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A discussion on beauty in art and culture and its place in the Catholic faith.
Episodes
Friday Feb 24, 2023
Friday Feb 24, 2023
“[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
Friday Feb 10, 2023
Friday Feb 10, 2023
“[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
Tuesday Dec 20, 2022
Tuesday Dec 20, 2022
"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
Saturday Nov 19, 2022
Saturday Nov 19, 2022
"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
Friday Oct 28, 2022
Friday Oct 28, 2022
“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
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
Friday Oct 14, 2022
Friday Oct 14, 2022
“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
Thursday Sep 29, 2022
Thursday Sep 29, 2022
“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
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
Friday Sep 16, 2022
Friday Sep 16, 2022
‘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
Saturday Jun 04, 2022
Saturday Jun 04, 2022
"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
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
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
Saturday May 21, 2022
Saturday May 21, 2022
“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)