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A discussion on beauty in art and culture and its place in the Catholic faith.
Episodes
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)
Saturday Apr 16, 2022
Saturday Apr 16, 2022
“[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
Sunday Apr 03, 2022
Sunday Apr 03, 2022
[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
Friday Mar 11, 2022
Friday Mar 11, 2022
“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
Saturday Feb 26, 2022
Saturday Feb 26, 2022
“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:
The Grace of Enough: Pursuing Less and Living More in a Throwaway Culture by Haley Stewart
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
Saturday Feb 12, 2022
Saturday Feb 12, 2022
“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
Thursday Dec 23, 2021
Thursday Dec 23, 2021
“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
Friday Dec 10, 2021
Friday Dec 10, 2021
“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