The Literary Life Podcast

On The Literary Life Podcast this week, our hosts continue with part 2 of their series on Bram Stoker's Dracula. After sharing their commonplace quotes, Angelina, Cindy and Thomas begin discussing how to properly read Dracula and other books written in this tradition. (Hint: It's not the Freudian or psychoanalytical approach!) Angelina argues that Bram Stoker was trying, among other things, to reintroduce the traditional forms and metaphors into the modern era. Thomas shares the dark etymology of the name Dracula and how that relates to the image of Satan in this character. Cindy brings up Jonathan's memory of Mina when he is in his darkest moments and the power of love against evil. For the full show notes on this episode, including book links, quotes, and more, please visit https://theliterary.life/297. 

On this week's episode of The Literary Life Podcast, Angelina Stanford is joined as always by Thomas Banks and Cindy Rollins for the opening of their series on Bram Stoker's Dracula. Today our hosts focus on the background and historical context for this piece of literature, as well as going over the highlights of the first two chapters. They talk about the question of the role of the monster in literature in modernity versus its historical interpretation. Understanding the form of the Gothic novel and the time period in which this book was written are important aspects of approaching Dracula.  Keep listening next week for more about how to read this book. We will be covering chapters 3-7.  To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/296.  Get the latest news from House of Humane Letters by signing up for their e-newsletter today! We are excited to announce this coming year's annual Literary Life Online Conference, happening January 23-30, 2026, "The Letter Killeth, but the Spirit Quickeneth: Reading Like a Human". Our speakers will be Dr. Jason Baxter, Jenn Rogers, Dr. Anne Phillips, and, of course, Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks.

Today on The Literary Life podcast Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks continue their two-part series on Christina Rossetti's narrative poem "Goblin Market." They begin discussing this poem by connecting it with the larger conversation on art and the literary tradition, pointing out the flaws of modern ways of reading. Angelina emphasizes the importance of understanding this poem, as well as other classic works of fantasy, in terms of the fairy world and how symbolism and allegory work in fairy tales. After these preliminary thoughts, they go into more detail about this poem, including the obvious picture of the Fall, the vampire imagery, other Scriptural allusions, and the false versus the true Eucharist. Join us back here next week for our Dracula series reboot and more examples of how to read well! And for the full show notes for this week's episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/295.  Visit the HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for all the upcoming and past mini-classes and webinars taught by Angelina, Thomas, and their colleagues! We are excited to announce this coming year's annual Literary Life Online Conference, happening January 23-30, 2026, "The Letter Killeth, but the Spirit Quickeneth: Reading Like a Human". Our speakers will be Dr. Jason Baxter, Jenn Rogers, Dr. Anne Phillips, and, of course, Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks.

Welcome back to The Literary Life Podcast! This week we begin a brief, two-episode series covering Christina Rossetti's narrative poem "Goblin Market." Our hosts, Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks, look at the life and family background of Christina Rossetti, highlighting her devout Christian faith as key to understanding her poetry. Thomas shares the dates for the Victorian and Pre-Raphaelite periods in terms of art and literature. Angelina asks what the form of this poem is as we approach this together, and she and Thomas propose a few connections and preliminary ideas they have about "Goblin Market" before we dive into the full text. Join us next week as they walk through the poem together and further discuss how to read this work as well as so much more! Visit the HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for all the upcoming and past mini-classes and webinars taught by Angelina, Thomas, and their colleagues! We are excited to announce this coming year's annual Literary Life Online Conference, happening January 23-30, 2026, "The Letter Killeth, but the Spirit Quickeneth: Reading Like a Human". Our speakers will be Dr. Jason Baxter, Jenn Rogers, Dr. Anne Phillips, and, of course, Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks. And to view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/294. 

On today's episode of The Literary Life podcast, our hosts Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks attempt to get us closer to an answer to the question "What is the literary tradition?" After acknowledging the difficulty of approaching this question, Angelina shares an analogy for understanding the literary tradition as differing degrees of ability to see. The first big idea she wants us to consider is that literature is not a closed system but is a coherent, consistent, self-referential world of literature. Thomas and Angelina also discuss the resonances and symbols of the tradition, the problem with works of literature as self-expression, and how the tradition upholds the imagination, plus so much more! Don't forget to check out of full show notes for quotes, today's poem, and links to books and more! Visit https://theliterary.life/293. 

On today's episode of The Literary Life Podcast, Angelina and Thomas are joined by Atlee Northmore to discuss film adaptations of Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence. After sharing their commonplace quotes, Atlee begins outlining the history of screen adaptations of Edith Wharton's novels, some of which were made during her own lifetime. Angelina and Thomas talk about their high standards for movie adaptations of books and how Scorsese's film surpassed their expectations. Together they discuss Scorsese's inspiration for this film, the painstaking detail of each scene in the film, how the editing enhanced the audience's understanding of the characters' emotions, and so much more! Also, Atlee's list of Scorsese's influences for making The Age of Innocence can be found here. Tune in again next week to learn more about what we mean when we talk about "the literary tradition"! For full show notes, including links to everything mentioned today, please visit our website at https://theliterary.life/292. 

This week on The Literary Life Podcast we wrap up the book discussion portion of our series on Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence. Today, Angelina and Thomas begin with chapter 22, going through the significant scenes all the way to the end of the book. They talk about the ways in which this book is an elegy, as well as the continued glimpses of "the family" as the main character. They also discuss the ways in which May shows herself to be more cunning that she pretends in contrast to Ellen's lack of pretense. Other topics of discussion are America's relationship with foreign influence, Archer's desire to live in an illusion, and the recurring theme of "Faust." They conclude with some thoughts on this book as a parable of American culture. Join us next week for an episode on the film adaptation of this book with our film guru, Atlee Northmore. Visit the HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for all the upcoming and past mini-classes and webinars, especially "The Viking World" taught by Dr. Michael Drout. To view the full show notes for this week's episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/291. 

Welcome to The Literary Life Podcast and our series covering The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. Angelina and Thomas open with their commonplace quotes, then begin discussing the events and characters of this section of the book. Some of the ideas they build on this week are the challenges to social conventions, the many references to the goddess Diana and May's "boyishness", examples of the pretense of society, and the language of flowers. In addition, Thomas shares his feelings about the character of Newland Archer, and Angelina points out the recurring themes of love triangles throughout these chapters. Join us next week when we finish up the last chapters of this book, then come back after that for an episode on the film adaptation of this book with our film guru, Atlee Northmore. Visit the HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for all the upcoming and past mini-classes and webinars taught by Angelina, Thomas, and their colleagues! Be sure to visit https://theliterary.life/290 to view the full show notes for this episode, complete with quotes, book lists, and today's poem.

Welcome to The Literary Life Podcast and a new series featuring the book The Age of Innocence. Our hosts, Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks introduce us to American Gilded Age author, Edith Wharton, the "First Lady of American Letters." They also share their own experiences with reading Wharton's stories, novels, and letters, as well as some background on the time period and cultural context in which she was writing. In discussing the first several chapters of this book, Angelina and Thomas point out small details and subtleties that Wharton uses to give us hints about the characters and situations she presents. Visit the HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for all the upcoming and past mini-classes and webinars taught by Angelina, Thomas, and their colleagues! To view the full show notes for this episode, including book links, commonplace quotes, and today's poem, please visit https://theliterary.life/289. 

On today's episode of The Literary Life podcast, Angelina and Thomas will be talking about the milestones of a reader's literary life. This episode developed in response to the many questions they've received over the years about challenges people face throughout their reading lives. They begin by thinking back to childhood and recalling the first time they each chose a book for themselves and fell in love with the story, as well as the feeling of getting their first library cards as children. Thomas asks Angelina when was the first time she found herself arguing with a book, and he answers the same question himself. Other milestones they discuss are changing your mind about a book on a re-read, learning to see past the imperfections of a book to see the underlying truth, distinguishing the work of art from your subjective reading experience, as well as separating the life of the author from the work of literature. They also answer other common concerns such as "Help! I dislike all the characters in this book!" Be sure to come back next week as we open our next series on Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence in which we will be covering chapters 1-8. Visit the HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for all the upcoming and past mini-classes and webinars taught by Angelina, Thomas, and their colleagues! To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/288. 

On today's episode of The Literary Life podcast, Angelina, Cindy, and Thomas wrap up their discussion of The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling with the final Mowgli story–"Tiger, Tiger." Before beginning to talk about the story, the chat a little about Kipling's other works and his place in literary history and what sort of writer he was. In this section, Angelina points out the parallels to the first story, as well as the mythic qualities of the whole tale. Together they cover the various ideas in this section, including the ideas of belonging, freedom and boundaries, and heroism. Join is next week for an episode on "Literary Milestones" in the life of a reader. After that we will begin a new series on Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence. Over at House of Humane Letters, a new webinar is now available for registration. It is taught by Heather Goodman and is titled "Coleridge's Imagination: Restoring the Chain of Being." Also, check out this year's Back to School Online Conference, "Educating the Freeborn," over at MorningTimeforMoms.com to get registered and hear all of this year's amazing speakers! To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/287. 

On The Literary Life podcast this week, Angelina, Cindy, and Thomas continue their discussion of The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. After sharing their commonplace quotes for this week, they begin talking about "Kaa's Hunting." Angelina asks Cindy about the age range for this book, which is recommended on AmblesideOnline for Year 3 students. They talk about Mowgli's upbringing and training in the law of jungle, in contrast to the monkeys who are lawless. Other highlights of this conversation are the Edenic ability of Mowgli to speak to the animals, the complex role of the serpent in folklore, and the resurrection imagery in this story. Check out this year's Back to School Online Conference, "Educating the Freeborn," over at MorningTimeforMoms.com to get registered and hear all of this year's amazing speakers! For the full show notes for this episode, please visit our website at https://theliterary.life/286. 

Today on The Literary Life podcast, we begin a new series of episodes on The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling with our hosts Angelina Stanford, Cindy Rollins, and Thomas Banks! After sharing their commonplace quotes, each of them talks about their own reading histories with Rudyard Kipling's work. Thomas gives us some biographical information about Kipling and sets up the literary period in which he wrote. They then begin talking about the structure and form of this book as it is set up as a series of short stories as beast fables. Angelina shares some of the mythic and fairy tale elements she noticed while reading this first story, "Mowgli's Brothers." They also discuss some of the challenges we face reading stories written in a different time and place without imposing our current views on all the literature of the period. Check out this year's Back to School Online Conference, "Educating the Freeborn," over at MorningTimeforMoms.com to get registered and hear all of this year's amazing speakers! To view the full show notes for this episode complete with book links, quotes, and today's poem, please visit https://theliterary.life/285. 

This week on The Literary Life, we bring you an episode from deep in the archives in which Cindy and Angelina discussed Katherine Mansfield's short story "The Garden Party." After a great chat over their commonplace quotes, Angelina and Cindy dig into this week's story. 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. To view the full show notes for this episode, complete with commonplace quotes, book links, and this week's poem, please visit https://theliterary.life/284. 

This week on The Literary Life Podcast, Angelina and Thomas are once again joined Dr. Jason Baxter, author of Why Literature Still Matters. In this episode, our hosts sit down with Dr. Baxter for a chat about a wide variety of topics, including teaching the old books, reading poetry to understand it, the delight of teaching students at HHL, their hot takes on hot takes, making reading recommendations, and translating Dante, and so much more. We will be back next week with a "best of" episode covering Katherine Mansfield's short story "The Garden Party," and after that we begin a fun new series on The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit our website at https://theliterary.life/283.