“My films show the world’s beauty. Beauty otherwise unnoticed.”

- Hayao Miyazaki

In this episode of Risking Enchantment I'm joined by animator Robyn Conroy to discuss the highly acclaimed Studio Ghibli, a Japanese animation company whose films offer a deep sense of the goodness of life and the beauty of nature.

Studio Ghibli is cornerstone of Japanese entertainment culture, and has reached a global audience with films like Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, and Howl’s Moving Castle. It has been instrumental in preserving the tradition of 2D animation and the vast artist talent on show in its films has been a powerhouse of inspiration for all kinds of film makers. In this episode, Robyn and I discuss Studio Ghibli’s founder, Hayao Miyazaki and how he brings audiences into his worlds of goodness and beauty. Miyazaki brings together a love of the natural world, a commitment to close observation, and a belief in the goodness of life itself. While not creating stories from a specifically Christian perspective, Miyazaki’s films are filled with wonder and awe in God’s creation, and a deep sense of morality and virtue.

Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod

Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Robyn Conroy

Follow Rachel on social media: @seekingwatson

Follow Robyn on Instagram: @robynconroyart

Watch Robyn’s short film: The Beekeeper

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast

Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com

Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast

 Related Episode:

• Over the Garden Wall: Finding Dante in the Unknown

Works Referenced:

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)

Whisper of the Heart (1995)

Princess Mononoke (1997)

Spirited Away (2001)

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Ponyo (2008)

The Red Turtle (2016)

“Miyazaki's Reality” by Michael Toscano, First Things

“The worlds of Hayao Miyazaki” by Steven D. Greydanus, Decent Films

“Animated Nature: Aesthetics, Ethics, and Empathy in Miyazaki Hayao's Ecophilosophy” by Pamela Gossin

“Studio Ghibli Finds the True, the Good and the Beautiful” by Michelle McDaniel, National Catholic Register

‘“The Earth Speaks to Us All”: A Critical Appreciation of Filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s Shintō Environmental Philosophy’ by Adam Barkman, Christian Scholar’s Review

Hayao Miyazaki | The Mind of a Master

The Conflicting Ideals of Hayao Miyazaki | Video Essay

Spirited Away Production Notes

“The Ecological Imagination of Hayao Miyazaki: A Retrospective on Four Fantastical Worlds” by Isaac Yuen, Orion Magazine

“Hildegard of Bingen's Lament for the Environmental Crisis Caused by Human Sin” by Nathaniel Campbell, Church Life Journal

The Poems and Prose of Gerard Manly Hopkins

Maxims II

What We’re Enjoying at the Moment

Rachel: Cargo by Pio Hartnett

Robyn: Djo 

Apologies for re-releasing this old episode, there was a technical issue which needed to be resolved. New episode of Risking Enchantment coming soon. Thank you for your patience!

“You may learn something, and whether what you see be fair or evil, that may be profitable, and yet it may not. Seeing is both good and perilous.”

• The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

In this episode of Risking Enchantment we’re discussing one of our favourite topics: The Lord of the Rings. We’re taking a look at the way Tolkien’s characters are often forced to make decisions and take action with very limited information. We also explore Tolkien’s theme of the tendency to despair that can be caused by receiving too much information, especially through magical means, a theme with great relevance today especially when drawn in comparison to technology and the transmission of news online. We look at the way that Tolkien’s interest in this element of his story impacts his writing approach, crafting the books in their leapfrogging narrative style, as well as the possible origins of this interest in his work as a signal’s officer in World War 1.

Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod

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 Referenced

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings (dir. Peter Jackson) Appendices Bonus Material

“JRR Tolkien, World War One Signals Officer” by Elizabeth Bruton

The Road to Middle Earth by Tom Shippey

Dracula by Bram Stoker

What we’re Enjoying at the Moment

Phoebe: Dracula by Bram Stoker

Rachel: Winters in the World by Eleanor Parker

Both: Living (2022, dir Oliver Hermanus)

“Do not fear death, but rather the unlived life. You don't have to live forever. You just have to live.” - Tuck Everlasting

In this episode, Rachel and Phoebe explore a variety of stories that explore the desire for immortality, and the challenge of embracing the reality of death. Beginning from perhaps a surprising starting point, the teen fantasy film Tuck Everlasting, we move into the depictions of the temptations to grasp eternal life in J.R.R. Tolkien’s work and in C.S. Lewis’ The Magician’s Nephew. We draw out the parallels to the conceptions of unfallen Man in the Bible. We also discuss how we need to embrace the time that is given us, not to grasp on to our youth but to look forward to the future, both in this life and the next.

Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod

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

Tuck Everlasting (2002)

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

Leaf by Niggle by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

Tolkien’s Modern Reading by Holly Ordway

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien edited by Humphrey Carpenter

About Time (2013)

‘"The Gift of Death": Tolkien's Philosophy of Mortality’ by Grant C. Sterling

Groundhog Day and the Meaning of Time, Born of Wonder podcast

What we’re Enjoying at the Moment

Phoebe: Good Evening, Mrs Craven: The Wartime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes by Mollie Panter-Downes

The Thing about Austen podcast

Rachel: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

‘Out of the east came the Magi bearing gifts,

hastening in their journey to the Christ child;

but now Irish scholars arrive from western lands,

bringing their precious gifts of learning’.

- Sedulius Scottus

As we’re approaching the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, we’re turning our focus to the patron saints of Ireland, St. Patrick and St Brigid. Greg Daly joins us to discuss the modern conceptions and celebrations of these saints: who they were as historical figures, who they weren’t as pagan deities, and how to approach their many miracle stories from our current perspective. We delve into the incredible achievements and faith of early Christian Ireland, and highlight the issues around the current trend of erasing faith from the celebration of Irish saints and Irish history in general.

Wishing our listeners a very happy St. Patrick’s Day.

“Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona duit!”

Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod

Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Greg Daly

Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast

Follow Greg on social media: @GregDalyIC, @thirstygargoyle 

http://thethirstygargoyle.blogspot.com/

Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com

Find out more about Leaven Magazine at https://leavenmagazine.ie/

Works Mentioned:

A History of the Irish Church 400-700 AD

The Life of St. Brigid of Kildare by Cogitosus

“Distant glimmerings of Irish light”, Leaven by Fr Conor McDonough

“An unlikely saviour: Without folklore and folk traditions, Catholicism in Ireland might not have survived centuries of persecution and oppression”, Leaven by Francis Young

Ireland's Golden Age: 'The work of angelic, not human, skill’

“The New Paganism” by Hilaire Belloc

Heretics by G.K. Chesterton

What we’re enjoying at the moment:

Greg: Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV series)

Rachel: Bleak House by Charles Dickens

“[H]ope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies”

• The Shawshank Redemption

In this episode of Risking Enchantment, Rachel and Phoebe discuss one of the most highly acclaimed and best beloved films of all time, The Shawshank Redemption. Released in 1994, it slowly grew to prominence, now dominating the top rank on lists of best movies. What draws audiences to this story of Andy Dufrense, a quiet man sent to prison for the murder of his wife and her lover? We explore the film’s themes of hope and the building up of a rich inner life, as well as its masterful storytelling and even the biblical influences to be found in its symbolism. 

Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod

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 Referenced

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Bishop Barron: Andy Dufrense as a Christ figure

The Hidden Meaning of the Shawshank Redemption

Shawshank's Hollowed-Out Bible

On Fairy-Stories by J.R.R. Tolkien

Spe salvi by Pope Benedict XVI

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas

What We’re Enjoying at the Moment

Phoebe: Calamity Jane

Rachel: To Catch a Thief / The Stella Cinema, Dublin

“[T]he Middle Ages…was in some ways immeasurably more humane and creative than its modern successors. It was happy to see human life as fully part of the natural world, shaped by the cycles of the sun and moon and the seasons; it was able to articulate a belief that material considerations, convenience, and economic productivity are not the highest goods, and not the only standards by which life should be lived.” - Eleanor Parker, A Clerk of Oxford

For this first episode of 2023, I’m delighted to be joined by Eleanor Parker, author of Winters in the World: A Journey Through the Anglo-Saxon Year. Eleanor teaches Old and Middle English literature at Brasenose College, Oxford as well as being columnist for History Today and many other publications. She is known online, especially on Twitter for her blog A Clerk of Oxford.

In our discussion, we delve into the experience of the seasons in Anglo-Saxon England, how they perceived the natural world around them through poetry and literature, and how they integrated the seasons with their faith through the liturgical year. We also speak about our modern experience of the seasons, what has changed, and what has remained the same for over a thousand years, and what we can learn from the Anglo-Saxons about living the year well.

Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod

Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Eleanor Parker

Follow me on social media: @seekingwatson

Follow Eleanor on Twitter: @ClerkofOxford

Click the links below to buy her books

Read her blog, Clerk of Oxford

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 referenced:

Winters in the World: A Journey through the Anglo-Saxon Year by Eleanor Parker

Conquered: The Last Children of Anglo-Saxon England by Eleanor Parker

‘A Clerk of Oxford’ blog - Eleanor Parker

Easter in Old English Poetic Imagination - Risking Enchantment

“'This doubtful day of feast or fast': Good Friday and the Annunciation”, A Clerk of Oxford, Eleanor Parker

“The sad loss of our common rituals”, Unherd, Eleanor Parker

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature by C.S. Lewis

The Menologium

Maxims II

The Wanderer

Things We're Enjoying at the Moment

Eleanor: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (audiobook)

Rachel: Collected Longer Poems by W.H. Auden

"All these things happen on Christmas Eve, they are all told of on Christmas Eve. For ghost stories to be told on any other evening than the evening of the twenty-fourth of December would be impossible in English society as at present regulated. Therefore, in introducing the sad but authentic ghost stories that follow hereafter, I feel that it is unnecessary to inform the student of Anglo-Saxon literature that the date on which they were told and on which the incidents took place was—Christmas Eve." - Jerome K. Jerome

In our Christmas episode of Risking Enchantment, Rachel and Phoebe discuss the history of Christmas ghost stories, their popularity in the Victorian era and the impact of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. We also look at the ghostly elements that can be drawn out of the nativity story and how spooky stories can actually help us enter into the spirit of the season.

We hope you enjoy the episode and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and blessings for the new year ahead.

Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod

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 referenced:

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The Lamp magazine - Christmas Ghost Story Competitions

After-Supper Ghost Stories by Jerome K. Jerome 

"The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral" Ghost Stories by M.R. James

The Mezzotint (TV Movie 2021)

"How Fear Departed the Long Gallery", Ghost Stories by E.F. Benson

The Goblin Who Stole a Sexton by Charles Dickens

For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio by W.H. Auden

"Into the Dark With God: A Christmas Meditation on the Incarnation, for a Troubled World" by Hans Urs Von Balthasar

The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton

"The History of Christmas Ghost Stories" by Francis Young

Winters in the World by Eleanor Parker

The Snowman (1982)

Shadows by George MacDonald

Things We're Enjoying at the Moment

Phoebe: The Story Story Podcast

Rachel: Little Women (1994) and Dickens Audiobooks

"A story that was a metaphor for American capitalism in the tale of a great king with three sons: the oldest was given his passion and aggressiveness, the second his sweet nature and child-like qualities, and the third his intelligence, cunning, and coldness. Suddenly I saw the story as one of succession and power."

- Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather Notebook

In this episodes, I’m delighted to be joined by Katie Marquette, host of the Born of Wonder podcast. We’re discussing one of our favourite films, The Godfather. We explore the film’s themes of power, the desire for justice, and the complexity of family loyalty. We discuss the film’s artistic achievement and how it utilizes its Catholic backdrop to powerful effect.

Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod

Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Katie Marquette

Listen to Katie’s podcast: Born of Wonder

Follow Rachel on social media: @seekingwatson

Follow Katie on social media: @bornofwonder

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast

Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com

Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast

Rachel was also recently a guest on the Born of Wonder podcast. To listen to that episode, click here: Falling in Love with Words: Nora Ephron and You’ve Got Mail with Rachel Sherlock

Works Referenced:

The Godfather, Part 1

The Godfather, Part 2

“At 50 years, 'The Godfather' still impacts how Hollywood depicts gangs, violence”, National Catholic Report

“The Godfather’s two endings: Lighting a candle and the wrong side of the door”, Decent Films

“Cycle of Sin: Christian Themes in The Godfather”, Critics at Large

The Godfather: How Michael Corleone Evolves

What We’re Enjoying at the Moment:

Katie: The Autumn Season

Rachel: Castle Howard: Into the Woods - A Fairytale Christmas

    Laysongs by Chris Thile

“The Unknown is at turns gothic and autumnal, grim and threatening or comforting and even silly, with seasons of harvest and hearth giving way to snow and silence.”

- Martin Cahill

In this episode of Risking Enchantment I'm joined by professional animator Robyn Conroy to discuss the little known gem of autumnal animation that is Cartoon Network's 2014 Over the Garden Wall.

The story centres on two brothers, Wirt and Greg, who find themselves lost in strange woods, adrift in time, in a place called The Unknown. With the help of Beatrice, an impatient bluebird they travel through this mysterious place encountering strange and eerie situations in search of a way home. Throughout their journey, they outwit a series of minor antagonists, yet The Beast— an unidentifiable, manipulative monster — consistently looms in the brothers’ shadows, waiting for their moment of weakness.

In the episode we discuss our love for the show and it's grounding in the virtues of hope and self-sacrifice, as well as the rich tapestry of literary and artistic allusions which form a backdrop to the story. In particular we look at how the series draws on Dante's Inferno, and how show creator Patrick McHale embraces nostalgia and Americana in order to create a uniquely American fairy tale for the modern age.

Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod

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

 Robyn's previous episodes on Risking Enchantment include:

• Stranger Things in Stranger Times: Nostalgia in the Digital Age

Works Referenced:

Over the Garden Wall (2014)

“Over the Garden Wall Deep Dive: Background & Cultural Context” by Bella Trucco

The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri

‘“Where have we come and where shall we end?”: An Examination of Patrick McHale’s Over the Garden Wall as a Contemporaryof Patrick McHale’s Over the Garden Wall as a Contemporary Otherworld JourneyOtherworld Journey’ by Kayla Justice

Over the Garden Wall is Dante's Inferno (Symbolism Analysis) by Trey the Explainer

Is Over The Garden Wall About Having Faith? by PBS Digital Studios

What We’re Enjoying at the Moment

Robyn: Midnights by Taylor Swift

Rachel: The Fortnight in September by R.C. Sherriff

“There is something in us, as storytellers and as listeners to stories, that demands the redemptive act, that demands that what falls at least be offered the chance to be restored." - Flannery O'Connor

For this episode of the podcast we're doubling up the Sherlocks as Rachel is joined by her brother Michael to discuss the film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. In this episode we place the film in the tradition of the Southern Gothic genre and talk about the influence of Flannery O'Connor on the film's story and storytelling technique. We delve into O'Connor's use of violence and grace, and analyze the role of God in our yearning for both justice and mercy.

Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod

Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Michael Sherlock

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 Referenced:

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor

Mystery and Manners by Flannery O'Connor

'How Three Billboards went from film fest darling to awards-season controversy' by Alissa Wilkinson

'Beyond Grief and Anger: A Review of “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”' by Fr. Damien Ference

"Three Billboards, Flannery O’Connor, and Hope" by Philip Bunn 

The Violent Bear It Away by Flannery O'Connor

The Habit of Being by Flannery O'Connor

What We’re Enjoying at the Moment

Michael: Breaking Bad

Rachel: Machine Gun Kelly, Mainstream Sellout Tour