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A discussion on beauty in art and culture and its place in the Catholic faith.
Episodes
Monday Oct 11, 2021
Monday Oct 11, 2021
“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"
What We're Enjoying at the Moment
Robyn: Take the Sadness out of Saturday Night by Bleacher
Rachel: An American in Paris
Friday Sep 24, 2021
Friday Sep 24, 2021
"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
Wednesday Sep 08, 2021
Wednesday Sep 08, 2021
"[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
Friday Jun 04, 2021
Friday Jun 04, 2021
“[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
Friday May 21, 2021
Friday May 21, 2021
“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)
Friday May 07, 2021
Friday May 07, 2021
“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
Friday Apr 23, 2021
Friday Apr 23, 2021
“‘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
Friday Mar 26, 2021
Friday Mar 26, 2021
"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
Friday Mar 12, 2021
Friday Mar 12, 2021
"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
Friday Feb 26, 2021
Friday Feb 26, 2021
"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