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The Literary Life Podcast

The Literary Life Podcast

By: Angelina Stanford Thomas Banks
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About this listen

Not just book chat! The Literary Life Podcast is an ongoing conversation about the skill and art of reading well and the lost intellectual tradition needed to fully enter into the great works of literature. Experienced teachers Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks (of www.HouseOfHumaneLetters.com) join lifelong reader Cindy Rollins (of www.MorningtimeForMoms.com) for slow reads of classic literature, conversations with book lovers, and an ever-unfolding discussion of how Stories Will Save the World. And check out our sister podcast The Well Read Poem with poet Thomas Banks.©Cindy Rollins 2019 Art Literary History & Criticism
Episodes
  • Episode 324: "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë, Ch. 34-End
    Apr 14 2026

    On The Literary Life Podcast with Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks this week, we will wrap up our discussion of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. After sharing their commonplace quote for this week, Thomas and Angelina jump right into recapping the important plot points of this last section of the book. They start with some contrasts between St. John and Rochester, then they talk about the journey of the soul and the image of marriage. They also consider the parallels of her return to Thornfield and the reversals in these scenes, as well as how Brontë fulfills the various fairy tale endings she set up earlier in the book.

    You can check out all the latest offerings of mini-classes and webinars, both upcoming and recorded in the past. Find everything at HouseofHumaneLetters.com, where you can also sign up for the HHL newsletter to stay in the loop about all the latest happenings!

    Join us back here next week for an introduction to Alexander Pope and the Neo-classical Poets, followed by an episode on Pope's "The Rape of the Lock". In May, we will have a special guest interview of Malcolm Guite all about his new book, Galahad and the Grail.

    You can check out the full version of our show notes for this episode at https://theliteray.life/324.

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    1 hr and 27 mins
  • Episode 323: "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë, Ch. 27-33
    Apr 7 2026

    This week on The Literary Life Podcast with Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks, we continue our series on Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. In today's episode, they talk about the main plot points and follow threads of meaning in chapters 27-33. Some of the ideas they discuss include Romanticism in literature, Rochester's Byronic qualities, pictures of Jane's awakening, the eucatastrophe in this section of the book, parallels to the story of Cupid and Psyche, and more contrasts between fire and ice.

    You can check out all the latest offerings of mini-classes and webinars, both upcoming and recorded in the past. Find everything at HouseofHumaneLetters.com, where you can also sign up for the HHL newsletter to stay in the loop about all the latest happenings!

    Don't forget to visit https://theliterary.life/323 for the full show notes for this episode.

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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • Episode 322: "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë, Ch. 20-26
    Mar 31 2026

    Welcome back to The Literary Life Podcast and our series on Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. This week Angelina and Thomas discuss chapters 20-26, especially looking at the character of Bertha and the symbolism of "the woman in the attic." They talk more about the medieval idea of the well-ordered person in contrast to the person ruled by the passions, as well as how Bertha is a mirror for Jane's inner turmoil. Angelina highlights more ways in which we see glimpses of the stories of Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella in this section, as well as a hint at Sleeping Beauty. Other ideas Thomas and Angelina bring out are the story of Griselda, Jane's journey of the soul, images of the Garden of Eden, and so much more!

    You can check out all the latest offerings of mini-classes and webinars, both upcoming and recorded in the past. Find everything at HouseofHumaneLetters.com, where you can also sign up for the HHL newsletter to stay in the loop about all the latest happenings!

    You can pre-order Jason Baxter's new book Falling Inward in its revised and expanded 2nd edition now! Also, if you missed it, here is the podcast episode in which he shares more personal thoughts on how this book came to be.

    And to view the full show notes for this episode, head over to https://theliterary.life/322.

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    1 hr and 56 mins
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