Episode 269: "An Experiment in Criticism" Revisited

The Literary Life Podcast

Angelina Stanford

Education, Selfeducation, Classicaleducation, Reading, Literature, Homeschool, Arts, Books, Charlottemason, Homeeducation, Homeschooling

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 25 March 2025

⏱️ 99 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Welcome back to The Literary Life Podcast this week! Today we are bringing you a brand new episode on An Experiment in Criticism in which Angelina and Thomas revisit the ideas in this book and answer some listener questions from over the years! Angelina opens the discussion with a little background on the first series of episodes, then begins to unravel the two main areas of confusion about this book. First, she and Thomas talk about the idea that we are supposed to "receive" literature as opposed to "using" literature. Angelina seeks an answer the question, "What is a literary experience?" They also tackle the problem of the purpose of this book, since many people think it is Lewis' guide on how to read literature. Finally, they discuss how to have a literary experience and where Lewis addresses how to read well.

The seventh annual Literary Life Online Conference is coming up April 23-26, 2025! Please visit HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for that as well as all the other upcoming webinars of this year.

To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/269.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is not just another book chat podcast.
0:21.6	Lifelong reader Cindy Rollins joins teachers Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks for an ongoing conversation about the skill and art of reading well.
0:32.6	Explore the lost intellectual tradition and discover how to fully enter end to the great works of literature.
0:40.2	Learn what books mean while delighting in the sheer joy of imagination. Each week, we will rescue
0:47.1	story from the ivory tower and bring it to your couch, your kitchen, and your commute. The literary life is for everyone because in the
0:55.9	words of Stratford Caldecott, to be enchanted by story is to be granted a deeper insight into
1:02.2	reality. Join us for an ever-unfolding discussion of how stories will save the world.
1:09.7	This is the Literary Life Podcast.
1:31.4	Hello and welcome back to the Literary Life podcast.
1:36.8	I'm Angelina Stanford, and here with me is The Mysterious Mr. Banks.
1:38.9	Aye, indeed.
1:45.1	If you have been listening to our best of series, Experiment and Criticism by C.S. Lewis, which I presume you are if you're listening to this episode,
1:47.8	which is devoted to revisiting that series,
1:50.5	you may be curious why there's a man sitting across for me
1:53.4	and not Cindy Rollins.
1:54.9	Fear not.
1:55.8	Mr. Banks is not Cindy Rollins and Cindy Rollins is not Mr. Banks.
2:00.0	We aired that series in 2019, and the podcast has certainly had some changes since then.
2:07.2	One of those changes was that Cindy was quite insistent that my husband, Mr. Banks, joined the podcast.
2:15.3	He, of course, is an experienced literature teacher and reader himself.
2:18.7	Which was very tolerant of us, by the way. Because, I mean, you know, at that time,
2:23.0	like Cindy and I didn't know each other terribly well. And for all she knew I was just your
	...

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