The Literary Life Podcast

On The Literary Life Podcast this week, Angelina and Thomas cover the final chapters in our series on Richard Adams' Watership Down. They begin by taking a look at the epilogue in light of the journey of the soul. Angelina also talks about why the many digressions in this book work so well and how they contribute to the overall meaning of the story. She and Thomas also talk about the aristeia finally making its appearance in these chapters, the legend of the Fisher King, the "deus ex machina" that we see here. Finally, they highlight the beauty of the ending of this story and its rich imagery.
Don't forget to check out everything going on over at HouseofHumaneLetters.com, and sign up for the newsletter to stay up to date on all the upcoming new autumn classes and webinars.
To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/344.

Today's episode of The Literary Life is part 4 of our series on Richard Adams' Watership Down. Angelina and Thomas discuss chapters 31-40 this week, starting with some thoughts on the conventions of literature in different literary periods. Thomas also makes a note that although this book mirrors many aspects of The Aeneid, readers ought not expect to find exact correspondence between the characters and plot points in the two stories. They talk about the depth and weight of this story due to its connections with mythology and the literary tradition.
Don't forget to check out everything going on over at HouseofHumaneLetters.com, and sign up for the newsletter to stay up to date on all the upcoming new autumn classes and webinars.
To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/343.

On The Literary Life Podcast this week, Angelina and Thomas continue their series on Richard Adams' Watership Down, covering chapters 21-30 in this episode. Angelina opens the discussion with some thoughts on the importance of the structure of a story in view of the literary tradition inspired by her commonplace quote for today. Once again, in these chapters we see echoes from mythology and beast fables, including references to the "and-then" story structure, the Sabine women, the rabbit as trickster, testing of the leader, and so much more!
Don't forget to check out everything going on over at HouseofHumaneLetters.com to stay up to date on all the upcoming new autumn classes and webinars.
And to see the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/342.

Welcome to The Literary Life Podcast and the second episode in our series on Richard Adams' Watership Down.This week Angelina and Thomas will be discussing chapters 11-20. In addition to covering the main plot points and characters in these chapters, they share connections with other stories in the literary tradition and highlight elements of the journey story seen in this section of the book. The contrasts between the Aeneid and the Odyssey and Illiad are part of the conversation in context of the ways in which Watership Down reflects the Aeneid. Angelina also brings out some of the beast fable elements we find in this part of the story. Be back here next week when we will talk about chapters 21-30.
Don't forget to check out everything going on over at HouseofHumaneLetters.com to stay up to date on all the upcoming new autumn classes and webinars.
For the full show notes on this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/341.

Welcome back to The Literary Life Podcast and a new book discussion series! This month, Angelina and Thomas will be covering Richard Adams' Watership Down. Beginning of their commonplace quotes, they talk about the background of this book and what type of story this is, as well as how Angelina is approaching this first read. Thomas gives some biographical information on Richard Adams, including the publishing challenges facing Adams. Angelina highlights the epigraphs beginning each chapter and their significance. Some of the other topics Thomas and Angelina share their thoughts about include the classical references in these chapters, the allegory of the journey of the soul, and the archetypes and obstacles that we may see in the rest of the book. Join us again next week for chapters 11-21!
Don't forget to check out everything going on over at HouseofHumaneLetters.com to stay up to date on all the upcoming new summer classes and webinars.
To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/340.