Episode 267: “Best of” Series – An Experiment in Criticism, Ch. 8-9
The Literary Life Podcast
Angelina Stanford
4.6 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 11 March 2025
⏱️ 82 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week’s episode is a continuation of Cindy Rollins and Angelina Stanford’s discussion of An Experiment in Criticism by C. S. Lewis. They start with an exploration of the difference between loving a book and evaluating a book as a work of art, followed by an explanation of Lewis’ idea that works of art do not teach us. Angelina goes in depth about why it is not our job as readers to find the “nugget of truth” in a book. Cindy brings up Lewis’ point about “using” literature as an academic tool, versus “receiving” literature as a work of art.
In covering chapter 9, Angelina and Cindy dig into the dangers of rushing to express an opinion about what we read, rather than getting ourselves out of the way when approaching a book. Cindy points to the many similarities between what Lewis says in these chapters and what Charlotte Mason says about true education.
The seventh annual Literary Life Online Conference is coming very soon! Please visit HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for that as well as all the other upcoming webinars of 2025!
To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/267/.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Literary Life Podcast. |
| 0:02.9 | We've grown quite significantly since our debut in 2019, and we've had many requests to highlight older episodes that new listeners may have missed, as well as revisit listener favorites. |
| 0:15.2 | To honor that request, I present to you this episode of the best of the literary life podcast. |
| 0:21.4 | This is not just another book chat podcast. |
| 0:26.1 | Lifelong reader Cindy Rollins joins teachers Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks |
| 0:30.6 | for an ongoing conversation about the skill and art of reading well. |
| 0:36.2 | Explore the lost intellectual tradition and discover how to fully enter end to the great |
| 0:41.5 | works of literature. |
| 0:43.5 | Learn what books mean while delighting in the sheer joy of imagination. |
| 0:48.9 | Each week, we will rescue story from the ivory tower and bring it to your couch, your kitchen, and your commute. |
| 0:56.7 | The literary life is for everyone because in the words of Stratford Caldecott, to be enchanted |
| 1:02.0 | by story is to be granted a deeper insight into reality. Join us for an ever-unfolding discussion |
| 1:09.5 | of how stories will save the world. |
| 1:12.7 | This is the Literary Life Podcast. Hello and welcome back to the literary life podcast. |
| 1:34.5 | I'm Angelina Stanford, and right next to me is the blonde bombshell herself. |
| 1:39.1 | Well, fresh off of your trip to California, you know, I'm imagining your extra golden bronze right now. |
| 1:45.8 | Well, it was a little cool, chilly, but in a good way because we're having record 90 degree |
| 1:50.3 | temperatures here throughout September. |
| 1:52.5 | Oh, us too. |
| 1:53.7 | Crazy. |
| 1:54.6 | And California, it did feel like heaven. |
| 1:57.1 | You got out of the plane and you're in Santa Barbara of all places. |
... |
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