Risking Enchantment

Dracula, Frankenstein, Mr Hyde, the monsters of Romantic and Gothic novels have become important cultural touchstones. We take a look at how reading about these monsters can help you explore Catholicism and morality.

Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod

Hosts: Rachel Sherlock and Chloe Colla

Follow us on social media: @seekingwatson and @ChloeAMDG

Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com

Books discussed:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Dracula by Bram Stoker

The Monk by Matthew Lewis

Other Items referenced:

Reason’s Shadow: Romanticism’s Impact on Catholic Thought by Kristen Drahos

Robert Louis Stevenson by G.K. Chesterton, extract read can be found here

Fountains of Carrots Podcast, Episode 091: Delving into the Mind of a Catholic Novelist with Eleanor Bourg Nicholson

Dracula and Dominican Vampire Slayers: A Bloody Habit by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson Review by Karen Ullo

The Catholicity of Monsters by Karen Ullo

Anti-Catholicism in Matthew Lewis’ The Monk by Kate Adams

“This demon in the garb of a monk”: Shakespeare, the Gothic and the discourse of anti-Catholicism by David Salter

What We’re Enjoying at the Moment:

Chloe: You’ve Got Mail

Rachel: Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod

Titles mentioned: The Music of the Night in The Phantom of the Opera, Advent by Patrick Kavanagh, The Shadows by George MacDonald, Into the Dark with God by Hans Urs Von Balthasar.

Enjoying now: The Fall of Gondolin by J.R.R. Tolkien, Sherlock Holmes the ITV series, Over the Garden Wall, The Once and Future King by T.H.White.

Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod

R: Lord of the Rings, The Habit of Being, Brambly Hedge

R:Mercy Street, All Colours of the Night, Winter