatest works, David Copperfield, Nicholas Nickleby and Great Expectations, each of which follows a young male protagonist through the many adventures, triumphs and pitfalls of his life. In each case we look at the virtues and the failings of these heroes, the Romantic tropes that Dickens employs to characterize them, and the subversions of these that he uses, particularly in the case of Great Expectations.
Works Mentioned:
Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Dickens: A Critical Study by G.K. Chesterton
David Copperfield: Ignatius Critical Edition (coming soon) by Charles Dickens
“The Age of Cant” by Theodore Dalrymple
What We are Enjoying at the Moment
Eleanor: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Rachel: Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
But if there’s nothing, if there’s nothing
Then what’s that song that keeps hounding me?
In the still dark of the morning
Just one more cradle down the creek
Au revoir my little memories
Then tell me: this is not your loss, this is your offering
- Wake, 'Offerings'
In this episode we are joined again by Shane Jenkins to discuss the album Offerings by Typhoon. Led by singer-songwriter Kyle Morton, the album is a fascinating, at times difficult, but ultimately transfixing examination of the end of a life. It follows various characters through the experience of dementia, sickness and death, allowing the listener to enter into that space through its rich musicality and lyricism. In our episode we pull out some of the imagery of the album, it's literary and biblical references and allusions and address its powerful and important themes.
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Shane Jenkins
Follow us on social media: @seekingwatson @shanekins
Shane's Website: https://sjenkin46.wixsite.com/ipofollies/about
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Works Mentioned
Offerings by Typhoon
Hunger and Thirst by Typhoon
White Lighter by Typhoon
"Kyle Morton & Typhoon: In Conversation with Great Minds" — The DePaul Humanities Center
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
'Little Gidding', The Four Quartets, by T.S. Eliot
The Choruses from The Rock by T.S. Eliot
'The Hound of Heaven' by Francis Thompson
8 1/2, dir. Frederico Fellini
Lost in the Cosmos by Walker Percy
What We're Enjoying at the Moment
Shane:
Cargo by Pio Harnett
Rachel:
The Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith
Welcome back to Risking Enchantment! For our first episode of 2024, Rachel and Phoebe discuss the place that poetry has in our everyday lives, its importance in our faith, and why it’s good to learn poetry by heart. We highlight some of the poems that have been most impactful in our lives and spotlight some of the great resources for Catholics interested in poetry today.
Click here for more information about Select Tours: Irish Wisdom and Wonder Pilgrimage with Katie Marquette and Christy Isinger.
Click here to browse Wiseblood Books.
Works Mentioned:
“Have it by Heart”, The Spectator by Douglas Murray
“Influences”, The Boston Review by Seamus Heaney
“Christianity and Poetry”, First Things by Dana Gioia
100 Great Catholic Poems by Sally Read
“America, and Fall, Needs Poetry”, The American Conservative by Katya Sedgwick
“Should Catholics care about poetry?”, Catholic News Agency, by Mary Farrow
“Catholics Need Poetry” Word on Fire by Andrew Tolkmith
Wiseblood Books
“The Integral Humanism of Poetry,” Evangelisation and Culture by James Matthew Wilson
Poems Referenced:
“The Lovesong of J.Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot
“A Christmas Childhood” by Patrick Kavanagh
“Wind” by Ted Hughes
“Advent” by Patrick Kavanagh
“Little Gidding” by T.S. Eliot
Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost
“The Road not Taken” by Robert Frost
“Oíche Nollaig na mBan” by Seán Ó Ríordáin
“‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers” by Emily Dickinson
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
“Ceasefire” by Michael Longely
“The Wasteland” by T.S. Eliot
"It is emptiness like the hollow in the reed, the narrow restless emptiness which can have only one destiny: to receive the piper’s breath and to utter the song that is in his heart." - Caryll Houselander
In our Christmas episode of Risking Enchantment, we are looking at a seasonal devotional classic, Caryll Houselander’s The Reed of God. This small book packs a powerful punch in its meditations on the humanity of Mary, the Mother of God. We discuss its themes of emptiness, the promise of fulfillment and the secrecy of God’s life growing within us. We reflect on how Christmas can be a time of both joy and grief, but that we can bear God into the world in all the small moments and acts of service in our lives.
We would like to wish all our listeners a very happy Christmas season. Risking Enchantment will return in February 2024.
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works Mentioned:
The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander
A Rocking Horse Catholic by Caryll Houselander
“Reed of God”, Catholic Insight by Sarah Gould
“Journey of the Magi” by T.S. Eliot
“Into the Dark with God”, You Crown the Year with your Goodness by Hans Urs Von Balthasar
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe: Christmas Choral Concerts - The Dublin Bach Singers and Culwick Choral Society
Rachel: “Holy Ghost” and “Manna”, Manna Part: 1 by Chris Renzema
“52:10” and “The Color Green”, A Liturgy, A Legacy and a Ragamuffin Band by Rich Mullins
Principium by The Arcadian Wild
After an unexpected hiatus, Risking Enchantment is back. In this episode we’re taking a look at some classic family movies and what they can tell us about our attitudes towards growing up, and our modern tendency to stay in a perpetual adolescence. We’re looking at the kingdom of Vulgaria in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, where children are illegal but the toy maker is in high demand from the Baron and Baroness. We are also discussing Jim Henson’s Labyrinth where Sarah goes on a journey to leave behind some of her childish ways, and toys, in order to step up to her responsibilities and make new friends.
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works Mentioned:
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
Labyrinth (1986)
“You Have No Power Over Me”: When David Bowie Was Satan (A Tribute Of Sorts)
"You Remind Me of the Babe With the Power": How Jim Henson Redefined the Portrayal of Young Girls in Fanastial Movies in His Film, Labyrinth
Everyone needs to grow up
Childless society gone to the dogs, warns Pope
"On Three Ways of Writing for Children" by C.S. Lewis
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
"The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot
"How T.S. Eliot Predicted the Coming of Male Millennials"
"The Drift from Domesticity" by G.K. Chesterton
What We're Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe: A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter
Rachel: Offerings by Typhoon (album)
“Fiction is hard if not impossible to write because fiction is so very much an incarnation art…The fact is that the materials of the fiction are the humblest. Fiction is about everything human and we are made out of dust, and if you scorn getting yourself dusty, then you shouldn’t try to write fiction. It’s not a grand enough job for you.” - Flannery O’Connor
In this episode we are joined by Shane Jenkins to discuss the mystery of the author Flannery O’Connor. We delve into her personal writing, in her prayer journal, her letters and her essays, in order to try to understand her and her writing. Much touted for her Catholicism, nevertheless many readers, especially Catholic readers, struggle with the bleak and grotesque imagery in her writing. While the power of her fiction stands on its own, in this episode we take a look at how Flannery’s personality, so vivid in her personal writing, helps position and give context to her fiction in a way that opens it up for readers today.
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Shane Jenkins
Follow us on social media: @seekingwatson @shanekins
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Works Mentioned
Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose by Flannery O’Connor
The Habit of Being by Flannery O’Connor
Prayer Journal by Flannery O’Connor
The Complete Short Stories by Flannery O’Connor
Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor
Bishop Barron Presents | Ethan and Maya Hawke - Understanding Flannery
Wildcat (2023)
Flannery O'Connor Collection, Word on Fire Classics
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment:
Shane:
Typhoon
The 1975
John Lucas
Rachel
The Bear
“The perfect stillness of the night was thrilled by a more solemn silence. The darkness held a presence that was all the more felt because it was not seen. I could not any more have doubted that He was there than that I was. Indeed, I felt myself to be, if possible, the less real of the two.”
—William James
In this episode of Risking Enchantment, we are delighted to welcome back Katie Marquette, host of the podcast Born of Wonder, to talk about the experience of liminal spaces, what it means to encounter the numinous, and how we interpret this in our lives of faith. We discuss the Eucharist as the meeting point between heaven and earth, but also the moments of the 'thinning of the veil' to be found in nature and even our own homes.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Katie Marquette
Listen to Katie’s podcast: Born of Wonder
Follow Rachel on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow Katie on social media: @bornofwonder
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Rachel was also previously a guest on the Born of Wonder podcast. To listen to that episode, click here: Falling in Love with Words: Nora Ephron and You’ve Got Mail with Rachel Sherlock
Works Referenced:
Born of Wonder: S4:9 EP51: The Lure of the Edge and Trying to Capture it
Born of Wonder: S4:10 EP52: Thin Places: Lifting the Veil Between Heaven and Earth
A Photographer at the Ends of the Earth
Thomas Joshua Cooper | The World's Edge
Rudolf Otto's 'Mysterium Tremendum et Fascinans' of the Numinous Experience
Otto on the Numinous
November: A Thin Place
The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis
The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis
'Effing the Ineffable' by Roger Scruton
Letters to Malcolm by C.S. Lewis
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham
What We're Enjoying At the Moment:
Katie: Three Blind Mice by Agatha Christie
Rachel: House of David by Molly O'Mahony
"The man on his holiday becomes the man he might have been, the man he could have been, had things worked out a little differently. All men are equal on their holidays: all are free to dream their castles without thought of expense, or skill of architect. Dreams based upon such a delicate fabric must be nursed with reverence and held away from the crude light of tomorrow week."
- R.C. Sherriff
For our first official episode back, Rachel and Phoebe reflect on the importance of holidays, and the unique opportunity they hold to show virtue and love for your family or fellow travelers. We discuss R.C. Sherriff's tender portrayal of the small family moments on their traditional trip to the sea in The Fortnight in September, and we return to Elizabeth von Arnim's The Enchanted April to look at how selfishness and a need to protect one's own experience and comfort takes away from the spirit of generosity necessary for a good holiday.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works mentioned:
The Fortnight in September by R.C. Sherriff
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
'The War on Holidays' Utopia of Usurers, by G.K. Chesterton
What's Wrong with the World by G.K. Chesterton
What we’re enjoying at the moment:
Phoebe: Evangelium Conference
Rachel: Open mic nights
"First become a person" - St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
This bonus episode is the recording of a talk I gave over this summer for the Youth 2000 summer festival on Catholic womanhood.
The slides discussed in the talk can be found by clicking the following link: Presentation Slides
To find out more about Youth 2000 Ireland and their mission click here: Youth 2000
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
“Healing is impossible in loneliness; it is the opposite of loneliness. Conviviality is healing. To be healed we must come with all the other creatures to the feast of Creation.” - Wendell Berry
In this, our last episode before the summer break, Phoebe is back to discuss some of our favourite children’s literature. We explore the theme of health and healing, in Goodnight Mr. Tom and The Secret Garden, and how both stories show the importance of nature and community in human flourishing. Looking to the writing of Wendell Berry we discuss how our health, our environment and our society are all interconnected, and how our faith informs how we should cultivate all three of those strands of life.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works mentioned:
Goodnight Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
‘Health is Membership’ by Wendell Berry
The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays of Wendell Berry by Wendell Berry
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
What we’re enjoying at the moment:
Phoebe: The appendices discs to The Lord of the Rings extended edition
Rachel: Sam Amidon (musician)
“My films show the world’s beauty. Beauty otherwise unnoticed.”
- Hayao Miyazaki
In this episode of Risking Enchantment I'm joined by animator Robyn Conroy to discuss the highly acclaimed Studio Ghibli, a Japanese animation company whose films offer a deep sense of the goodness of life and the beauty of nature.
Studio Ghibli is cornerstone of Japanese entertainment culture, and has reached a global audience with films like Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, and Howl’s Moving Castle. It has been instrumental in preserving the tradition of 2D animation and the vast artist talent on show in its films has been a powerhouse of inspiration for all kinds of film makers. In this episode, Robyn and I discuss Studio Ghibli’s founder, Hayao Miyazaki and how he brings audiences into his worlds of goodness and beauty. Miyazaki brings together a love of the natural world, a commitment to close observation, and a belief in the goodness of life itself. While not creating stories from a specifically Christian perspective, Miyazaki’s films are filled with wonder and awe in God’s creation, and a deep sense of morality and virtue.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Robyn Conroy
Follow Rachel on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow Robyn on Instagram: @robynconroyart
Watch Robyn’s short film: The Beekeeper
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Related Episode:
- Over the Garden Wall: Finding Dante in the Unknown
- Stranger Things in Stranger Times: Nostalgia in the Digital Age
- The Prince of Egypt: An Epic in Animation
- Cartoon Saloon: Celtic and Christian Coexistence
- Howl's Moving Castle and the Fascination of Fairy Stories
Works Referenced:
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
Whisper of the Heart (1995)
Princess Mononoke (1997)
Spirited Away (2001)
Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
Ponyo (2008)
The Red Turtle (2016)
“Miyazaki's Reality” by Michael Toscano, First Things
“The worlds of Hayao Miyazaki” by Steven D. Greydanus, Decent Films
“Animated Nature: Aesthetics, Ethics, and Empathy in Miyazaki Hayao's Ecophilosophy” by Pamela Gossin
“Studio Ghibli Finds the True, the Good and the Beautiful” by Michelle McDaniel, National Catholic Register
‘“The Earth Speaks to Us All”: A Critical Appreciation of Filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s Shintō Environmental Philosophy’ by Adam Barkman, Christian Scholar’s Review
Hayao Miyazaki | The Mind of a Master
The Conflicting Ideals of Hayao Miyazaki | Video Essay
Spirited Away Production Notes
“The Ecological Imagination of Hayao Miyazaki: A Retrospective on Four Fantastical Worlds” by Isaac Yuen, Orion Magazine
“Hildegard of Bingen's Lament for the Environmental Crisis Caused by Human Sin” by Nathaniel Campbell, Church Life Journal
The Poems and Prose of Gerard Manly Hopkins
Maxims II
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Rachel: Cargo by Pio Hartnett
Robyn: Djo
“Do not fear death, but rather the unlived life. You don't have to live forever. You just have to live.” - Tuck Everlasting
In this episode, Rachel and Phoebe explore a variety of stories that explore the desire for immortality, and the challenge of embracing the reality of death. Beginning from perhaps a surprising starting point, the teen fantasy film Tuck Everlasting, we move into the depictions of the temptations to grasp eternal life in J.R.R. Tolkien’s work and in C.S. Lewis’ The Magician’s Nephew. We draw out the parallels to the conceptions of unfallen Man in the Bible. We also discuss how we need to embrace the time that is given us, not to grasp on to our youth but to look forward to the future, both in this life and the next.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works Mentioned
Tuck Everlasting (2002)
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
Leaf by Niggle by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
Tolkien’s Modern Reading by Holly Ordway
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien edited by Humphrey Carpenter
About Time (2013)
‘"The Gift of Death": Tolkien's Philosophy of Mortality’ by Grant C. Sterling
Groundhog Day and the Meaning of Time, Born of Wonder podcast
What we’re Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe: Good Evening, Mrs Craven: The Wartime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes byMollie Panter-Downes
The Thing about Austen podcast
Rachel: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
‘Out of the east came the Magi bearing gifts,
hastening in their journey to the Christ child;
but now Irish scholars arrive from western lands,
bringing their precious gifts of learning’.
- Sedulius Scottus
As we’re approaching the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, we’re turning our focus to the patron saints of Ireland, St. Patrick and St Brigid. Greg Daly joins us to discuss the modern conceptions and celebrations of these saints: who they were as historical figures, who they weren’t as pagan deities, and how to approach their many miracle stories from our current perspective. We delve into the incredible achievements and faith of early Christian Ireland, and highlight the issues around the current trend of erasing faith from the celebration of Irish saints and Irish history in general.
Wishing our listeners a very happy St. Patrick’s Day.
“Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona duit!”
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Greg Daly
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Follow Greg on social media: @GregDalyIC, @thirstygargoyle
http://thethirstygargoyle.blogspot.com/
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Find out more about Leaven Magazine at https://leavenmagazine.ie/
Works Mentioned:
A History of the Irish Church 400-700 AD
The Life of St. Brigid of Kildare by Cogitosus
“Distant glimmerings of Irish light”, Leaven by Fr Conor McDonough
“An unlikely saviour: Without folklore and folk traditions, Catholicism in Ireland might not have survived centuries of persecution and oppression”, Leaven by Francis Young
Ireland's Golden Age: 'The work of angelic, not human, skill’
“The New Paganism” by Hilaire Belloc
Heretics by G.K. Chesterton
What we’re enjoying at the moment:
Greg: Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV series)
Rachel: Bleak House by Charles Dickens
“[H]ope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies”
- The Shawshank Redemption
In this episode of Risking Enchantment, Rachel and Phoebe discuss one of the most highly acclaimed and best beloved films of all time, The Shawshank Redemption. Released in 1994, it slowly grew to prominence, now dominating the top rank on lists of best movies. What draws audiences to this story of Andy Dufrense, a quiet man sent to prison for the murder of his wife and her lover? We explore the film’s themes of hope and the building up of a rich inner life, as well as its masterful storytelling and even the biblical influences to be found in its symbolism.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works Referenced
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Bishop Barron: Andy Dufrense as a Christ figure
The Hidden Meaning of the Shawshank Redemption
Shawshank's Hollowed-Out Bible
On Fairy-Stories by J.R.R. Tolkien
Spe salvi by Pope Benedict XVI
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe: Calamity Jane
Rachel: To Catch a Thief / The Stella Cinema, Dublin
“[T]he Middle Ages…was in some ways immeasurably more humane and creative than its modern successors. It was happy to see human life as fully part of the natural world, shaped by the cycles of the sun and moon and the seasons; it was able to articulate a belief that material considerations, convenience, and economic productivity are not the highest goods, and not the only standards by which life should be lived.” - Eleanor Parker, A Clerk of Oxford
For this first episode of 2023, I’m delighted to be joined by Eleanor Parker, author of Winters in the World: A Journey Through the Anglo-Saxon Year. Eleanor teaches Old and Middle English literature at Brasenose College, Oxford as well as being columnist for History Today and many other publications. She is known online, especially on Twitter for her blog A Clerk of Oxford.
In our discussion, we delve into the experience of the seasons in Anglo-Saxon England, how they perceived the natural world around them through poetry and literature, and how they integrated the seasons with their faith through the liturgical year. We also speak about our modern experience of the seasons, what has changed, and what has remained the same for over a thousand years, and what we can learn from the Anglo-Saxons about living the year well.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Eleanor Parker
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow Eleanor on Twitter: @ClerkofOxford
Click the links below to buy her books
Read her blog, Clerk of Oxford
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works referenced:
Winters in the World: A Journey through the Anglo-Saxon Year by Eleanor Parker
Conquered: The Last Children of Anglo-Saxon England by Eleanor Parker
‘A Clerk of Oxford’ blog - Eleanor Parker
Easter in Old English Poetic Imagination - Risking Enchantment
“'This doubtful day of feast or fast': Good Friday and the Annunciation”, A Clerk of Oxford, Eleanor Parker
“The sad loss of our common rituals”, Unherd, Eleanor Parker
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature by C.S. Lewis
The Menologium
Maxims II
The Wanderer
Things We're Enjoying at the Moment
Eleanor: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (audiobook)
Rachel: Collected Longer Poems by W.H. Auden
"All these things happen on Christmas Eve, they are all told of on Christmas Eve. For ghost stories to be told on any other evening than the evening of the twenty-fourth of December would be impossible in English society as at present regulated. Therefore, in introducing the sad but authentic ghost stories that follow hereafter, I feel that it is unnecessary to inform the student of Anglo-Saxon literature that the date on which they were told and on which the incidents took place was—Christmas Eve." - Jerome K. Jerome
In our Christmas episode of Risking Enchantment, Rachel and Phoebe discuss the history of Christmas ghost stories, their popularity in the Victorian era and the impact of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. We also look at the ghostly elements that can be drawn out of the nativity story and how spooky stories can actually help us enter into the spirit of the season.
We hope you enjoy the episode and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and blessings for the new year ahead.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works referenced:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The Lamp magazine - Christmas Ghost Story Competitions
After-Supper Ghost Stories by Jerome K. Jerome
"The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral" Ghost Stories by M.R. James
The Mezzotint (TV Movie 2021)
"How Fear Departed the Long Gallery", Ghost Stories by E.F. Benson
The Goblin Who Stole a Sexton by Charles Dickens
For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio by W.H. Auden
"Into the Dark With God: A Christmas Meditation on the Incarnation, for a Troubled World" by Hans Urs Von Balthasar
The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton
"The History of Christmas Ghost Stories" by Francis Young
Winters in the World by Eleanor Parker
The Snowman (1982)
Shadows by George MacDonald
Things We're Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe: The Story Story Podcast
Rachel: Little Women (1994) and Dickens Audiobooks
“You may learn something, and whether what you see be fair or evil, that may be profitable, and yet it may not. Seeing is both good and perilous.”
- The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
In this episode of Risking Enchantment we’re discussing one of our favourite topics: The Lord of the Rings. We’re taking a look at the way Tolkien’s characters are often forced to make decisions and take action with very limited information. We also explore Tolkien’s theme of the tendency to despair that can be caused by receiving too much information, especially through magical means, a theme with great relevance today especially when drawn in comparison to technology and the transmission of news online. We look at the way that Tolkien’s interest in this element of his story impacts his writing approach, crafting the books in their leapfrogging narrative style, as well as the possible origins of this interest in his work as a signal’s officer in World War 1.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works Referenced
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings (dir. Peter Jackson) Appendices Bonus Material
“JRR Tolkien, World War One Signals Officer” by Elizabeth Bruton
The Road to Middle Earth by Tom Shippey
Dracula by Bram Stoker
What we’re Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe: Dracula by Bram Stoker
Rachel: Winters in the World by Eleanor Parker
Both: Living (2022, dir Oliver Hermanus)
"A story that was a metaphor for American capitalism in the tale of a great king with three sons: the oldest was given his passion and aggressiveness, the second his sweet nature and child-like qualities, and the third his intelligence, cunning, and coldness. Suddenly I saw the story as one of succession and power."
- Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather Notebook
In this episodes, I’m delighted to be joined by Katie Marquette, host of the Born of Wonder podcast. We’re discussing one of our favourite films, The Godfather. We explore the film’s themes of power, the desire for justice, and the complexity of family loyalty. We discuss the film’s artistic achievement and how it utilizes its Catholic backdrop to powerful effect.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Katie Marquette
Listen to Katie’s podcast: Born of Wonder
Follow Rachel on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow Katie on social media: @bornofwonder
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Rachel was also recently a guest on the Born of Wonder podcast. To listen to that episode, click here: Falling in Love with Words: Nora Ephron and You’ve Got Mail with Rachel Sherlock
Works Referenced:
The Godfather, Part 1
The Godfather, Part 2
“At 50 years, 'The Godfather' still impacts how Hollywood depicts gangs, violence”, National Catholic Report
“The Godfather’s two endings: Lighting a candle and the wrong side of the door”, Decent Films
“Cycle of Sin: Christian Themes in The Godfather”, Critics at Large
The Godfather: How Michael Corleone Evolves
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment:
Katie: The Autumn Season
Rachel: Castle Howard: Into the Woods - A Fairytale Christmas
Laysongs by Chris Thile
“The Unknown is at turns gothic and autumnal, grim and threatening or comforting and even silly, with seasons of harvest and hearth giving way to snow and silence.”
- Martin Cahill
In this episode of Risking Enchantment I'm joined by professional animator Robyn Conroy to discuss the little known gem of autumnal animation that is Cartoon Network's 2014 Over the Garden Wall.
The story centres on two brothers, Wirt and Greg, who find themselves lost in strange woods, adrift in time, in a place called The Unknown. With the help of Beatrice, an impatient bluebird they travel through this mysterious place encountering strange and eerie situations in search of a way home. Throughout their journey, they outwit a series of minor antagonists, yet The Beast— an unidentifiable, manipulative monster — consistently looms in the brothers’ shadows, waiting for their moment of weakness.
In the episode we discuss our love for the show and it's grounding in the virtues of hope and self-sacrifice, as well as the rich tapestry of literary and artistic allusions which form a backdrop to the story. In particular we look at how the series draws on Dante's Inferno, and how show creator Patrick McHale embraces nostalgia and Americana in order to create a uniquely American fairy tale for the modern age.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Robyn Conroy
Follow Rachel on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow Robyn on Instagram: @robynconroyart
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Robyn's previous episodes on Risking Enchantment include:
- Stranger Things in Stranger Times: Nostalgia in the Digital Age
- The Prince of Egypt: An Epic in Animation
- Cartoon Saloon: Celtic and Christian Coexistence
Works Referenced:
Over the Garden Wall (2014)
“Over the Garden Wall Deep Dive: Background & Cultural Context” by Bella Trucco
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
‘“Where have we come and where shall we end?”: An Examination of Patrick McHale’s Over the Garden Wall as a Contemporaryof Patrick McHale’s Over the Garden Wall as a Contemporary Otherworld JourneyOtherworld Journey’ by Kayla Justice
Over the Garden Wall is Dante's Inferno (Symbolism Analysis) by Trey the Explainer
Is Over The Garden Wall About Having Faith? by PBS Digital Studios
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Robyn: Midnights by Taylor Swift
Rachel: The Fortnight in September by R.C. Sherriff
“There is something in us, as storytellers and as listeners to stories, that demands the redemptive act, that demands that what falls at least be offered the chance to be restored." - Flannery O'Connor
For this episode of the podcast we're doubling up the Sherlocks as Rachel is joined by her brother Michael to discuss the film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. In this episode we place the film in the tradition of the Southern Gothic genre and talk about the influence of Flannery O'Connor on the film's story and storytelling technique. We delve into O'Connor's use of violence and grace, and analyze the role of God in our yearning for both justice and mercy.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Michael Sherlock
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works Referenced:
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor
Mystery and Manners by Flannery O'Connor
'How Three Billboards went from film fest darling to awards-season controversy' by Alissa Wilkinson
'Beyond Grief and Anger: A Review of “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”' by Fr. Damien Ference
"Three Billboards, Flannery O’Connor, and Hope" by Philip Bunn
The Violent Bear It Away by Flannery O'Connor
The Habit of Being by Flannery O'Connor
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Michael: Breaking Bad
Rachel: Machine Gun Kelly, Mainstream Sellout Tour
“He found himself wondering at times, especially in the autumn, about the wild lands, and strange visions of mountains that he had never seen came into his dreams. He began to say to himself: ‘Perhaps I shall cross the River myself one day.’ To which the other half of his mind always replied: ‘Not yet.’”
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
In this episode of the podcast Rachel and Phoebe discuss their love of autumn, the glory of its natural splendour and the joy to be found in the rituals of decoration homes and drawing in from the elements. But within this discussion is an exploration of the seeming boom in the commercialisation and content packaging of the season, seen across social media and even high street shops. Among the points discussed are René Girard’s theory of mimetic desire, how social media draws us into both inspiration and envy, and how to find a balanced way to embrace the season.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works Referenced
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
WOF 348: The Power of Mimetic Desire w/ Luke Burgis, The Word on Fire Podcast
Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life by Luke Burgis
The Sorrows of Autumn - Born of Wonder Podcast
Daydress
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montegomery
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien edited by Humphrey Carpenter
Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montegomery
Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl
Thomas Wingfold, Curate by George MacDonald
The Hawk in the Rain by Ted Hughes
‘October’ by Edward Thomas
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Rachel: See How They Run (2022)
Phoebe: A Tangled Web by Lucy Maud Montegomery
“He found himself wondering at times, especially in the autumn, about the wild lands, and strange visions of mountains that he had never seen came into his dreams. He began to say to himself: ‘Perhaps I shall cross the River myself one day.’ To which the other half of his mind always replied: ‘Not yet.’”
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
In this episode of the podcast Rachel and Phoebe discuss their love of autumn, the glory of its natural splendour and the joy to be found in the rituals of decoration homes and drawing in from the elements. But within this discussion is an exploration of the seeming boom in the commercialisation and content packaging of the season, seen across social media and even high street shops. Among the points discussed are René Girard’s theory of mimetic desire, how social media draws us into both inspiration and envy, and how to find a balanced way to embrace the season.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works Referenced
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
WOF 348: The Power of Mimetic Desire w/ Luke Burgis, The Word on Fire Podcast
Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life by Luke Burgis
The Sorrows of Autumn - Born of Wonder Podcast
Daydress
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montegomery
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien edited by Humphrey Carpenter
Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montegomery
Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl
Thomas Wingfold, Curate by George MacDonald
The Hawk in the Rain by Ted Hughes
‘October’ by Edward Thomas
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Rachel: See How They Run (2022)
Phoebe: A Tangled Web by Lucy Maud Montegomery
‘But my dear Sebastian, you can’t seriously believe it all’
‘Can’t I?’
‘I mean about Christmas and the star and the three kings and the ox and the ass.’
‘Oh yes, I believe that. It’s a lovely idea.’
‘But you can’t believe things because they’re a lovely idea.’
‘But I do. That’s how I believe.’
- Brideshead Revisited
Risking Enchantment returns for its autumn/winter season. As promised our first episode back is about Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh. We discuss the novel in terms of its theme of the idolization of beauty, and look at how beauty both pulls characters away from God and draws them close to Him. We compare Sebastian’s childlike and childish approach to beauty and life, with Charles’ devotion but ultimately superficial love of beauty and art. At the heart of the discussion is Waugh’s self-proclaimed theme of the operation of divine grace, and how beauty provides an opportunity for this grace to be received.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Worked Referenced
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
Brideshead Revisited (TV mini series, 1981)
Scoop by Evelyn Waugh
“A Twitch upon the Thread: Grace in Brideshead Revisited” by Annesley Anderson
“Brideshead Revisited During Lent” by Patrick Tomassi
“The rejection of beauty in Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited” by Laura White
“From Arcadia to Ascesis: the necessary loss of pleasure in Brideshead Revisited” by Joanna Bratten
The Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Rachel: Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
Phoebe: The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge
‘But my dear Sebastian, you can’t seriously believe it all’
‘Can’t I?’
‘I mean about Christmas and the star and the three kings and the ox and the ass.’
‘Oh yes, I believe that. It’s a lovely idea.’
‘But you can’t believe things because they’re a lovely idea.’
‘But I do. That’s how I believe.’
- Brideshead Revisited
Risking Enchantment returns for its autumn/winter season. As promised our first episode back is about Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh. We discuss the novel in terms of its theme of the idolization of beauty, and look at how beauty both pulls characters away from God and draws them close to Him. We compare Sebastian’s childlike and childish approach to beauty and life, with Charles’ devotion but ultimately superficial love of beauty and art. At the heart of the discussion is Waugh’s self-proclaimed theme of the operation of divine grace, and how beauty provides an opportunity for this grace to be received.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Worked Referenced
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
Brideshead Revisited (TV mini series, 1981)
Scoop by Evelyn Waugh
“A Twitch upon the Thread: Grace in Brideshead Revisited” by Annesley Anderson
“Brideshead Revisited During Lent” by Patrick Tomassi
“The rejection of beauty in Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited” by Laura White
“From Arcadia to Ascesis: the necessary loss of pleasure in Brideshead Revisited” by Joanna Bratten
The Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Rachel: Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
Phoebe: The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge
"Romance is the deepest thing in life; romance is deeper even than reality."
- G.K. Chesterton
In this last episode of Risking Enchantment before the summer break, Rachel and Phoebe share their experience of watching musicals from the Golden Age of Hollywood. We discuss their peculiar charm, the effects of the era in which they were made, from cultural mores to filming techniques, and why they are a beautiful resource for those looking to see God's beauty in the world.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
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Films Referenced and Recommended in this Episode
- Singin' in the Rain
- Sound of Music
- High Society
- An American in Paris
- Funny Face
- Mary Poppins
- The Wizard of Oz
- The Sound of Music
- The King and I
- My Fair Lady
- Meet Me in St Louis
- Guys and Dolls
- White Christmas
Other Works Referenced
Manalive! by G.K. Chesterton
The Healing Power of Gene Kelly by Emily Kubincanek
'Why Hollywood Matters', talk given by Barbara Nicholosi
'The Golden Age of Censorship' by Peter Tonguette
What We're Enjoying at the Moment
Rachel: Financial Times Cryptic Crosswords
Phoebe: Victorian Doll House Book
“The human mind has no more power of inventing a new value than of imagining a new primary colour, or, indeed, of creating a new sun and a new sky for it to move in.”
- C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man
In this episode we are joined by Michael Ward, author of the award-winning and best-selling Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis and After Humanity: A Guide to C.S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man. We discuss Michael’s theory, laid out in Planet Narnia, that Lewis wrote the series to have each book centred around the influence of each of the seven heavenly bodies of medieval cosmology. We also discuss Lewis’ work the need for objective truth, especially in education, in The Abolition of Man, how he represented these ideas through fiction in his Space Trilogy, in particular the last book of the series That Hideous Strength.
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Michael Ward
Follow Rachel on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Find out more about Michael at: https://michaelward.net/
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Works Mentioned
Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis by Michael Ward
The Narnia Code: C. S. Lewis and the Secret of the Seven Heavens by Michael Ward
After Humanity: A Guide to C.S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man by Michael Ward
The Narnia Chronicles by C.S. Lewis
The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis
The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
Manalive! By G.K Chesterton
Sherlock (TV Series)
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Michael: A Man for all Seasons (1966)
Any Human Heart by William Boyd
Rachel: Sabrina (1964)
“[Paradox is] truth standing on its head to gain attention." - G.K. Chesterton
In this Easter episode of Risking Enchantment, Rachel and Phoebe discuss two of Chesterton’s books: Manalive and St. Francis of Assisi. We draw out the similarities in themes, characters, and messages between the two books, in particular the use of paradoxes and seeming contradictions, as well as the general atmosphere of vibrant and energetic virtue. The main characters of each of these books, Innocent Smith, and St. Francis of Assisi both turn the world upside down in various ways, inverting people’s expectations and confounding their preconceptions. In both cases Chesterton uses his typical contrarian charm to show his readers the wondrous gift of life through God.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works Mentioned in this Episode:
Manalive by G.K. Chesterton
St. Francis of Assisi by G.K. Chesterton
Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton
“Chesterton and Saint Francis” by Joseph Pearce
“Reason Exhausted: Paradoxes of G. K. Chesterton and C. S. Lewis” by Sara Park McLaughlin
“Two Kinds of Paradox” by G.K. Chesterton
What We're Enjoying at the Moment:
Phoebe: Georgette Heyer Novels
Rachel: Holiday to Rome
[Joseph’s] incomparable example as a saint fortunate among so many for having lived a common life with Jesus and Mary—a life of service to Christ, a service born of love.
- Saint Paul VI on the Feast of Saint Joseph (March 19, 1966)
We’re delighted to welcome Elizabeth Lev back to the podcast. In her first episode, Elizabeth Lev: Founding Christian Art and Redeeming Roman Myth we discussed her book How Catholic Art Saved the Faith: The Triumph of Beauty and Truth in Counter-Reformation Art the how early Christians evangelised to the Romans through art and architecture. Now Elizabeth is joining us again to discuss her new book The Silent Knight: A History of St. Joseph as Depicted in Art. We talk about Pope Francis’ call to turn in prayer to St Joseph in our current age, the many ways that St Joseph has been represented in art throughout the centuries, and how this art can help us to cultivate a devotion to him.
Follow Elizabeth Lev:
Twitter: @lizlevrome
Instagram: @lizlevinrome
Website: elizabeth-lev.com
Elizabeth also runs Masters' Gallery Rome where you can join to get great lectures about Roman art.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock,
Follow us on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works Mentioned:
How Catholic Art Saved the Faith: The Triumph of Beauty and Truth in Counter-Reformation Art by Elizabeth Lev
The Silent Knight: A History of St. Joseph as Depicted in Art by Elizabeth Lev
Patris Corde by Pope Francis
Joseph the Worker by Modesto Faustini
Flight to Egypt by Giotto
Washing of the Feet by Giotto
St Joseph Cradling the Infant Christ by Guido Reni
Rest on the Flight to Egypt by Caravaggio
Christ Crowning Saint Joseph by Francisco de Zurbarán
St. Joseph and the Child Jesus by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
Flight to Egypt by Gislebertus, Autun Cathedral
Death of Saint Joseph by Giuseppe Maria Crespi
Death of Saint Joseph by William Blake
Limbo by Sister Mary Ada
Rest on the Flight to Egypt by Barroci
Nuptials of the Virgin by Rosso Fiorrentino
The Holy Family with a Palm Tree by Raphael
Betrothed – Glimpses of the Betrothal of Mary and Joseph by Paraic Maher
The Nagasaki Martyrs by the Cuzco School
St. Joseph and the Child Jesus by Dony MacManus
The Holy Family by Janet McKenzie
St. Joseph Terror of Demons by Bernadette Carstensen
St. Joseph and the Christ Child by Francesco Grandi
What We’re Enjoying At the Moment
Face to Face: Portraits of the Divine in Early Christianity by Robin M Jensen
Gods and Fighting Men by Lady Augusta Gregory
“The Word himself was the first Gardener. In the beginning he planted a tree in the garden of Eden that grew the fruit of immortal life"
- Vigen Guroian
In this episode Rachel is joined by Reba Luiken, director of Allen Centennial Garden at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to discuss how gardening grounds us, both in the gifts of our bodies and the gifts of Creation. We talk about how we can look to Nature to understand God, and how the seasonal year helps us to understand our faith and the sacraments.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Reba Luiken
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works Mentioned in this Episode
Inheriting Paradise by Vigen Guroian
The Fragrance of God by Vigen Guroian
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Springing into the Season - Risking Enchantment
"Christ the Gardener of our Souls" by Brent Klaske, Angelus Press
"Godly Gardening", Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating by Norman Wirzba
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
Beasts at Bedtime: Revealing the Environmental Wisdom in Children's Literature by Liam Heneghan
The Secret Garden by Lucy Maud Montegomery
Laudato si' by Pope Francis
The Grace of Enough: Pursuing Less and Living More in a Throwaway Culture by Haley Stewart
Things We're Enjoying At The Moment
Reba: Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness by Ingrid Fetell Lee
Rachel: Mary Poppins Soundtrack, LP
“The great abstract nouns of the classical English moralists are unblushingly and uncompromisingly used: good sense, courage, contentment, fortitude…Contrasted with the world of modern fiction, Jane Austen’s is at once less soft and less cruel.” - C.S. Lewis, “A Note on Jane Austen”
In this episode, we are joined by Haley Stewart, a Catholic convert, writer, speaker, podcaster, and Managing Editor of Word on Fire Spark, their new publishing line for children and young readers. We discuss Haley’s new book, coming this March, Jane Austen's Genius Guide to Life: On Love, Friendship, and Becoming the Person God Created You to Be by Haley Stewart. We talk about the profound and vibrant ways Jane Austen explores morals and virtues in her novels. In particular we highlight the themes of prudence and constancy in Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park, respectively, as well as speaking about Austen’s peculiar genius for rendering the moral journeys of her characters.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Haley Stewart
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Follow Haley on social media: @HaleyCarrots
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Find Haley Stewart’s Work:
Jane Austen's Genius Guide to Life: On Love, Friendship, and Becoming the Person God Created You to Be by Haley Stewart
The Grace of Enough: Pursuing Less and Living More in a Throwaway Culture by Haley Stewart
Carrots for Michaelmas blog
Fountains of Carrots Podcast
Word on Fire Institute
Works Mentioned:
Jane Austen's Genius Guide to Life: On Love, Friendship, and Becoming the Person God Created You to Be by Haley Stewart
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Emma by Jane Austen
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Love and Friendship by Jane Austen, introduction by G.K. Chesterton
The Illustrated Letters of Jane Austen, Selected and Introduced by Penelope Hughes-Hallett
“A Note on Jane Austen”, Selected Literary Essays by C.S. Lewis
Things We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Haley: All Creatures Great and Small (2020 TV Series)
Rachel: Caper Board Game
“I now see that I spent most of my life in doing neither what I ought nor what I liked”.
C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
Risking Enchantment is back for 2022, and in our first episode back Rachel is joined by Phoebe, to discuss our resolutions for how we hope to spend our time in the coming year. Using the above quote as inspiration, we discuss how to balance productivity with leisure, how schedules enable us to achieve our goals but can also lead us into the tyranny of efficiency, and how leisure is part of God’s plan for us but in our modern age true leisure is hard to achieve. We look to literary references to help us understand how best to spend our time, whether it’s the story of nuns and the tolling bell of their schedule in Rumer Godden’s book In This House of Brede, or Fran Lebowitz’s life of idleness as listed her humorous book Metropolitan Life.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works Mentioned in this Episode:
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
“The Lost Art of Intentionality” - Word on Fire
From The Writing Life by Annie Dillard
Idle Moments: Literary Loafers through the Ages and Pages - The Slightly Foxed Podcast
The Fran Lebowitz Reader by Fran Lebowitz
Heretics by G.K. Chesterton
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden
The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise by Cardinal Robert Sarah
Wonder in a Digital Age - Born of Wonder podcast
“Burnt Norton” by T.S. Eliot
“The Three Sicknesses of U.S. Society: Racism, Poverty, and War” by Martin Luther King Jr
What We're Enjoying at the Moment:
Phoebe: The Lord of the Rings, audiobook read by Rob Inglis
Rachel: That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis
“The more we are proud that the Bethlehem story is plain enough to be understood by the shepherds, and almost by the sheep, the more do we let ourselves go, in dark and gorgeous imaginative frescoes or pageants about the mystery and majesty of the Three Magian Kings.” - G.K. Chesterton
For our last episode of 2021, Phoebe is back again to discuss the wonderful paradox in celebrating Christmas that calls for both humility and extravagance. We discuss the mystery of the Christmas story, and the deep humility that Christ demonstrates to us in coming as a child in a manager, as well as our responding call to humility and generosity. We also discuss our need for splendour in our liturgies but also in our culture and our surroundings. We delve into the magic of The Nutcracker Ballet and the splendour to be found in our own Christmas decorations.
We hope you enjoy the episode and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and blessings for the new year ahead.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
The Nutcracker - Royal Opera House
“The House of Christmas” by G.K. Chesterton
Sermons for Christmas and Epiphany by St. Augustine
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham
By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder
What’s Wrong with the World by G.K. Chesterton
Adela Cathcart by George MacDonald
“A Letter About Christmas” by Ronald Knox
“Preface to Paradise Lost” by C.S. Lewis
All Things Considered by G.K. Chesterton
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe: The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
Rachel: Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives by Pope Benedict XVI
“A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.” - Italo Calvino
In this episode Rachel and Phoebe are back to discuss Classic literature, what is it and why does it matter? We take a look at our own reading journeys and our hopes to try to become “well-read”, as well as a look at what Classic literature means to us, the question of whether all reading is good reading, and the tips and tricks that have helped us tackle bigger and more imposing books.
We’d love to hear your own experiences and favourite classics, as well as any feedback about what the classics mean to you, and what books you think should be included.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works Mentioned
Why Read the Classics by Italo Calvino
“On the Reading of Old Books” by C.S. Lewis
84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
The Collected Letters of CS Lewis, volume III: Narnia, Cambridge, and Joy 1950-1963
The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis
“Little Gidding” by T.S. Eliot
“The need for more Catholic authors” by Niall Gooch
Slightly Foxed Quartley Magazine
“End of audiobook snobbery as scientists find reading and listening activates the same parts of the brain”
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe: Wolfwalkers (2020) (Listen to our episode about Cartoon Saloon’s film’s here)
Rachel: Journals and Magazine - Slightly Foxed, The Lamp, Leaven, Country Living Magazine
Who will remember, passing through this Gate,
the unheroic dead who fed the guns?
Who shall absolve the foulness of their fate,-
Those doomed, conscripted, unvictorious ones?"
Siegfried Sassoon, 'On Passing The New Menin Gate'
November has for many centuries held a place for Catholics as the Month of the Dead, a time to reflect and pray for the departed. In the last century it has also become the month of commemorating The First World War as well as soldiers and veterans more broadly. In this episode of Risking Enchantment, Greg Daly joins us to discuss The Great War, how we remember it, how we commemorate it, and the complexities surrounding these commemorations.
We discuss the prevalence of poppies in Remembrance services, where that tradition comes from and why there is more to commemoration than paper flowers. We look at the experiences of those on the Western Front in the First World War and the soldier’s own complex feelings about topics such as heroism, morality and commemoration. Finally we also touch on the importance of incorporating their Christian faith into our remembrance of them.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Greg Daly
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Follow Greg on social media: @GregDalyIC, @thirstygargoyle
http://thethirstygargoyle.blogspot.com/
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Find out more about Leaven Magazine at https://leavenmagazine.ie/
Works Mentioned
“Why has Remembrance become weird?” by Niall Gooch
“The Future of Memory: Remembrance In Years To Come” by Niall Gooch
“In Flander’s Field” by John McCrae
“We Shall Keep the Faith” by Moina Michael
“On Passing the New Menin Gate” by Siegfried Sassoon
Blueprint for Armageddon - Hardcore History, podcast by Dan Carlin
They Shall Not Grow Old, dir. Peter Jackson
The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
Now It Can Be Told by Philip Gibbs
What we’re enjoying at the moment:
Greg: Fraiser, Purgatorio, and Hell Boy Mark Minola
Rachel:
O Brother Where Art Thou,
The Hound of Death, by Agatha Christie, audiobook read by Christopher Lee
"I looked at her, with my mind full of that other lovely face which had so ominously recalled her to my memory on the terrace by moonlight. I had seen Anne Catherick's likeness in Miss Fairlie. I now saw Miss Fairlie's likeness in Anne Catherick."
- Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White
We are joined for this episode of Risking Enchantment by Catholic author Eleanor Bourg Nicholson. Eleanor has recently published two Gothic novels, A Bloody Habit (2018) and Brother Wolf (2021). She joins us to talk about the Gothic genre, and why it's both relevant and interesting to Catholic writers and readers. We also delve into the theme of gothic doubles, a theme powerfully explored in many of the classic novels of the genre including Dracula, Frankenstein and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
We also look at how the trope is explored in Sensation fiction, a genre adjacent to Gothic fiction, in particular in the novel The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. While Gothic fiction has the source of its uncanny doubling in the preternatural and phantasmagorical, Sensation fiction looks to the find the horror in the real societal problems found in the Victorian Age. Where the former genre examines how find ourselves reflected in the falleness of literal monsters, the latter genre examines how we find ourselves reflected in the villany and duplicity of our society.
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Eleanor Bourg Nicholson
Follow Rachel on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow Eleanor on Facebook here.
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Buy A Bloody Habit by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson here.
Buy Brother Wolf by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson here.
Find out more about Eleanor Bourg Nicholson's work with Homeschool Connections here.
Related Risking Enchantment Episodes:
Dracula: The Presence of Evil and the Power of Sacramentals
Monsters and Morality in Romanticism
Works Mentioned:
A Bloody Habit by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson
Brother Wolf by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Victorian Age in Literature by G.K. Chesterton
What We're Enjoying at the Moment:
Eleanor: The Lord of the Rings on Audiobook
Rachel: The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke
“For us, we like going back to a time—and I’m sure nostalgia is feeding into that—where cell phones and the internet weren’t around. If you went off with friends, it felt like you really could get lost on a grand adventure.”
- The Duffer Brothers
In this episode of Risking Enchantment I'm joined by Robyn Conroy, a professional animator who previously joined us for our episodes 'Cartoon Saloon: Celtic and Christian Coexistence' and 'The Prince of Egypt: An Epic in Animation'.
This time she joins us to discuss the hit Netflix series Stranger Things. Set in the 1980s in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, Stranger Things is a sci-fi horror series centered on the supernatural events occurring around the town, including the appearance of a girl with psychic and telepathic abilities.
In the episode we discuss our love for the show and it's grounding in the virtues of loyalty, friendship and courage. We also talk about the complicated relationship our society has with the past and nostalgia, as typified by the success of Stranger Thing's 80's setting. We look at the negative effect of an over reliance on nostalgia, as well as a look at how the digital age might be impacting our ability to embrace the present and even encounter the mystery of our faith.
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Robyn Conroy
Follow Rachel on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow Robyn on Instagram: @robynconroyart
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works Mentioned:
Stranger Things, created by The Duffer Brothers
"Why do we like 'Stranger Things' so much? A BYU professor explains"
On Fairy Stories by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Past Is a Foreign Country—Revisited by David Lowenthal
"Jack Antonoff has a 'Strange Desire' for the '80s"
1999 by Charli XCX
2002 by Anne-Marie
The 90s by Finneas
Coney Island ft. The National by Taylor Swift
"‘Stranger Things’ is all too familiar"
"The Strangness of Stranger Things"
"Gateway to the upside down"
What We're Enjoying at the Moment
Robyn: Take the Sadness out of Saturday Night by Bleacher
Rachel: An American in Paris
"One writes such a story [The Lord of the Rings] not out of the leaves of trees still to be observed, nor by means of botany and soil-science; but it grows like a seed in the dark out of the leaf-mold of the mind: out of all that has been seen or thought or read, that has long ago been forgotten, descending into the deeps."
- J.R.R. Tolkien
For this episode we are delighted to be joined by Dr. Holly Ordway, Fellow of Faith and Culture at the Word on Fire Institute. We discuss her recent title, Tolkien's Modern Reading: Middle-earth Beyond the Middle Ages, which addresses the claim that Tolkien read very little modern fiction, and took no serious notice of it. What Holly reveals is that Tolkien was in fact was intimately connected with the literature of his own time and concerned with the issues and crises of modernity.
In this episode we discuss Holly's book and also take an in-depth look at some of the themes in Tolkien's writings that may have been influenced by this interest in modern literature.
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Dr Holly Ordway
Follow Rachel on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow Holly on social media: @HollyOrdway
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Find out more about Holly at http://www.hollyordway.com/
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Works Mentioned
- Tolkien’s Modern Reading: Middle-earth Beyond the Middle Ages by Dr Holly Ordway
- "Imaginative Apologetics" by Dr Holly Ordway - Word on Fire Institute Course
- The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
- Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
- Tolkien and the Great War by John Garth
- The House of the Wolfings by William Morris
- “The Ruin”, Anglo-Saxon elegy
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment Holly: Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome Rachel: Inside by Bo Burnham
"[T]he first aim of Dante, in his landscape imagery [in the Earthly Paradise], is to show evidence of this perfect liberty, and of the purity and sinlessness of the new nature, converting pathless ways into happy ones."
- John Ruskin
For the first episode back from the summer Rachel is joined by Theology Professor Matthew Rothaus Moser to discuss Dante's Divine Comedy and its themes of nature and Creation.
Matthew Rothaus Moser is Theology Professor at Azusa Pacific University. He has a recently published title Love Itself is Understanding: Hans Urs von Balthasar’s Theology of the Saints and has a forthcoming title Dante and the Poetic Practice of Theology.
To mark the 700th anniversary of Dante’s death, in this episode Rachel and Matthew discuss the depictions of nature in The Divine Comedy, in particular the end of Purgatorio where Dante enters Eden. We trace how Dante builds the imagery of forests, trees, rivers and more over the course of the Comedy. We discuss the various themes and theology that Dante is exploring with this imagery, from humanity’s current state of exile from the Garden of Earthly Delights, to the power of natural contemplation to turn us towards God, to the ways in which God reveals himself to us through his creation.
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Matthew Rothaus Moser
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow Matthew on Twitter: @M_Rothaus_Moser
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Works Mentioned:
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
La Vita Nuova by Dante Alighieri
Sacred and Profane Love Podcast: Episodes 32,33,34
The Divine Ideas Tradition in Christian Mystical Theology by Mark A. McIntosh
“Narrator and Landscape in the "Commedia": An Approach to Dante's Earthly Paradise”
Kenneth A. Bleeth
After Dinner Scholar Podcast: Dante: “The Infinite Beauty of the World” with Dr. Jason Baxter
Dante: Knowing Oneself, Knowing God, by Christian Moev
“Scripture as Enigma: Biblical Allusion in Dante's Earthly Paradise” by Eleanor Cook
“All Smiles: Poetry and Theology in Dante” by Peter S. Hawkins
Orchestra: or a Poeme of Dauncing by Sir John Davies
What We’re Enjoying At the Moment
Matthew
Looking East in Winter Contemporary Thought and the Eastern Christian Tradition by Rowan Williams
The California Mountains
Rachel
The Rat Catcher’s Olympics by Colin Cotterill
“[God] gave you strength to do what your conscience told you was right; and I don’t see that we need any higher or holier strength than that; or wisdom either."
- Elizabeth Gaskell, North and South
In this episode Rachel and Phoebe discuss North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. Often dubbed ‘The Victorian Pride and Prejudice’ it is a wonderful love story but also a story of class struggles, the industrial revolution and religious turmoil. Throughout all these themes is Gaskell’s exploration of the importance of following your conscience, maintaining your principles and speaking and acting honestly. Rachel and Phoebe look at the ways in which each of these ‘unfashionable virtues’ are represented in the novel, and why they still apply to us in the modern day.
After this episode, Risking Enchantment will be taking a break over the summer and will return in September. To get notified when it returns, or to keep up to date with any additional content, sign up to our newsletter at: Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Works Mentioned:
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux by Thérèse de Lisieux
Illustrated London News by G.K. Chesterton
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
What's Wrong with the World by G.K. Chesterton
"The Inner Ring" by C.S. Lewis
Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton
What We're Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe: Garden's World
Rachel: From Up on Poppy Hill (film. 2013), Whisper of the Heart (film. 1995)
“Why is it that of all the billions and billions of strange objects in the Cosmos - novas, quasars, pulsars, black holes - you are beyond doubt the strangest”
- Walker Percy Lost in the Cosmos
In this episode Rachel is joined by Shane Jenkins to discuss Walker Percy’s satirical self-help book Lost in the Cosmos. In this book Percy explores ideas of the self, as well as the problems of modernity, scientism, identity crisis, and the breakdown of meaning in the modern age. Lost is the Cosmos is a complex and often troubling book but it also contains many keen observations and humorous moments.
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Shane Jenkins
Follow us on social media: @seekingwatson @shanekins
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Works Mentioned
Lost in the Cosmos by Walker Percy
The Moviegoer by Walker Percy
“Everything is Broken” Tablet by Alana Newhouse
Mystery and Manners by Flannery O’Connor
Thoughts after Lambeth by T.S. Eliot
“Is Pope Francis Anti-Modern?” The New Atlantis by M. Anthony Mills
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Shane: Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.
Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Hippo Campus (band)
Rachel: Tickets to my Downfall by MGK (album)
“If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
In this episode we are delighted to welcome to the show David Bates, co-host of the Pints with Jack podcast. He joins Phoebe and Rachel to discuss The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis’ imaginary supposition of Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. We talk about how Lewis demonstrates the ways that sin traps us and prevents us from entering into the joy of heaven, as well as Lewis’ unique ability to capture the vital energy and attraction of virtue.
Check out David’s podcast: Pints with Jack
@PintswithJack on: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube
Check out David’s wife Marie’s podcast: Pints with Chesterton
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson, David Bates
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works mentioned in this episode:
The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell by William Blake
Inaugural Homily, Pope Benedict XVI
New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton
“The Age of Anxiety” by W.H. Auden
The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis
The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien
Leaf by Niggle by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Misquotable C.S. Lewis: What He Didn't Say, What He Actually Said, and Why It Matters by William O’Flaherty
What We're Enjoying at the Moment
David: Speaking to his unborn son
Phoebe: Smith of Wootten Major by J.R.R. Tolkien
Rachel: Brideshead Revisited, 1981 TV Series
“‘You will find,’ he explained, ‘that when the kings are bullies who believe in force, the people are bullies too. If I don't stand for law, I won't have law among my people.’”
In this episode Rachel and Phoebe discuss the figure of King Arthur in Malory’s Le Morte Darthur, the biblical echoes of his kingship, his attempt to create a just society and his failure to embody Christ-like ideals. We also discuss the new Catholic magazine, Leaven, launched by friend of the show, Greg Daly. It’s a digital magazine which showcases a coherently and distinctly Irish Catholic vision, and explores a mix of topics from science to literature, pop culture to social justice, history to philosophy and beyond. It’s first edition features articles and interviews with a range of established and new Catholic writers, including an article by Rachel on the theme of Pentecost in Arthurian myth, which forms a backdrop to this podcast episode.
Click here to get your copy of Leaven:
Leaven Magazine leavenmagazine.ie
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works mentioned in this episode:
Le Morte Darthur, The Winchester Manuscript by Sir Thomas Malory
The Once and Future King by T.H. White
“The Sword of the Spirit,” Leaven by Rachel Sherlock
“King Arthur and the Liturgical Year,” quiteirregular by Jem Bloomfield
“Lancelot Versus the Pentecostal Oath,” Arthurian Literature by Kiera Schneider
“A Real Catholic Monarchy,” The Distributist Review by John C. Médaille
“Reflections for the Feast of Christ the King,” Vatican News by Fr. Antony Kadavil
“Christ the King of the Universe,” National Catholic Reporter by Mary M. McGlone, CSJ
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment:
Phoebe: The Sound of Music
Rachel: 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
"Our Lord began his public life on the Mount of the Beatitudes and closed it on the Mount of Calvary. This books tells the story of how he practiced the meekness, the mercy, and the poverty of the Beatitudes." - Ven. Fulton Sheen
In this episode of Risking Enchantment Rachel and Phoebe discuss the short book by Ven. Fulton Sheen called The Cross and the Beatitudes. In this book, Sheen correlates the Beatitudes to the seven last words of Christ, and in so doing he illuminates how Christ embodied the Beatitudes not only in his ministry but in the Passion itself. It is a book full of insight and wisdom, and at under 100 pages it is an ideal devotional to read this Holy Week.
We wish you all a prayerful Holy Week and a blessed Easter Season.
Works Mentioned:
The Cross and the Beatitudes by Ven. Fulton Sheen
The Beauty and Ugliness of the Cross - Risking Enchantment
Sacred Songs for Sorrowful Times: Music for Holy Week - Risking Enchantment
The World’s First Love by Ven. Fulton Sheen
“The Beatitudes Confront the Seven Deadly Sins” by Dennis and Rose Wingfield
Perelandra by C.S. Lewis
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
"The Seven Words Spoken by Jesus Christ on the Cross" by St. Alphonsus Liguori
What We're Enjoying at the Moment:
Phoebe:
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Pints with Jack: Season 4 - The Screwtape Letters
Rachel:
Tolkien's Modern Reading: Middle-earth Beyond the Middle Ages by Holly Ordway
Boreas/Zephyrus Vinyl by The Oh Hellos
"I will smite Egypt with all my wonders"
- The Prince of Egypt
For this episode of Risking Enchantment, we are joined by animator and friend Robyn Conroy to talk about the 1998 Dreamwork's film The Prince of Egypt. A fantastic film in its own right, it is also an interesting modern example of a biblical story becoming a prestigious entertainment and artistic event. We talk about the incredible visuals and music of the movie, as well as the filmmaker's faithful and accurate adaptation of this sacred story. An excellent family movie for Lent, The Prince of Egypt is a masterful example of both animated and musical storytelling.
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Robyn Conroy
Follow Rachel on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow Robyn on Instagram: @robynconroyart
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works Mentioned:
The Prince of Egypt (1998)
The Making of The Prince of Egypt (YouTube)
"An Ecumenical ‘Prince of Egypt’" By Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times
Francis of Assisi by G.K. Chesterton
What We're Enjoying At the Moment
Robyn: Principium, Album by The Arcadian Wild
Rachel: Dubliners by James Joyce, audiobook read by Andrew Scott
"We are not here to triumph by fighting, by stratagem, or by resistance,
Not to fight with beasts as men. We have only to conquer
Now, by suffering. This is the easier victory."
- T.S. Eliot, Murder in the Cathedral
In this episode, Rachel and Phoebe delve into two texts, T.S. Eliot's verse drama Murder in the Cathedral about the death of St. Thomas Becket, and the opera Dialogues des Carmélites by Poulenc, about the execution of a community of nuns towards the end of the French Revolution. Drawing on both of these texts we discuss the moral dilemma of 'doing the right thing for the wrong reason' and how these fictional accounts of martyred saints can help us prepare our soul for martyrdom and a life led in obedience to God's will.
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works Mentioned:
“A Temple of the Holy Ghost” A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor
Dialogues des Carmélites by Poulenc
Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot
Francis of Assisi by G.K. Chesterton
“Patience - Our Share in Your Passion” The Joy of Believing by Ven. Madeleine Delbrêl
Orthodoxy by G.K Chesterton
What we are Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe: Risking Enchantment: A Pilgrimage in Paintings: Tissot's “Life of Christ"
Rachel: Taskmaster
"The joy of the festival, drawing together the memory of both earthly and divine blessings, points to the eternal joy of heaven by giving us a small, imperfect glimpse of the eternal feast.
"Why We Feast: A Matter of Life and Death", R. Jared Staudt
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works Mentioned:
Comfort Food by Jamie Oliver
"Why does God care if you give up chocolate?" Called to More, by Rachel Sherlock
"Why We Feast: A Matter of Life and Death", R. Jared Staudt
In Tune with the World: A Theory of Festivity by Josef Pieper
"Go deeper: Food in children’s books" by Imogen Russell
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
Food and Faith by Norman Wirzba
Brambly Hedge: Spring Story by Jill Barklem
Brambly Hedge: Autumn Story by Jill Barklem
The Redwall series by Brian Jacques
"The Lost Art of Feasting" by David Mathis
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
"Lower Sacraments: Theological Eating in the Fiction of C. S. Lewis" by Gregory Philip Hartley
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
"Nourishment, Delight, and Fellowship: The Purpose of Food in The Chronicles of Narnia" by Jonathan Darville
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
What We're Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe: Alice and Wonderland ballet, Royal Opera House recording
Rachel: High Society (film)
"Men reverently doffed their hats; women wept and knelt before the pictures, and some even crawled like penitents through the show."
Jesus, Illustrated: Tissot’s New Testament" by Ken Johnson
In this episode, Rachel is joined by Shane Jenkins, who was previously on our Risking Enchantment episode 'Time and T.S. Eliot: Modern and Eternal Poetry'. In this episode they discuss the life and work of painter James Tissot. Once famous for his paintings of materialistic extravagance, Tissot had a profound and dramatic conversion in the middle of his life, after which he dedicated his life to chronicling the whole of the life of Christ through painting. In the episode Shane and Rachel discuss the various elements of his work that particularly interested him, and also offer a counterpoint to his work in the work of Gustave Dore. Also discussed is the need for art to accompany the Bible's words, and the newly published Word on Fire Bible.
We would like to take this time to thank you for listening to Risking Enchantment this year and to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Shane Jenkins
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works Mentioned:
Shane's blog article on Tissot and the link to his Slideshow of Tissot's paintings:
'James Tissot's "Life of Christ": The Complete Online Gallery and Introduction', In Praise of Follies by Shane Jenkins
"The risqué artist who found God" The Catholic Herald by Laura Freeman
"Jesus, Illustrated: Tissot’s New Testament" The New York Times by Ken Johnson
The Blind Leading the Blind by Tissot
Maltreatments in the House Caiaphus by Tissot
Behold the Man, Ecce Homo by Tissot
Let Him be Crucified by Tissot
What Our Lord Saw from the Cross by Tissot
The Annunciation by Tissot
Jesus Ministered to by Angels by Tissot
The Snow Queen by Vladyslav Yerko
Jesus Carried up to a Pinnacle of the Temple by Tissot
The Grotto of the Agony by Tissot
Christ Retreats to the Mountain at Night by Tissot
Inner Voices (Christ Comforting the Wanderers) by Tissot
A Wild Ride Through the Night by Walter Moers
'“From the Smallest Fragment”: The Archaeology of the Doré Bible' Nineteenth Century Art Worldwide by Sarah C. Schaefer
Word on Fire Bible (Volume 1) The Gospel
What We're Enjoying at the Moment:
Shane: How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill
Rachel: David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (audiobook read by Richard Armitage)
"The whole story of her life... It was here waiting for her …
She had never needed to think about it before. It had been quite easy to fill her life with unimportant trivialities that left her no time for self-knowledge."
- Absent in the Spring
In this episode of Risking Enchantment Rachel and Phoebe discuss two books: Absent in the Spring by Agatha Christie and Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis. Both lesser known works by well-known authors, they were nevertheless esteemed by their authors to be among their best work. They also both share several core themes: the quest for truth, the need to know and understand yourself, and the dangers of love without grace.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Follow Phoebe on Instagram: @phoebe_lucy_watson
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Works Mentioned:
Absent in the Spring by Agatha Christie
Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
Agatha Christie: An Autobiography by Agatha Christie
The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis
The Habit of Being by Flannery O'Connor
A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
What We're Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe: Pints with Jack Podcast
Rachel: Dialogues des Carmélites, opera by Poulenc shown on Met Opera
''Bless that good, good woman who hung the crucifix round my neck! For it is a comfort and a strength to me whenever I touch it. '' - Dracula
In this episode Phoebe and Rachel discuss the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, and delve into the use and misuse of sacraments and sacramentals in the story. Also discussed is Eleanor Bourg Nicholson's novel A Bloody Habit which takes a more Catholic approach to the vampire story.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Follow Phoebe on Instagram: @phoebe_lucy_watson
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works Mentioned:
Dracula by Bram Stoker
A Bloody Habit by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson
"Oh, the Horror!" by Tom Riley
"Bram Stoker’s Dracula" - Crisis Magazine
"Vampires, demons, and the cross: Catholicism and horror" by Deacon Steven D. Greydanus
"Cinemanemia or Revenge of the Bloodsucked" by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson
Delving into the mind of a catholic novelist with Eleanor Bourg Nicholson - Fountains of Carrots podcast
The Well and the Shallows by G.K. Chesterton
What We're Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Rachel: Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot
"This seeming paradox reflects two concurrently pervasive - and strikingly contradictory - perspectives. One is to be engrossed by the past, the other to dispense with it."
The Past is a Foreign Country - Revisited
By David Lowenthal
We are delighted to welcome Catholic author and writer Fiorella de Maria. To find out more about her, and for links to all her titles visit her website:
https://www.fiorellademaria.com/
In this episode we discuss the issues that the modern age has in the ways in interacts with history, from sanitising the past in books and films to tearing down statues.
Works Mentioned:
See No Evil: A Father Gabriel Mystery by Fiorella de Maria
The Abolition of Women by Fiorella de Maria (written under Fiorella Nash)
Poor Banished Children by Fiorella de Maria
"History Versus the Historians" Lunacy and Letters by G.K Chesterton
The Past is a Foreign Country - Revised Edition by David Lowenthal
The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley
The Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain
"On The Incarnation" Introduction to Athanasius by C.S. Lewis
Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature by C.S. Lewis
We'll Never Tell Them by Fiorella de Maria
Things We're Enjoying at the Moment
Fiorella: Spending time with family
Rachel: Vanilla Ice-cream Recipe in the Financial Times
“The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite"
In this episode Rachel and Phoebe discuss Susanna Clarke's new novel Piranesi. Set in a mysterious world, all contained in one vast house of marble statues and rising tides, the novel gives a wonderful opportunity to examine the way humans interact with the world around them.
Works Mentioned:
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, BBC miniseries
The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
“This critique of progress was something I borrowed from CS Lewis” - Susanna Clarke, Interview in the Hindustani Times
Laudato Si, by Pope Francis
General Audience 17 January 2001, Pope John Paul II
"The Wobbly Chronology of Disenchantment" Church Life Journal, by Haley Stewart
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
"The House of Asterion" by Jorge Luis Borges
"The Library of Babel" by Jorge Luis Borges
Things We're Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe: Season of Autumn
Rachel: The Labyrinth of Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Often dismissed as 'the Dark Ages' of the Church before the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, the Middle Ages was in fact a fascinating era for Christian preaching. Richly textual, highly informed, and even, entertaining, Fr Conor McDonough OP joins us on the podcast to discuss a Dominican perspective on preaching, especially in the Middle Ages, as well as the work of Humbert of Romans in his Treatise on Preaching.
“The Word Eclipsed?: Preaching in the Early Middle Ages” by R Emmet McLaughlin
Dominion by Tom Holland
Confessions by St Augustine
“Eynsham and Ælfric” Clerk of Oxford blog, Eleanor Parker
“Performing the Seven Deadly Sins: How One Late-Medieval English Preacher did it” by Alan J. Fletcher
Treatise on Preaching by Humbert of Romans
What we’re enjoying at the moment:
Fr. Conor: Pearl (poem)
Rachel: Farewell my Lovely by Raymond Chandler
We are delighted to welcome Elizabeth Lev to the podcast. Elizabeth is an acclaimed art historian based in Rome, and author of several books including How Catholic Art Saved the Faith: The Triumph of Beauty and Truth in Counter-Reformation Art.
In this episode we have a discussion about how early Christians evangelised to the Romans through art and architecture by highlighting continuity with Roman myth while also showing how Christianity redeemed and transfigured those earlier stories. We also talk about how that is a possible means of evangelising to people today.
Follow Elizabeth Lev:
Twitter: @lizlevrome
Instagram: @lizlevinrome
Website: elizabeth-lev.com
Elizabeth also runs Masters' Gallery Rome where you can join to get great lectures about Roman art.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock,
Follow us on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works Mentioned:
The Spirit of the Liturgy by Pope Benedict XVI
Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose by Flannery O'Connor
"Myth Became Fact", World Dominion by C.S. Lewis
“Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him, penetrating even his dark and lowly little house with its spirit of divine discontent and longing."
In our first episode back after the summer Phoebe and Rachel discuss the sense of longing found in The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Follow Phoebe on Instagram: @phoebe_lucy_watson
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works Mentioned
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (illus. Inga Moore)
Audiobook: Read by Michael Hordern
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis
The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis
The Pilgrim’s Regress by C.S. Lewis
‘Tinturn Abbey’ by William Wordsworth
‘The Buried Life’ by Matthew Arnold
‘The Day is Done’ by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Not That It Matters by A.A. Milne
Tolkien On Fairy-stories, expanded edition, edited by Verlyn Flieger and Douglas A. Anderson
The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
“Tolkien, Lewis, and The Wind in the Willows” by Roy Peachey, The Catholic World Reporter
“God’s Whispers in The Wind in the Willows” by Justin D Lyons, Bereans at the Gate
‘Little Gidding’ by T.S. Eliot
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
“The Longing of the Wind in the Willows” by Chris Wheeler, The Rabbit Room
Beyond the Wild Wood by Alan Jacobs, First Things
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe: Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery
Rachel: Mount Usher Gardens
'The things I believed most then, the things I believe most now, are the things called fairy tales. They seem to me to be the entirely reasonable things.' G.K. Chesterton
In this episode Rachel and Phoebe discuss Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, why it's a great example of a fairy story and how fairy stories help us to know and love the world around us.
Upcoming Events: Great and Main Podcast,
Ignite Conference, Dominicans Cork
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow us on social media: @seekingwatson @phoebe_lucy_watson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works Mentioned:
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Howl’s Moving Castle (2004, Studio Ghibli)
Reflections: On the Magic of Writing by Diana Wynne Jones
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton
‘The Ethics of Elfland’ Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton
On Fairy-Stories by J.R.R. Tolkien
Cartoon Saloon: Celtic and Christian Coexistence - Risking Enchantment
‘Fairy Tales’ All Things Considered by G.K. Chesterton
‘Glory and Splendor - part 3: The Beauty of Language’ by Peter Kreeft
‘The Language of Beauty - part 4: Words and Things’ by Peter Kreeft
On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature by C.S. Lewis
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe: Ad Limina: A Novella of Catholics in Space by Cyril Jones-Kellett
Rachel: Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV series), Sherlock Holmes (2009 film), Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011 film), Sherlock (TV series).
“Somebody, after all, had to make a start.” - Sophie Scholl
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Greg Daly
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Follow Greg on social media: @GregDalyIC, @thirstygargoyle
http://thethirstygargoyle.blogspot.com/
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works Mentioned:
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (2005)
Cultural Amnesia: Necessary Memories from History and the Arts by Clive James
‘The White Rose of Conscience’ Irish Catholic by Greg Daly
At the Heart of the White Rose: Letters and Diaries of Hans and Sophie Scholl
Saint John Paul the Great: His Five Loves by Jason Evert
Sophie Scholl – The Final Days (2005) Review by Steven Greydanus, Decent Films
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
The Great War in Modern Memory by Paul Fussell
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
If This is a Man by Primo Levi
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment:
Greg:
Middlemarch by George Eliot
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Rachel:
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham (audiobook read by Michael Hordern)
"The young warrior awoke, dauntless from the dust, majesty arose, victorious and wise."
-The Descent into Hell
In this episode Chloe and Rachel discuss their love of Old English literature, along with three Old English poems on the theme of Easter: The Dream of the Rood, The Descent into Hell, and Christ II
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock and Chloe Colla
Follow us on social media: @seekingwatson and @ChloeAMDG
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works and Authors mentioned:
Tolkien & the Anglo-Saxon Heritage of Beowulf
He Descended into Hell, Called to More
A Clerk of Oxford
The Healthy Wyrdness of the the Anglo-Saxons
Some Anglo-Saxon Easter Customs
The Dream of the Rood
"The Dream of the Rood" and the Practice of Penitential Meditation
The Institute of Catholic Culture: Dream of the Rood, A Poetic Vision of the Cross of Christ
'Steadfast Cross'
The Descent into Hell
'Open wæs þæt eorðærn': the Harrowing of Hell
Christ II
Christ the Bird and the Play of Hope: An Anglo-Saxon Ascension
What We're Enjoying at the Moment:
Chloe: The radio plays of Lord Peter Wimsey
Rachel: National Theatre at Home - Treasure Island, Frankenstein
“The music had such an extraordinary force of reality that we realized, no longer by deduction, but by the impact on our hearts, that it could not have originated from nothingness, but could only have come to be through the power of the Truth that became real in the composer's inspiration.”
Pope Benedict XVI
In this episode, Phoebe and Rachel discuss the great works of music that can help us enter into Holy Week, especially as many of us are not currently able to attend the liturgies.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow us on social media: @seekingwatson @phoebe_lucy_watson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works Mentioned:
Spirit of the Liturgy by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
Square Notes Podcast: Introduction to Gregorian Chant – with Dr. William Mahrt
NPR: Listen: The Sound Of The Hagia Sophia, More Than 500 Years Ago
The Lost Voices of Hagia Sophia by Cappella Romana
Pastoral Letter on Sacred Music in Divine Worship “Sing to the LORD a New Song” by Archbishop Alexander K. Sample
Square Notes Podcast: An Archbishop’s Reflections on Sacred Music – with Archbishop Alexander K. Sample
The Magnificat Online
Why Hollywood Matters - Barbara Nicolosi
Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to Participants in the International Conference on Sacred Music
Pope Benedict’s Words After Receiving Honorary Doctorate in Castel Gandolfo
Benedict and Beethoven: The Outgoing Pope’s Musical Life
Musical Pieces:
Les Rameux (The Palms) by Fauré
(In English)
Requiem Mass by Fauré (Version listened to: Nigel Short, London Symphony Orchestra Chamber Ensemble and Tenebrae)
Lamentations of Jeremiah by Palestrina
Lamentations of Jeremiah by Tallis
Miserere mei, Deus by Allegri
Pange Lingua by Thomas Aquinas
Adoramus Te Devote by Thomas Aquinas
St John’s Passion by Bach
St Matthew’s Passion by Bach
Paul Hume, quoted in Music for Lent and Easter: St Matthew Passion by Bach
The Seven Last Words of Christ by Haydn (Version listened to: Conducted by Nicholas Harnoncourt)
Stabat Mater by Vivaldi
The Lament of the Mother of God by John Tavener
O Sacred Head Now Wounded
At the Cross her Station Keeping
Jesus, Remember Me
Behold the Wood of the Cross
Resurrexit by Berlioz
The Messiah by Handel
Thine be the Glory
Westminster Mass by Panufnik
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe:
Embroidery and Home Crafts
The Sleeping Beauty Ballet
Rachel
Escape to the Countryside
Cheers
“Books shouldn’t be daunting, they should be funny, exciting and wonderful; and learning to be a reader gives a terrific advantage.” -Roald Dahl
In this episode, Phoebe and I discuss the wonderful, wacky and sometimes wicked world of Roald Dahl's stories, and we look to Chesterton to see how we should approach humour from a Christian perspective. Many thanks to Fr. Conor McDonough for the advice.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow us on social media: @seekingwatson @phoebe_lucy_watson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works mentioned (all by Roald Dahl unless otherwise stated):
Matilda
The BFG
George Marvellous Medicine
The Witches
The Twits
Roald Dahl Audiobook set 1
Roald Dahl Audiobook set 2
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Illustrators: Quentin Blake, Tony Ross
Marget Talbot, The New Yorker, "The Candy Man, Why children love Roald Dahl’s stories—and many adults don’t."
Matilda the Musical
Matilda (1996 film)
G.K. Chesterton on Fairytales: “The Red Angel,” Tremendous Trifles
Chesterton on Vulgar Jokes
G.K. Chesterton "On Mr. McCabe and a Divine Frivolity"
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Jen Campbell, The Importance of Seeing Yourself in Media
Chesterton on Puritanism, Illustrated London News
Joe Sommerlad, The Independent "World Book Day 2019: Roald Dahl's 10 best children's books, from Matilda to The Twits"
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe:
My Neighbour Totoro
Rachel:
Elizabeth Lev talk: Behind the Veil of the Sistine Chapel
How Catholic Art Saved the Faith by Elizabeth Lev
"There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet"
In this episode Rachel is joined by Shane Jenkins to discuss the poetry of T.S. Eliot and the themes of time on his poetry, as well as his place in the modernist movement, the impact of his conversion on his writing, and the ways we can approach his writing today.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Shane Jenkins
Follow us on social media: @seekingwatson @shanekins
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works Mentioned
Talk Bhride Podcast
"Influences: The Power of T.S. Eliot" by Seamus Heaney
The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot
The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
Theology of Hans Urs Von Balthasar, Word on Fire Institute
Tractatus Logico - Philosophicus by Ludwig Wittgenstein
Philosophical Investigations by Ludwig Wittgenstein
The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot
A Reader's Guide to T.S. Eliot's "Four Quartets"
Burnt Norton by T.S. Eliot
East Coker by T.S. Eliot
The Dry Salvages by T.S. Eliot
Little Gidding by T.S. Eliot
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
The Confessions by St. Augustine
A Preface to Paradise Lost by C.S. Lewis
"G. K. Chesterton & T. S. Eliot: Friends or Enemies?" by Joseph Pearce
Tradition and the Individual Talent by T.S. Eliot
Thoughts After Lambeth by T.S. Eliot
Chorus from the Rock by T.S. Eliot
Things We're Enjoying at the Moment
Shane: Portal of the Mystery of Hope by Charles Peguy
Rachel: The Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt, Pushkin Press
"Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come. For the winter is now past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers have appeared in our land." Cant., ii. 10-12.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Maria Connolly
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works Mentioned
'Why Walking Helps Us Think' by Ferris Jabr
Greetings of John Paul II to the Delegates of the Italian Alpine Club
Saint's Quotes on Flowers
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Theology of Hans Urs Von Balthasar, Word on Fire Institute
The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett (illustrated by Inga Moore)
Percy the Park Keeper by Nick Butterworth
St. Patrick's Breastplate
The Deer's Cry
Rose Harrington
'In the countryside, England’s Catholic heritage remains hidden in plain sight' by Charlie Hart
Little Gidding by T.S. Eliot
Pippa's Song by Robert Browning
Spring by Gerard Manley Hopkins
God's Grandeur by Gerard Manley Hopkins
The Starlight Night by Gerard Manley Hopkins
A Prayer in Spring by Robert Frost
A Woodland Glade by William Trost Richards
John Williams Waterhouse
On Hearing the First Cuckoo of Spring by Frederick Delius
Bradi Barth
Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Harding
Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Emma (2009)
House of Flying Daggers (2004)
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
Mary Poppins (1964)
Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham
Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Short Stories of Oscar Wilde
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Well-Cultivated Words Slightly Foxed Podcast
Nature & Story Sightly Foxed Podcast
On Flowers with Amy Merrick Cultivating Place
What We're Enjoying at the Moment
Maria: Hallows Yarn, This is Knit
Rachel: Endeavour (TV Series)
"At the touch of Vermeer's brush, the canvas transforms, so to speak, into a spectral, silver-backed
mirror; into a magical retina... we are elevated from the realm of reality into the paradise of essentiality."
Paul Claudel
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Greg Daly
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Follow Greg on social media: @GregDalyIC, @thirstygargoyle
http://thethirstygargoyle.blogspot.com/
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works mentioned:
(All are paintings by Vermeer unless otherwise stated)
Girl with a Pearl Earring
The Return of the Prodigal Son by Rembrandt
Belshazzar's Feast by Rembrandt
Saint Praxedis
Christ in the House of Martha and Mary
The Procuress
Woman with a Pearl Necklace
Woman Holding a Balance
Woman Reading a Letter
The Astronomer
The Geographer
Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid
The Lacemaker
Vermeer by Paul Claudel, Salmagundi Magazine
The Allegory of Faith
How Catholic Art Saved the Faith by Elizabeth Lev
Vermeer's Pregnant Women: On Human Generation and Pictorial Representation by Karin Leonhard
The Allegory of Painting
The Little Street
A Hidden Life Review
What We're Enjoying at the Moment:
Greg: Middlemarch by George Eliot
Rachel: The Sleeping Beauty Ballet, The Gentlemen, Uncut Gems, 1917
"The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely." - Louisa May Alcott
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works mentioned:
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott
Little Women (2019) dir. Greta Gerwig
Little Women (2017 TV series) dir. Vanessa Caswill
Little Women (1994) dir Gillian Armstrong
Jack and Jill: A Village Story by Louisa May Alcott
Fountains of Carrots, Ep 123 Bringing Beauty to the World Through the Beauty of Home with Carrie Gress and Noelle Mering
The G.K. Chesterton Collection by G.K. Chesterton
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Home of Carl and Karin Larsson
"Greta Gerwig shows us ‘Little Women’ like never before" by Haley Stewart
What We're Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe: Weldon's Practical Needlework
Rachel: A Bloody Habit by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson
O Come Let Us Adore Him
Happy Christmas from us here at Risking Enchantment
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works mentioned: [Christmas Carols discussed in bold]
'Christmas Ballad', Spirit of Christmas by G.K. Chesterton
Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, Homily of his Holiness Benedict XVI, Monday, 24 December 2012
In the Bleak Midwinter
'Into the Dark with God' by Hans Urs Von Balthasar
'Journey of the Magi' by T.S. Eliot
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
'The Importance of Singing Carols' by Dr. Peter Kwasniewski
We Three Kings
'A Letter About Christmas' by Ronald Knox
Three Kings from Persian Lands Afar
Good King Wenceslaus
'A day to honor 'Good King Wenceslas', National Catholic Review by John L. Allen Jr.
Bring a Torch Jeanette Isabella
What we're enjoying that the moment:
Our handmade mice from Maria Connolly
Phoebe: Handel's Messiah
Rachel: Klaus (film)
“When Mary has struck her roots in a soul, she produces there marvels of grace, which she alone can produce, because she alone is the fruitful Virgin who never has had, and never will have, her equal in purity and in fruitfulness.”
― Louis De Montfort, True Devotion to Mary
With Advent as the ideal time to reflect on Mary and her place in our lives, Phoebe and Rachel discuss some of their favourite Marian devotions, the paintings and images that accompany these images, and how these devotions can lead us to a fuller understanding of Christ and our Catholic faith.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works mentioned: [Marian Devotions discussed in bold]
'The Virgin' by William Wordsworth
The World's First Love by St Louis De Montfort
Margery Kempe's meditations : the context of medieval devotional literatures, liturgy and iconography (St Bernard of Clairveaux quote)
Theotokos
Cyril of Alexandria Second Letter to Nestorius
Star of the Sea
St Bonaventure
The Secret Of The Rosary by St Louis De Montfort
The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
St Thomas Aquinas
St Bernard of Clairveaux
From Forty Dreams of St. John Bosco, compiled and edited by Fr. J. Bacchiarello, S.D.B
Mary Star of the Sea, by Bernadette Carstensen (painting)
Stella Maris, by Lawrence Klimecki (painting)
Stella Maris, Our Lady Star of the Sea by Josiah, HeartofIESVS (painting)
Our Lady, Help of Christians
Song of Solomon 6:10
Hortus Conclusus
Song of Solomon 4:12
Annunciation, by Fra Angelico (painting)
The Annuciation, by Arthur Hacker (painting)
Madonna im Rosenhag, by Stefan Lochner (painting)
Frankfurter Paradiesgärtleins (painting)
The Virgin in the Hortus conclusus:Healing the Body and Healing the Soul by Naoë Kukita Yoshikawa
Flower Theology by John S. Stokes, Jr.
"The Adventure of the Naval Treaty" The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
St Jerome
Our Lady of Sorrows
Ven Francis Nguyễn Văn Thuận
"Why Our Lady of Sorrows" by Fr Steve Grunow, Word on Fire
"Our Lady of Sorrows, Pray for the Church" by Rev. Karl Clemens, C.SS.R. Remnant Newspaper
“The Virgin with Angels” and "Pieta" by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (painting)
"Mother of Sorrows" by Robert Hugh Benson
Our Lady of Guadalupe
What We're Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Rachel: Why Hollywood Matters by Barbara Nicolosi, video
“When our women fail in courage, Shall our men be fearless still”
In this episode, Phoebe Watson joins us to discuss the perspective of women and families on the home front of World War 1 and the courage that was displayed by the characters of Rilla of Ingleside, the last book in Lucy Maud Montegomery's Anne of Green Gables series.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works mentioned in the episode
Fountains of Carrots podcast, with Haley Stewart and Christy Isinger
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montegomery
Rilla of Ingleside by L. M. Montegomery
Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History Podcast: Blue Print for Armageddon
Mary and Christ’s Suffering by Fulton Sheen
Catholic Stuff You Should Know - Courage and Subordination
Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield
“The Efficacy of Prayer,” originally from The World’s Last Night and Other Essays by C.S. Lewis
"The Superfluous Woman" by Vera Brittain
What we're enjoying at the moment:
Phoebe
Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History Podcast: Blue Print for Armageddon
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Rachel
They Shall Not Grow Old, dir. Peter Jackson
"Can we not say that the virtuous lives of the saints are the measuring lines stretched out over our souls to make sure our lives take the proper shape and measure up to their good example?" - St Anthony of Padua
To celebrate All Saints Day we take a look at the real impacts the saints can have on our lives by discussing some of the saints who themselves were inspired by saints, and how this helped them on their spiritual journey. We look at the four Theresas: Teresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux, Mother Theresa, and Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, as well as two saints inspired by St Francis Xavier.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
What We're Enjoying at the Moment:
Phoebe: The Goblin King
Rachel: Over the Garden Wall
"I have seen beauty thrive in the most fragile of places. I have seen the book. The book that turned darkness into light."
In this episode I am joined by Robyn Conroy to discuss the representation of Celtic and Christian heritage in the animated movies, The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea by Irish animation company Cartoon Saloon. Along with highlighting the beautiful artwork of these movies we also delve into how Catholics can interact with other kinds of cultural traditions and beliefs.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Robyn Conroy
Follow us on social media: @seekingwatson @robynconroyart
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works Mentioned:
The Beekeeper trailer
Cartoon Saloon
The Secret of Kells
Song of the Sea
Revealing The Secret of Kells, Part 1, Image Journal
Decent Films - The Song of the Sea, Review
Song of the Sea Blog
"On Fairy-Stories" Tree and Leaf: Including Mythopoeia by J.R.R. Tolkien
"Three Objections to Fairy Tales and C. S. Lewis's Response"
"Great Films for Kids: Song of the Sea"
"Fairy Tales" All Things Considered by G.K. Chesterton
Folk Catholicism, Wikipedia
The Importance of Myths and Fairy Tales for Christian Children, Catholic Exchange
What We're Enjoying at the Moment
Robyn: Man in the High Castle, TV series
Rachel: Great British Bake Off
‘Friendship is not only the message of the gospel, it is also the best medium for conveying it. As our Lord says ‘I no longer call you servant I now call you friends.’
- Dr. Scott Hahn
In this episode Maria and I discuss our excitement at the upcoming canonisation of John Henry Newman. We explore what Newman has taught us about friendship and the particular role it played in his own life and spiritual journey. We also take a moment to highlight our favourite poems of his and to mark his place in the literary world.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Maria Connolly
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works Mentioned:
Apologia Pro Vita Sua by John Henry Newman
'A Letter Addressed to the Duke of Norfolk on Occasion of Mr. Gladstone's Recent Expostulation' Certain Difficulties Felt by Anglicans in Catholic Teaching, Volume 2 by John Henry Newman
In His Own Words: Newman on Friendship
Dr Scott Hahn on Newman's conversion
‘Sermon on Love of Relations and Friends’ by John Henry Newman
‘Sermon on Personal Influence, the Means of Propagating the Truth’ by John Henry Newman
Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis
'Tolstoy and the Cult of Simplicity' by G.K. Chesterton
'The Parting of Friends' by John Henry Newman
Snapdragon by John Henry Newman
'The Death of Gerontius' by John Henry Newman
'The Queen of Seasons' by John Henry Newman
What We're Enjoying at the Moment:
Maria: Georgette Heyer novels
Rachel: You've Got Mail
"Christ wanted love to be called his single commandment. This we owe to all men. Nobody is excepted.”
- Bartolomé de las Casas
In this episode I am joined by Conor Gaffey to discuss some of the most well known stories about Christian and Catholic missionaries. At turns revered and despised, missionaries remain as fascinating figures in modern storytelling. We discuss the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, as well as the films, The Mission, directed by Ronald Joffé and Silence, directed by Martin Scorsese. Taking these narratives as a starting point we discuss what it means to introduce Christianity to a culture, the failings and virtues of historical missions and what it means to be brought to the edge of faith.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Conor Gaffey
Follow us on social media: @seekingwatson, @ConorGaffey
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works Mentioned:
Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe
The Mission, directed by Roland Joffé
Silence, directed by Martin Scorsese
Decent Films Reviews: The Mission (1986)
Decent Films Reviews: Silence (2016)
What We're Enjoying at the Moment
Conor:
The Lion King (2019)
Spirit by Beyoncé
Rachel:
Nothing Arrived (Acoustic) by Villagers
‘I hope I never ridicule what is wise or good. Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can.' Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
We're delighted to be back from our summer break and we've launched back into the thick of things. In this episode Phoebe and I are looking at the novels of Jane Austen and what her heroines can teach us about holding onto moral integrity and our Christian call to overcome our personal failings to love with true freedom.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works Mentioned:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Emma by Jane Austen
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Persuasion by Jane Austen
The History of England’ by ‘a partial, prejudiced, & ignorant historian’ (Jane Austen)
'Jane Austen’s Morality of Marriage' by Guy McClung, The Imaginative Conservative
'Polite Lies: The Veiled Heroine of Sense and Sensibility' by Susan Morgan, Nineteenth-Century Fiction
The Habit of Being by Flannery O'Connor
'In Defense of Fanny Price: Why You Don’t Like Mansfield Park as Much as You Should' by Haley Stweart, Carrots for Michaelmas
Fountains of Carrots Podcast
'How to go to Confession', Catholic Stuff You Should Know
What we're enjoying at the moment
Phoebe:
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Rachel:
Band of Brothers
Chernobyl
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Ben Conroy, Matthias Conroy
Follow us on social media: @seekingwatson, @BenJDConroy, @ItsJustLupin
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works mentioned:
The Young Pope (2016)
'Vatican newspaper finally critiques ‘The Young Pope’ — one year after its release'
'Waiting for a Young Pope' by Matthew Schmitz
The Medium and the Light by Marshall McLuhan
'Review: ‘The Young Pope’ Is Beautiful and Ridiculous' by James Poniewozik
What We're Enjoying at the Moment
Ben: Breaking Bad
Matthias: Attack on Titan
Rachel: Your Name (2016)
"Have courage, and be kind" as we take a look at some examples of modern female protagonists, the pitfalls of their portrayals and what they could learn from the lives of the saints.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock and Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works mentioned:
Barbara Nicolosi (Podcast: The Church of the Masses)
Wonder Woman
Captain Marvel
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi
Star Wars: Rogue One
Twilight
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Dumbo (2019)
A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
A Series of Unfortunate Events (Book series and film adaptation)
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Cinderella (2015)
Harry Potter (film series)
That Time Disney Remade Beauty and the Beast, Lindsay Ellis (YouTube video)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
War and Peace (2016 TV series)
Anne of Green Gables
Anne with an E
Our Lady of Sorrows by Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson
Quote on Holiness by Pope Benedict XVI
Prayer of Discernment by Bl. John Henry Newman
The Life-Giving Will of the Father by Fr. Bonaventure Perquin, O.P.
Prayer of Abandonment by Thomas Merton
The Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Liseux
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment Phoebe: Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery The Club of Queer Trades by G.K. Chesterton
Rachel: Eighth Grade
"Then whoever was born a poet became an architect... in the direction of architecture,—gushed forth through that art, and its Iliads assumed the form of cathedrals." - Victor Hugo
This week's episode comes from Rome, where we discuss the heritage and perspective that architecture gives to the Catholic faith. We discuss the recent fire at Notre Dame and look into Victor Hugo's famous novel on the cathedral to find out why these buildings hold a special place in our faith and history.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock and Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works and Authors mentioned:
Elizabeth Lev
Built Form of Theology: The Natural Sympathies of Catholicism and Classicism
Elizabeth Lev on Notre Dame
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (This Will Kill That)
To make Britain Richer, Make Britain Beautiful
The Neuroscience of Architecture: The Good, the Bad—and the Beautiful
The Liturgical Arts Journal
What We're Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe
TV: Erased
Book: The Wanderings of Clare Skymer by George MacDonald
Rachel
Film: The Sisters Brothers
"The romance of the police force is thus the whole romance of man. It is based on the fact that morality is the most dark and daring of conspiracies." - G.K. Chesterton
In this episode we discuss Detective Fiction and the Detection Club, and whether or not this genre has a uniquely Catholic lens.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock and Chloe Chloe
Follow us on social media: @seekingwatson and @ChloeAMDG
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works and Authors mentioned:
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
“The Blue Cross,” The Innocence of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton
Chesterton.org
"The Great Detectives: G.K. Chesterton – Father Brown" by John Peterson
The Club of Queer Trades by G.K. Chesterton
"Detective Fiction Reinvention and Didacticism in G. K. Chesterton’s Father Brown" by Clifford James Stumme
"Detective fiction and the religious imagination" by David A. King
"A Defence of Detective Stories" by G.K. Chesterton
Taken by the Flood by Agatha Christie (Poirot)
Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie (Poirot)
Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie (Poirot)
The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie (Miss Marple)
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
"The Christian World of Agatha Christie" by Nick Baldock
Creed or Chaos?: Why Christians Must Choose Either Dogma or Disaster (Or, Why It Really Does Matter What You Believe) by Dorothy L. Sayers
Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers
The Belief of Catholics by Ronald Knox
The Viaduct Murder by Ronald Knox
"Studies in Sherlock Holmes" Essays in Satire by Ronald Knox
Brighton Rock by Graham Greene
"The Catholic Novels of Graham Greene" by Edward Short
"What Makes Great Detective Fiction, According to T. S. Eliot" by Paul Grimstad
East Coker by T.S. Eliot
What We're Enjoying at the Moment
Chloe: Downton Abbey
Rachel: The Bookcase, Carlisle, G.K's Weekly: A Sampler
"Even when they explore the darkest depths of the soul or the most unsettling aspects of evil, artists give voice in a way to the universal desire for redemption"
In this episode we look at the approaches Catholics and Christians can have in encountering evil and violence in film.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock and Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works and Authors mentioned:
Christians and Movies: The Danger Within, Not Without - Patheos
"No Movies Please, We’re Catholic" - National Catholic Register
Why Do People like Violent Movies - Psychcentral
Faith and Film Criticism: The Challenge of the Catholic Critic - Decent Films
Inter Mirifica
What is Wrong with Movie Violence? - LA Review of Books
Painfotainment - Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History
Experiencing Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” - JStor
A Good Man is Hard to Find - Flannery O’Connor
Flannery O’Connor and the Violence of Christianity - Word on Fire
Passion Confessions
Christian Art and the Use of Violence - The Common Vision
The Scandal of Forgiveness in Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
Movies Discussed:
The Passion of the Christ
Mad Max: Fury Road
Hacksaw Ridge
You Were Never Really Here
Requiem For a Dream
Three Billboards outside Ebbing Missouri
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment
Phoebe: Holy Week Liturgies
Rachel: Guys and Dolls, War Horse (Play)
“Our Lady, upon which all my own small perception of beauty both in majesty and simplicity is founded.” - J.R.R. Tolkien. In this episode of Risking Enchantment we discuss the female characters of The Lord of the Rings, and Middle Earth in general. We look at Tolkien's approach to women characters, the ideals and flaws they portray and how his Catholic faith informed his ideas of femininity.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock and Maria Connolly
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works and Authors mentioned:
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, ed. Humphrey Carpenter
The Gospel According to Tolkien by Ralph C. Wood
The Once and Future King by T.H White
Risking Enchantment Episode 6: The Fall of Chivalry in Arthurian Legend
Secret Fire: The Spiritual Vision of J R R Tolkien by Stratford Caldecott
YouTube: The History of Galadriel- Lord of the Rings Lore
YouTube: Shelob Lore - Lord of the Rings Lore
Beren and Luthien by J.R.R. Tolkien, ed. Christopher Tolkien
What We’re Enjoying At the Moment
Rachel: Ronald Knox's Murder Mysteries
Tea with Tolkien
"There is no higher contemplation than that of the Passion of Jesus Christ" - St. John of God.
We discuss the place of the crucifix in the Catholic faith, and why it is considered an object of beauty.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock and Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works and Authors mentioned:
Why does the Cross Attract Us by Fr Hugh Barbour
Sermon 27 by St. Augustine of Hippo
A Song for the Suffering Body of Christ by Matthew Becklo
Only Love is Credible by Hans Urs Von Balthasar
‘The Scapegoat and the Trinity’, You Crown the Year with Your Goodness by Hans Urs Von Balthasar
The Cross Must be Deeply Ugly to be Beautiful by Nathaniel Peters
The Serious Sacrificial Body by Timothy O’Malley
The Isenheim Altarpiece by Matthias Grünewald
The Crucified Christ by Diego Velásquez
Christ on the Cross by Léon Bonnat
Scourged Cross Image
The Scorzelli Cross
Via Crucis by Albert Servaes
The Habit of Being, by Flannery O’Connor
“Four Quartets”, Part II: East Coker by T.S. Eliot
The Cross and the Beatitudes: Lessons on Love and Forgiveness by Fulton Sheen
What We’re Enjoying At the Moment
Phoebe Gutta Percha Willie by George MacDonald Ranald Bannerman’s Boyhood by George MacDonald
Rachel The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
"The truth shall make you odd." Flannery O'Connor. With Ash Wednesday only just gone, it's easy to recall why Catholicism is often criticised for being strange and set apart. In this week's episode we discuss why that is no bad thing.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock and Matthias Conroy
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works and Authors mentioned:
Catholicism: The Pivotal Players Series, Episode 5 G.K. Chesterton
"Met Gala: The Charge of Blasphemy and Pope Rihanna" written by Natalie Carnes
"How Agatha Christie helped to save the Latin Mass" by Joseph Shaw
Paradise Lost, Preface by C.S. Lewis
Institute of Christ the King: Church Restoration Video
"This is your brain on 'contemplative architecture'" by Daniel Esparza
Summa Theologiae: The power of sensuality (Prima Pars, Q. 81), St. Thomas Aquinas
Benedictine Monks, Ireland - Documentary
Nigerian soldiers fighting Boko Haram, seen holding Mass on the battleground https://twitter.com/ConnectCatholic/status/1098645369297219584
The Habit of Being by Flannery O’Connor
The Medium and the Light: Reflections on Religion and Media Marshall McLuhan
"The new Sisterhood: Traditional Orders are Booming" by Joanna Bogle
"Thanks to Salvador Dalí" by Frank Weathers
God in the Gallery by Matthew Milliner
5 People its Easy to Forget are Catholic
I Confess, The Wrong Man, Vertigo (dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
Dappled Things
Giovanni Gasparro
The Mocking of Christ by Fra Angelico
What We're Enjoying at the Moment:
Matthias:
“Convertere, Israël, ad Dominum Deum Tuum!” by Br. Evagrius
Bleachers MTV Unplugged Concert
Rachel:
You Were Never Really Here (film)
The Once and Future King is a retelling of the Arthurian legend by author T.H. White and provides a fascinating examination of the ideals and failings of chivalry.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock and Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Works and Authors mentioned:
The Once and Future King by T.H. White
Le Morte D’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory
De Laude Novae Militiae by Bernard of Clairveaux
The Song of Roland
David Eddings
Tamora Pierce
The Letters of J.R.R Tolkien by Humphrey Carpenter
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
'The Necessity of Chivarly', On Present Concerns, by C.S. Lewis
Things we like
The works of Georgette Heyer
Dappled Things Journal
"For everything there is a season" Eccl 3:1. We discuss how and why we should bring the liturgical year into our homes and into our lives.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock and Maria Connolly
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Titles Discussed:
The Catholic All Year Compendium: Liturgical Living for Real Life by Kendra Tierney
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
In Tune with the World: A Theory of Festivity by Josef Pieper
Quas Primas by Pope Pius XI
Things we're enjoying:
Maria: Fair Isle knitting
Rachel: Bedtime on iTunes Clock App and Screen Time App
"Simplicity is a virtue most worthy of love, because it leads us straight to the Kingdom of Heaven.” - Saint Vincent de Paul. We take a look at the stories and writings that encapsulate a love for a simple and small life.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock and Phoebe Watson
Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Titles Discussed:
The Brambly Hedge Series by Jill Barklem
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Small is Beautiful: A Study of Economics As If People Mattered by E.F. Schumacher
Leisure: The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper
The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Goodnight Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge
A Remaining Christmas by Hilaire Belloc
Studio Ghibli Films: Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away
The Wise Woman by George MacDonald
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
What We're Enjoying
Restoring British Landmarks (TV Series)
Baumgartner Restoration (YouTube Channel)
Dracula, Frankenstein, Mr Hyde, the monsters of Romantic and Gothic novels have become important cultural touchstones. We take a look at how reading about these monsters can help you explore Catholicism and morality.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock and Chloe Colla
Follow us on social media: @seekingwatson and @ChloeAMDG
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Books discussed:
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The Monk by Matthew Lewis
Other Items referenced:
Reason’s Shadow: Romanticism’s Impact on Catholic Thought by Kristen Drahos
Robert Louis Stevenson by G.K. Chesterton, extract read can be found here
Fountains of Carrots Podcast, Episode 091: Delving into the Mind of a Catholic Novelist with Eleanor Bourg Nicholson
Dracula and Dominican Vampire Slayers: A Bloody Habit by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson Review by Karen Ullo
The Catholicity of Monsters by Karen Ullo
Anti-Catholicism in Matthew Lewis’ The Monk by Kate Adams
“This demon in the garb of a monk”: Shakespeare, the Gothic and the discourse of anti-Catholicism by David Salter
What We’re Enjoying at the Moment:
Chloe: You’ve Got Mail
Rachel: Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Titles mentioned: The Music of the Night in The Phantom of the Opera, Advent by Patrick Kavanagh, The Shadows by George MacDonald, Into the Dark with God by Hans Urs Von Balthasar.
Enjoying now: The Fall of Gondolin by J.R.R. Tolkien, Sherlock Holmes the ITV series, Over the Garden Wall, The Once and Future King by T.H.White.
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
R: Lord of the Rings, The Habit of Being, Brambly Hedge P: Anne of Green Gables, Out of the Silent Planet, The World’s First Love M: Narnia, The Happy Prince and Other Tales, 'When I Have Fears’
R:Mercy Street, All Colours of the Night, Winter P: The Point of No Return M: Mrs Dalloway