Kora Burton rejoins Chris to discuss Tolkien's last fairy (or is it faerie?) story, "Smith of Wootton Major" (1967). 

Smith of Wootton Major is a short story, a parable about the nature of what Tolkien called “fayery” or “Faerie,” an evocative fairy tale in its own right, as well as a melancholy meditation on the loss of artistic capacity.  Though told simply enough for children to understand its plot, Tolkien called it “an old man’s book.”

Thanks as always to Logan Huggins for producing this episode!

If you have any questions or would like to contact us, please do so at [email protected].  We'd love to hear from you.

Next week: Sophie, Meagan, David, and Sorina join us for Descent Into Hell--possibly Charles Williams' most profound novel.  Feel free to start reading or listening now.

Kora Burton joins Chris to discuss Tolkien's last fairy (or is it faerie?) story, "Smith of Wootton Major."  

Smith of Wootton Major (1967) is Tolkien’s last work of fiction and was begun as part of an Introduction to an edition of George MacDonald’s The Golden Key–an edition that was never published.  Tolkien began by writing a kind of parable about a stupid baker making a cake for children that inadvertently had something faerian in it.  But when he found this illustration was taking on a life of its own, he discarded the introduction entirely and worked on the story–which he realized was in part a critique of the things he did not like about George MacDonald, among other Victorians (still, I find it owes a real debt to The Golden Key and Phantastes, as much as it does to anything medieval).  Smith of Wootton Major is a short story, a parable about the nature of what Tolkien called “fayery” or “Faerie,” an evocative fairy tale in its own right, as well as a melancholy meditation on the loss of artistic capacity.  Though told simply enough for children to understand its plot, Tolkien called it “an old man’s book.”

One of my favorite history of English podcasts, just in case you want more philology or historical linguistics: https://historyofenglishpodcast.com/

Thanks as always to Logan Huggins for producing this episode!

If you have any questions or would like to contact us, please do so at [email protected].  We'd love to hear from you.

Next week: We enter Faerie with Smith!

As he discusses the third part of Prince Caspian, the second book in the Chronicles of Narnia, Chris is joined once more by three special guests:

• Logan Huggins, our producer (who did yet another amazing job with this episode)

Among other things discussed:

• Caspian's advisors versus Miraz's advisors

To hear Sophie Burkhardt's podcast (which has lots of MacDonald and Chesterton), go here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beneath-the-willow-tree/id1574579754

To check out Mez Blume's books, go here: https://mezblume.com/

If you want to email us, we'd love to hear from you.  Write to [email protected]

Stay tuned!  Next week, we'll be discussing Tolkien's last fairy story, "Smith of Wooton Major"!  

(I am releasing this episode again, just in case your podcatcher is being stubborn and refuses to yield the raw episode I inadvertently uploaded this morning--Chris)

As he discusses the second part of Prince Caspian the second book in the Chronicles of Narnia, Chris is joined by three special guests:

• Logan Huggins, our producer (who did yet another amazing job with this episode)

(Apologies to our listeners--and Logan--for uploading the unedited version at first this morning!  That is entirely my fault, and I promise you will enjoy this one more--Chris)

Join us as we discuss Lewis' occasionally awkward but profound Narnian novel.  Among other things, we talk about:

• What stars and trees have in common

As always, if you have questions and contributions, feel free to email us at [email protected].  We'd love to hear from you.

For the view that the Bacchic "romp" is a response to Tolkien, see Joe R. Christopher, "J.R.R. Tolkien: Narnian Exile," in Mythlore 55(Autumn 1988), pp. 41-42. 

To hear Sophie Burkhardt's podcast (which has lots of MacDonald and Chesterton), go here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beneath-the-willow-tree/id1574579754

To check out Mez Blume's books, go here: https://mezblume.com/

Stay tuned next week for our final Prince Caspian podcast! 

As he discusses the second part of Prince Caspian the second book in the Chronicles of Narnia, Chris is joined by three special guests:

• Logan Huggins, our producer (who did yet another amazing job with this episode)

(Apologies to our listeners--and Logan--for uploading the unedited version at first this morning!  That is entirely my fault, and I promise you will enjoy this one more--Chris)

Join us as we discuss Lewis' occasionally awkward but profound Narnian novel.  Among other things, we talk about:

• What stars and trees have in common

As always, if you have questions and contributions, feel free to email us at [email protected].  We'd love to hear from you.

For the view that the Bacchic "romp" is a response to Tolkien, see Joe R. Christopher, "J.R.R. Tolkien: Narnian Exile," in Mythlore 55(Autumn 1988), pp. 41-42. 

To hear Sophie Burkhardt's podcast (which has lots of MacDonald and Chesterton), go here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beneath-the-willow-tree/id1574579754

To check out Mez Blume's books, go here: https://mezblume.com/

Stay tuned next week for our final Prince Caspian podcast! 

Season Two begins with a long-awaited return to Narnia!

Logan Huggins (who also edited and produced this episode) joins Chris to talk about the first few chapters of Prince Caspian.  Among other things, we discuss:

• Searching for "Old Narnia" in a meandering sequel

(I apologize for my very poor attempt at a British accent in the readings, but it would have been far more distracting to hear the children's dialogue in an unapologetically American accent.  By Jove.)

As always, feel free to email us at [email protected] with questions, suggestions, or comments.

Next time: Prince Caspian Part 2!

Welcome to the finale of Till We Have Faces on The Inklings Variety Hour!

Author and speaker Andrew Lazo from Pints with Jack joins Chris and Anika for our final discussion of Till We Have Faces.  It was, as always, a delight and an epiphany, Andrew!

Among other things, we discuss:

• The Four Loves

Many, many thanks to Logan Huggins for producing this episode!

If you'd like to join one of our conversations, odds are, we'd love to have you!  We'd also love to hear from you, so feel free to email us at [email protected].  

Next time: Hold on to your electric torches! Season Two of The Inklings Variety Hour begins with Prince Caspian!

We're back!

This is a long-overdue, if abbreviated, first part of a two-part conclusion to Till We Have Faces.  

We're a little less Ent-ish about our discussion than we normally are, and we manage to get through four whole chapters in one episode.  Hasty much?

Even so, we find things to linger on as Orual herself speeds through some of the highlights of her rule in Glome, beginning with her duel against Argan and ending with an explanation for why she is writing this book in the first place.

Have feedback?  Fanfic?  A deep desire to be part of the show?  Tell us all about it by writing to [email protected].  We'd love to meet you, and I will eventually reply.  I promise.  

High thanks and praise to Logan Huggins for producing this episode!

We'll be back next week to end our discussion of Till We Have Faces with friend of the show Andrew Lazo (who pops in at the end of this episode)!  Stay tuned!

Not quite in time for his death-day (or even the anniversary of his death-day), here is a reading of four poems by C.S. Lewis.

We at the Inklings Variety Hour hope to be back soon.  In the meantime, enjoy this reading of "Our Daily Bread," "Cliche Came Out of its Cage," "Science-fiction Cradlesong," and "Here The Whole World," all by C.S. Lewis. 

Happy C.S. Lewis Day!  Feel free to drop us a line at [email protected]. 

We hope to be back soon! 

If you're enjoying The Inklings Variety Hour, please give us a rating on iTunes.  We'd also love to hear from you about what you'd like to see on the show.  Email us at [email protected].  

This week, we welcome Meagan Logsdon back to discuss C.S. Lewis' final novel, Till We Have Faces, Chapters 16 and 17.  Among other topics, we cover:

• Orual's veil and vulnerability