The Literary Life Podcast

This week on The Literary Life podcast we bring you an episode from our vault, the opening of a series from Season 1 all about Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. For this introductory episode, Cindy Rollins and Angelina Stanford are joined by Thomas Banks. Together they discuss the advent of the novel as a form, as well as some predecessors of Austen.

Angelina points out Austen's satirical voice in poking fun at the sentimental novel in the first few chapters. She also encourages us to look for the real life dangers the main characters encounter in contrast to those sensations of the popular sentimental or gothic novel. Furthermore, we ought to notice who is reading various genres of literature and what that says about those characters.

Cindy and Angelina also talk about Jane Austen's writing and her economy of style and the lasting quality of her books. Along with criticism of sensationalism, Austen also adds a healthy dose of criticism of the education given young women in her day. We also learn that this is a novel of development as we watch Catherine Moorland learn her way around the world.

Don't forget to head over to House of Humane Letters to check out the upcoming fall webinars, the 2027 Literary Life Online Conference, and the HHL annual sale coming up November 21-December 31, 2026. Also, Cindy has a new "Advent to Epiphany" group Morning Time coming up in December now open for registration at MorningTimeforMoms.com.

And for the full show notes for this episode, you can visit https://theliterary.life/351.

On The Literary Life podcast today, Angelina and Addison will wrap up the final installment of our series covering George MacDonald's Lilith. Throughout this conversation they make more connections to other books and stories that they have brought up throughout this series. They also talk about how this story highlights the realities of the journey of the soul, the problem of reading a story like this theologically instead of poetically, the pictures of repentance and judgment, and so much more!

To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/350.

On today's episode of The Literary Life podcast, Angelina and Addison are back to continue their book series on Lilith by George MacDonald. Before diving into chapters 17-32, they talk about the great influence that George MacDonald was on so many other authors. Addison also shares some further information on the character of Lilith in the literary tradition. Then they turn to examining each chapter in this section of the book, including highlights such as the skeleton couple, Mr. Vane awakening Lilith, the people of Bulika, Lilith's palace, the image of the horse, and so much more!

Don't forget to check out everything going on over at https://houseofhumaneletters.com/, and sign up for the newsletter to stay up to date on all the upcoming new autumn classes and webinars, including more information about the 2027 Literary Life Online Conference taking place January 22-29, which is now open for registration!

To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/349.

This week Angelina and Addison are back on The Literary Life podcast to continue their discussion series on George MacDonald's Lilith. Today's episode will cover chapters 6-16. They open the conversation with some thoughts on the disorientation we experience when reading MacDonald in general and Lilith in particular. In comparing this work to episodic medieval romances, they give some advice on how to orient yourself as you read this story. Addison shares what it means that the images in this book are "un-displaced." After many preliminary thoughts, Angelina and Addison start moving through the chapters and talking about the major images and symbols we see throughout this section of the book.

Don't forget to check out everything going on over at https://houseofhumaneletters.com/, and sign up for the newsletter to stay up to date on all the upcoming new autumn classes and webinars, including more information about the 2026 Literary Life Online Conference, which is now open for registration!

To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/348.

On The Literary Life Podcast this week, Angelina and Thomas are joined by Addison Hornstra as they open a new book discussion series covering George MacDonald's Lilith: A Romance. This introductory conversation on the book opens with some thoughts on both the book's title and the epigraph. Addison shares some background on the story from MacDonald's own son and how this book was written and sent out into the world. They discuss the form of Lilith as a literary romance, as well as the ways in which MacDonald points the reader to admit his limits of understanding. Another major topic is the way in which this story relates to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass.

Don't forget to check out everything going on over at https://houseofhumaneletters.com/, and sign up for the newsletter to stay up to date on all the upcoming new autumn classes and webinars. You will also be among the first to know when the 2026 Literary Life Online Conference tickets go on sale!

If you would like to view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/347.

This week on The Literary Life podcast, Angelina and Thomas sit down for another chat with Addison and Ella Hornstra to bring us an update on their literary lives and educational journeys. They open the conversation with some thoughts on how and why Addison and Ella changed their educational paths and goals. They discuss how the girls went about the search to find their vocations and how that affected their decisions on pursuing their education as adults. Thomas asks how Addison and Ella's approach to reading in English has been affected by the process of learning foreign languages. Angelina also digs deeper into the process the girls went through in order to find the professors and departments that would serve their needs. Both the Hornstras also share how their current reading lives are different than they were the last time they were both on the podcast.

Join us back here next week when we begin discussing Lilith by George MacDonald.

Be sure to check out the upcoming webinars from both Thomas Banks and each of the Hornstra sisters over at House of Humane Letters!

To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/364.

On The Literary Life podcast today, we bring you a replay of a chat that Angelina, Cindy, and Thomas had with twin sisters Addison and Ella Hornstra. Together they have been given a literary home education. Angelina introduces the Hornstra ladies and she and Thomas tell a little bit about having them as students. Cindy also shares how she met the Hornstra family. Then they dig into the girls' reading journeys from the beginning of their learning to read all the way to their current reading lives. Some of the topics that come up in this conversation are: reading content beyond your understanding, owning your reading life, the problem with using the wrong approach to literature, the dangers of modern education for uniquely gifted students, the power of just reading well, and so much more. Join us back here next week when Addison and Ella will return with an update on their literary lives and the ways that their educational path changed after this original episode was recorded.

If you want to get the replays of the 2023 Back to School Conference mentioned in this episode, please visit MorningTimeforMoms.com.

To view the full show notes for this episode, you can see them at https://theliterary.life/345.

On The Literary Life Podcast this week, Angelina and Thomas cover the final chapters in our series on Richard Adams' Watership Down. They begin by taking a look at the epilogue in light of the journey of the soul. Angelina also talks about why the many digressions in this book work so well and how they contribute to the overall meaning of the story. She and Thomas also talk about the aristeia finally making its appearance in these chapters, the legend of the Fisher King, the "deus ex machina" that we see here. Finally, they highlight the beauty of the ending of this story and its rich imagery.

Don't forget to check out everything going on over at https://houseofhumaneletters.com/, and sign up for the newsletter to stay up to date on all the upcoming new autumn classes and webinars.

To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/344.

Today's episode of The Literary Life is part 4 of our series on Richard Adams' Watership Down. Angelina and Thomas discuss chapters 31-40 this week, starting with some thoughts on the conventions of literature in different literary periods. Thomas also makes a note that although this book mirrors many aspects of The Aeneid, readers ought not expect to find exact correspondence between the characters and plot points in the two stories. They talk about the depth and weight of this story due to its connections with mythology and the literary tradition.

Don't forget to check out everything going on over at https://houseofhumaneletters.com/, and sign up for the newsletter to stay up to date on all the upcoming new autumn classes and webinars.

To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/343.

On The Literary Life Podcast this week, Angelina and Thomas continue their series on Richard Adams' Watership Down, covering chapters 21-30 in this episode. Angelina opens the discussion with some thoughts on the importance of the structure of a story in view of the literary tradition inspired by her commonplace quote for today. Once again, in these chapters we see echoes from mythology and beast fables, including references to the "and-then" story structure, the Sabine women, the rabbit as trickster, testing of the leader, and so much more!

Don't forget to check out everything going on over at https://houseofhumaneletters.com/ to stay up to date on all the upcoming new autumn classes and webinars.

And to see the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/342.

Welcome to The Literary Life Podcast and the second episode in our series on Richard Adams' Watership Down.This week Angelina and Thomas will be discussing chapters 11-20. In addition to covering the main plot points and characters in these chapters, they share connections with other stories in the literary tradition and highlight elements of the journey story seen in this section of the book. The contrasts between the Aeneid and the Odyssey and Illiad are part of the conversation in context of the ways in which Watership Down reflects the Aeneid. Angelina also brings out some of the beast fable elements we find in this part of the story. Be back here next week when we will talk about chapters 21-30.

Don't forget to check out everything going on over at https://houseofhumaneletters.com/ to stay up to date on all the upcoming new autumn classes and webinars.

For the full show notes on this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/341.

Welcome back to The Literary Life Podcast and a new book discussion series! This month, Angelina and Thomas will be covering Richard Adams' Watership Down. Beginning of their commonplace quotes, they talk about the background of this book and what type of story this is, as well as how Angelina is approaching this first read. Thomas gives some biographical information on Richard Adams, including the publishing challenges facing Adams. Angelina highlights the epigraphs beginning each chapter and their significance. Some of the other topics Thomas and Angelina share their thoughts about include the classical references in these chapters, the allegory of the journey of the soul, and the archetypes and obstacles that we may see in the rest of the book. Join us again next week for chapters 11-21!

Don't forget to check out everything going on over at https://houseofhumaneletters.com/ to stay up to date on all the upcoming new summer classes and webinars.

To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/340.

This week on The Literary Life Podcast, our hosts Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks return from their summer break with a fun "Ask Us (Almost) Anything" episode. The questions they answer include the following:

• How does Mr. Banks choose the poem for the end of each episode?
• How do they go about finding sources of good secondary research or literary criticism?
• How did Angelina first learn about alchemy in the literary tradition?
• Is Mr. Banks any relation to the sculptor Thomas Banks?
• Can you give a brief definition of each of the building blocks of stories?
• What exactly is the "objective correlative"?
• Is re-reading important in the literary life and, if so, what makes it profitable?
• How do you keep up with the many images when reading?
• How should an author approach trying to write in the literary tradition?
• How do you deal with reading slumps?
• What is your favorite book?
• How do you defend an education in the humanities in an age obsessed with STEM?
• How many books do you own?
• Does Angelina actually hate John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress?
• And more….

Don't forget to check out everything going on over at https://houseofhumaneletters.com/ to stay up to date on all the upcoming new summer classes and webinars.

View the full show notes for this episode, including quotes, book links, and this week's poem at https://theliterary.life/339.

Welcome to the final episode of our summer series on short stories and essays! Today your hosts Angelina Stanford and Cindy Rollins are joined once again by Thomas Banks for their discussion of Samuel Johnson's essay "The Vulture." Before getting into the meat of the essay, Angelina talks about why she disagrees with her own commonplace quote on the purpose of poetry. In the process, she gives us a brief history of literary periods from the classical to the neoclassical and enlightenment.

Thomas shares some more biographical information on Samuel Johnson and his work. Cindy highlights both the important place and the danger of satire, which is a popular neoclassical form and the one used in Johnson's essay. The discussion ends with thoughts on why Johnson's essay was finally not included with the others in The Idler collection, as well as what his purpose may have been in writing "The Vulture."

To check out the current offerings at The House of Humane Letters, as well as Thomas Banks' poetry webinar mentioned in this episode, please visit https://houseofhumaneletters.com/.

And for the full show notes on this episode, please visit our podcast website at https://theliterary.life/338.

On this week's episode of The Literary Life, we continue our series of replays from our Summer of the Short Story with a discussion of "The Celestial Omnibus" by E. M. Forster. Angelina and Cindy tell why they love this short story so much and how it encapsulates their own ideas about literature. Thomas gives us some biographical background on E. M. Forster. We get a brief look at the plot of the story, as well as some discussion of how allegorical Forster makes this story. Angelina highlights the idea presented in "The Celestial Omnibus" that what we see in fairy land is more real than what we see in our own world.

Other themes our hosts bring up include modern educational theory, wonder and innocence, using poetry versus enjoying it, and literary critique contrasted with experiencing literature. Their conversation hinges around the contrast between Mr. Bons' pride and pretension and the boy's humility and sincerity. This story embodies everything that The Literary Life podcast is all about, so we hope you enjoy both the story and this episode!

To get the replay of Thomas' webinar on How to Love Poetry, as well as the current and upcoming summer classes mentioned in this episode, please visit https://houseofhumaneletters.com/.

Check out the full show notes for this episode on our website at https://theliterary.life/337.

For this week's installment of our Short Story Summer Remix, we revisit a conversation Angelina and Cindy had covering George Orwell's essay "Why I Write." Our hosts kick off the discussion about how much they each identify with Orwell's description of his childhood. In his story of learning to write, we see many aspects of a good education, even his inclination to imitate other authors. An important point Angelina brings up is Orwell's own struggle against the calling he felt to write, in contrast to having an ambition to do so. Angelina brings up a related story about musician Gregory Alan Isakov, and Cindy reiterates the idea of why we need leisure in order to find our vocation.

Cindy and Angelina also bring out some of the qualities Orwell possessed that make a good writer. Maturity as a human being and as a master of a craft are crucial to certain forms of writing, as Orwell points out about his own work. Other topics of conversation include truth-telling in writing, the motives for writing according to Orwell, and the growing process of writers.

If you want to find replays of the 2019 Back to School online conference referenced in this episode, you can purchase them in Cindy's shop at MorningTimeforMoms.com. For replays of the How to Love Poetry webinar with Thomas, as well as all the current and upcoming classes at HHL you can find those at https://houseofhumaneletters.com/.

Check out the schedule for the podcast's summer episodes on our Upcoming Events page.

And to view the full show notes for this episode, please visit our website at https://theliterary.life/336.

In this week's Short Story Summer Remix from Season 1, Angelina Stanford and Cindy Rollins discuss Guy de Maupassant's short story "The Necklace." Before getting into the short story discussion, Cindy and Angelina chat about what a "commonplace book" is and how they each go about recording quotes and thoughts.

First off, Angelina gives us a little background on the author Guy de Maupassant and some information on French naturalism. Then she digs into her thoughts on how this story is a fairy tale in reverse and what that might mean in context. Cindy points out the perfection of de Maupassant's writing and his economy of style. They also bring up some of the formal elements of the story, particularly the key role the reversal takes in the plot. The main themes they find in "The Necklace" touch on common human struggles with ambition, discontentment, loss, suffering and gratitude.

Check out the schedule for the podcast's summer episodes on our Upcoming Events page.

Sign up for the newsletter at https://houseofhumaneletters.com/ to stay in the know about all the exciting new things we have coming up!

Don't forget that you can find the full show notes for this episode at https://theliterary.life/335.

Today on The Literary Life, we continue our summer short story series of episodes from the archives. In this episode, Cindy Rollins and Angelina Stanford are joined by Angelina's husband, Thomas Banks. This week's selection for our summer series is Joseph Addison's "The Adventures of a Shilling."

Their conversation kicks off with an attempt at defining the "essay" form and giving a brief history on its development. Thomas shares a little background information on Joseph Addison and his writing, as well as several other essayists who came before and after Addison. Thomas also talks about why essays are a significant part of his reading life. The conversation also spins off into a discussion of the importance of how we spend our leisure time.

Finally, our hosts chat about this week's essay, which gives highlights of England's history from the perspective of a silver coin. Addison's tale is full of humor and satire, as well as layers of social commentary and pathos.

For the full show notes on this episode, including book links, quotes, and today's poem, please visit https://theliterary.life/334.

If you want to connect more with Cindy, you can visit https://morningtimeformoms.com/. You can also check out Angelina and Thomas' current classes and summer events at https://houseofhumaneletters.com/.

Check out the schedule for the podcast's summer episodes on our Upcoming Events page.

This week on The Literary Life, we continue our Summer of the Short Story replay series. On today's episode, Cindy and Angelina discussed Katherine Mansfield's short story "The Garden Party." They start with how Cindy found this story and the connections she was making to Little Women. Angelina gives a brief biographical sketch of Katherine Mansfield and highlights how Mansfield's own illness and death give us insight into how she deals with death in this story. Angelina walks us through how she looks at the use of figurative language and images, such as the Garden of Eden. They also touch on "The Garden Party" having the same structure of moving toward a moment of epiphany that we saw in "Araby."

Cindy brings up the disconnect between the world of the women at home and the working people outside the home, as well as between the classes in this story. They talk about the importance of Laura's new hat as a symbol of one type of person she can become. Another image that Angelina and Cindy take a look at is the descent from the garden into darkness. They discuss the parallels from the beginning of the story and the end of the story, as well as Laura's movement from innocence to experience, from blindness to sight.

Keep up to date on the current classes and offerings from both Cindy and Angelina by visiting their websites, https://morningtimeformoms.com/ and https://houseofhumaneletters.com/. Also, for the full show notes on this episode, head over to our podcast page at https://theliterary.life/333.

On The Literary Life today we continue our re-airing of a series from our "Summer of the Short Story" that originally aired way back in Season 1 of the podcast! This week's episode features Angelina Stanford and Cindy Rollins discussing G. K. Chesterton's essay "A Defence of Penny Dreadfuls."

Angelina opens with a brief history of the Victorian era and the more prevalent availability of the novel to the masses. She also gives several examples of the "penny dreadful." Cindy and Angelina discuss why they agree with Chesterton that people need these simple, even formulaic stories. They remind us that childhood is a time for good books, not a time to worry about reading all the "Great Books."

Another topic that Cindy and Angelina chat about is the importance of developing imagination. They talk about the truth that fiction and story-telling are necessary parts of human culture. Cindy highlights the importance of the heroic adventure stories for boys. Angelina brings out the point that the elite critic is out of touch with the masses who long for stories of good winning over evil. The penny dreadful should not be judged as art, since that was never what it was intended to be.

If you want to find replays of the 2019 Back to School online conference referenced in this episode, you can purchase them in Cindy's shop at MorningTimeforMoms.com. You can also find out about all the current classes and summer events happening at https://houseofhumaneletters.com/.

For the full show notes on this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/332.