Episode 293: The Literary Tradition

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!

Visit the HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for all the upcoming and past mini-classes and webinars taught by Angelina, Thomas, and their colleagues!

Also, you can check out our great friend, Cindy Rollins’ podcast The New Mason Jar, for more great content on education in the Charlotte Mason paradigm.

Listen to The Literary Life:

Commonplace Quotes:

Great poets naturally draw small poets after them.
J. W. Mackail, from Latin Literature

To all these critics I have a brief reply. I say to those who fail to understand what I write that it is not my fault that they do not understand. Suppose they wanted to see the new moon, or the old one, or a start that was very faint, and I pointed it out with my finger but their eyesight was too weak to see even my finger–surely it would be wrong for them to be annoyed with me for that reason? As for those who manage to learn and assimilate these rules but are still unable to see into the obscure passages of the divine scriptures, they should consider themselves as capable of seeing my finger but not the stars to which it points. Both types of objector should stop blaming me and pray for insight to be given them by God. Although I can move a part of my body so as to point to something, I cannot improve their eyesight to make them see even my pointing finger, let alone what I want to point out.
Saint Augustine, from On Christian Teaching

Books and Links:

Goblin Market by Christian Rossetti

Why Literature Still Matters by Dr. Jason Baxter

The Building Blocks of Story on The New Mason Jar

Q&A on The Building Blocks of Story on The New Mason Jar

Lewisian Theory and Northrop Frye on Pints with Jack

Why Read Pagan Myths on The Literary Life

Why Read Fairy Tales on The Literary Life

The Importance of the Detective Novel on The Literary Life

Harry Potter Series on The Literary Life

A Minor Bird

by Robert Frost

I have wished a bird would fly away,
And not sing by my house all day;

Have clapped my hands at him from the door
When it seemed as if I could bear no more.

The fault must partly have been in me.
The bird was not to blame for his key.

And of course there must be something wrong
In wanting to silence any song.

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Connect with Us:

You can find Angelina and Thomas at HouseofHumaneLetters.com, on Instagram @angelinastanford, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ANGStanford/

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