“[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 Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton   What We're Enjoying at the Moment Phoebe: Garden's World Rachel: From Up on Poppy Hill (film. 2013), Whisper of the Heart (film. 1995)

Risking Enchantment

Keeping Your Word: Unfashionable Virtues in North and South

“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)

Lost in the Cosmos: Exploring Modernity and the Self with Walker Percy

“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

Heavenly and Hellish Creatures in The Great Divorce feat. Pints with Jack co-host David Bates

“‘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

Kingship in Camelot: The Quest for Justice in Arthurian Myth

"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

The Cross and the Beatitudes: The Sermon on Mount Calvary

"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

The Prince of Egypt: An Epic in Animation

"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

Martyrdom and its Moral Dilemmas

 "The joy of the festival, drawing together the memory of both earthly and divine blessings, points to the eternal joy of heaven by giving us a small, imperfect glimpse of the eternal feast. "Why We Feast: A Matter of Life and Death", R. Jared Staudt 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: Comfort Food by Jamie Oliver "Why does God care if you give up chocolate?" Called to More, by Rachel Sherlock "Why We Feast: A Matter of Life and Death", R. Jared Staudt In Tune with the World: A Theory of Festivity by Josef Pieper "Go deeper: Food in children’s books" by Imogen Russell Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis Food and Faith by Norman Wirzba Brambly Hedge: Spring Story by Jill Barklem Brambly Hedge: Autumn Story by Jill Barklem The Redwall series by Brian Jacques "The Lost Art of Feasting" by David Mathis A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling "Lower Sacraments: Theological Eating in the Fiction of C. S. Lewis" by Gregory Philip Hartley The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien Little Women by Louisa May Alcott "Nourishment, Delight, and Fellowship: The Purpose of Food in The Chronicles of Narnia" by Jonathan Darville The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis What We're Enjoying at the Moment Phoebe: Alice and Wonderland ballet, Royal Opera House recording Rachel: High Society (film)

The Heavenly Banquet and the Fictional Feasts that Make it a Reality

"Men reverently doffed their hats; women wept and knelt before the pictures, and some even crawled like penitents through the show." Jesus, Illustrated: Tissot’s New Testament" by Ken Johnson In this episode, Rachel is joined by Shane Jenkins, who was previously on our Risking Enchantment episode 'Time and T.S. Eliot: Modern and Eternal Poetry'. In this episode they discuss the life and work of painter James Tissot. Once famous for his paintings of materialistic extravagance, Tissot had a profound and dramatic conversion in the middle of his life, after which he dedicated his life to chronicling the whole of the life of Christ through painting. In the episode Shane and Rachel discuss the various elements of his work that particularly interested him, and also offer a counterpoint to his work in the work of Gustave Dore. Also discussed is the need for art to accompany the Bible's words, and the newly published Word on Fire Bible. We would like to take this time to thank you for listening to Risking Enchantment this year and to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Shane Jenkins 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: Shane's blog article on Tissot and the link to his Slideshow of Tissot's paintings: 'James Tissot's "Life of Christ": The Complete Online Gallery and Introduction', In Praise of Follies by Shane Jenkins "The risqué artist who found God" The Catholic Herald by Laura Freeman "Jesus, Illustrated: Tissot’s New Testament" The New York Times by Ken Johnson The Blind Leading the Blind by Tissot Maltreatments in the House Caiaphus by Tissot Behold the Man, Ecce Homo by Tissot Let Him be Crucified by Tissot What Our Lord Saw from the Cross by Tissot The Annunciation by Tissot Jesus Ministered to by Angels by Tissot The Snow Queen by Vladyslav Yerko Jesus Carried up to a Pinnacle of the Temple by Tissot The Grotto of the Agony by Tissot Christ Retreats to the Mountain at Night by Tissot Inner Voices (Christ Comforting the Wanderers) by Tissot A Wild Ride Through the Night by Walter Moers '“From the Smallest Fragment”: The Archaeology of the Doré Bible' Nineteenth Century Art Worldwide by Sarah C. Schaefer Word on Fire Bible (Volume 1) The Gospel   What We're Enjoying at the Moment: Shane: How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill Rachel: David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (audiobook read by Richard Armitage)

A Pilgrimage in Paintings: Tissot's “Life of Christ"

"The whole story of her life... It was here waiting for her … She had never needed to think about it before. It had been quite easy to fill her life with unimportant trivialities that left her no time for self-knowledge." - Absent in the Spring   In this episode of Risking Enchantment Rachel and Phoebe discuss two books: Absent in the Spring by Agatha Christie and Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis. Both lesser known works by well-known authors, they were nevertheless esteemed by their authors to be among their best work. They also both share several core themes: the quest for truth, the need to know and understand yourself, and the dangers of love without grace. Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod   Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast Follow Phoebe on Instagram: @phoebe_lucy_watson Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast   Works Mentioned: Absent in the Spring by Agatha Christie Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis Agatha Christie: An Autobiography by Agatha Christie The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis The Habit of Being by Flannery O'Connor A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis   What We're Enjoying at the Moment Phoebe: Pints with Jack Podcast Rachel: Dialogues des Carmélites, opera by Poulenc shown on Met Opera

Books of Revelation: The Grace and Burden in Moments of Epiphany

''Bless that good, good woman who hung the crucifix round my neck! For it is a comfort and a strength to me whenever I touch it. '' - Dracula In this episode Phoebe and Rachel discuss the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, and delve into the use and misuse of sacraments and sacramentals in the story. Also discussed is Eleanor Bourg Nicholson's novel A Bloody Habit which takes a more Catholic approach to the vampire story.   Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast Follow Phoebe on Instagram: @phoebe_lucy_watson Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com   Works Mentioned: Dracula by Bram Stoker A Bloody Habit by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson "Oh, the Horror!" by Tom Riley "Bram Stoker’s Dracula" - Crisis Magazine "Vampires, demons, and the cross: Catholicism and horror" by Deacon Steven D. Greydanus "Cinemanemia or Revenge of the Bloodsucked" by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson Delving into the mind of a catholic novelist with Eleanor Bourg Nicholson - Fountains of Carrots podcast The Well and the Shallows by G.K. Chesterton   What We're Enjoying at the Moment Phoebe: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Rachel: Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot

Dracula: The Presence of Evil and the Power of Sacramentals

"This seeming paradox reflects two concurrently pervasive - and strikingly contradictory - perspectives. One is to be engrossed by the past, the other to dispense with it."The Past is a Foreign Country - RevisitedBy David LowenthalWe are delighted to welcome Catholic author and writer Fiorella de Maria. To find out more about her, and for links to all her titles visit her website:https://www.fiorellademaria.com/In this episode we discuss the issues that the modern age has in the ways in interacts with history, from sanitising the past in books and films to tearing down statues.Works Mentioned:See No Evil: A Father Gabriel Mystery by Fiorella de Maria The Abolition of Women by Fiorella de Maria (written under Fiorella Nash)Poor Banished Children by Fiorella de Maria"History Versus the Historians" Lunacy and Letters by G.K ChestertonThe Past is a Foreign Country - Revised Edition by David LowenthalThe Go-Between by L.P. HartleyThe Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain"On The Incarnation" Introduction to Athanasius by C.S. LewisStudies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature by C.S. LewisWe'll Never Tell Them by Fiorella de Maria Things We're Enjoying at the MomentFiorella: Spending time with familyRachel: Vanilla Ice-cream Recipe in the Financial Times  

Nostalgia or Nihilism: The Need for Historical Honesty

“The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite" In this episode Rachel and Phoebe discuss Susanna Clarke's new novel Piranesi. Set in a mysterious world, all contained in one vast house of marble statues and rising tides, the novel gives a wonderful opportunity to examine the way humans interact with the world around them.   Works Mentioned: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, BBC miniseries The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis “This critique of progress was something I borrowed from CS Lewis” - Susanna Clarke, Interview in the Hindustani Times Laudato Si, by Pope Francis General Audience 17 January 2001, Pope John Paul II "The Wobbly Chronology of Disenchantment" Church Life Journal, by Haley Stewart Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen "The House of Asterion" by Jorge Luis Borges "The Library of Babel" by Jorge Luis Borges   Things We're Enjoying at the Moment Phoebe: Season of Autumn Rachel: The Labyrinth of Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Piranesi: Science and Stewardship in God’s Creation

Often dismissed as 'the Dark Ages' of the Church before the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, the Middle Ages was in fact a fascinating era for Christian preaching. Richly textual, highly informed, and even, entertaining, Fr Conor McDonough OP joins us on the podcast to discuss a Dominican perspective on preaching, especially in the Middle Ages, as well as the work of Humbert of Romans in his Treatise on Preaching.   “The Word Eclipsed?: Preaching in the Early Middle Ages” by R Emmet McLaughlin Dominion by Tom Holland Confessions by St Augustine “Eynsham and Ælfric” Clerk of Oxford blog, Eleanor Parker “Performing the Seven Deadly Sins: How One Late-Medieval English Preacher did it” by Alan J. Fletcher Treatise on Preaching by Humbert of Romans   What we’re enjoying at the moment: Fr. Conor: Pearl (poem) Rachel: Farewell my Lovely by Raymond Chandler

The Lost Art of Medieval Preaching: A Dominican Perspective

 We are delighted to welcome Elizabeth Lev to the podcast. Elizabeth is an acclaimed art historian based in Rome, and author of several books including How Catholic Art Saved the Faith: The Triumph of Beauty and Truth in Counter-Reformation Art. In this episode we have a discussion about how early Christians evangelised to the Romans through art and architecture by highlighting continuity with Roman myth while also showing how Christianity redeemed and transfigured those earlier stories. We also talk about how that is a possible means of evangelising to people today. 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: The Spirit of the Liturgy by Pope Benedict XVI Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose by Flannery O'Connor "Myth Became Fact", World Dominion by C.S. Lewis      

Elizabeth Lev: Founding Christian Art and Redeeming Roman Myth

A discussion on beauty in art and culture and its place in the Catholic faith.

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Risking Enchantment

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