The Back of the Book

The Creative Catholic Converts of 20th-Century Britain

Chris talks to Melanie McDonagh about her new book, Converts: From Oscar Wilde to Muriel Spark, Why So Many Became Catholic in the 20th Century. Dr. McDonagh discusses some of the prominent (and less familiar) British artists, writers, and intellectuals who entered the Roman Catholic from the 1890s through the 1950s. What were the social and cultural origins of the century’s remarkable increase in Catholic conversions? What people and ideas brought figures like Wilde, Graham Greene, and Evelyn Waugh to Catholicism? And why did the stream of conversions drop off so dramatically in the 1960s? Show notes:  * Melanie’s book, Converts [https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300266078/converts/] * Melanie’s column at The Standard [https://www.standard.co.uk/author/melanie-mcdonagh] * David Jones, “Vexilla Regis [https://scotland.op.org/david-jones-vexilla-regis/]” * Chris on Evelyn Waugh [https://www.fivebooksforcatholics.com/evelyn-waugh/] and Muriel Spark [https://www.fivebooksforcatholics.com/muriel-spark/] Time stamps:   3:00 – Why chronicle conversions? 7:32 – The influence of St. John Henry Newman 13:07 – Origins of the conversion trend 31:43 – Clerics courting converts 36:55 – Sacramentality and art 52:00 – Vatican II and the Church today Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out [https://open.spotify.com/track/0t7Dc6aK0rDlF7GHzCFVGp],” used with permission from the artist. Produced by Sean Doolan.

Shakespeare’s Lessons for the Learned

Sean Keilen, professor of literature at the University of California, Santa Cruz, talks with Chris about his new book, Shakespeare's Scholars: Three Lessons from the Liberal Arts. They discuss how Shakespeare depicts the role of scholars in Hamlet and The Tempest, what Shakespeare can teach us about the scholar’s proper relationship to the public, and the current state of literary studies in academia. Show notes:  * Sean’s book, Shakespeare’s Scholars [https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691272634/shakespeares-scholars] * UC Santa Cruz’s Shakespeare Workshop [https://thi.ucsc.edu/centers/shakespeare-workshop/] * Santa Cruz Shakespeare [https://santacruzshakespeare.org/]  Time stamps:  3:03 – Shakespeare's academy 18:12 – Hamlet 38:38 – The Tempest 52:50 – Scholarship inside (and outside) the academy Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out [https://open.spotify.com/track/0t7Dc6aK0rDlF7GHzCFVGp],” used with permission from the artist. Produced by Sean Doolan.

Education for Freedom with Zena Hitz

In this special episode, recorded as part of AEI’s American Dream Lecture Series, Dr. Zena Hitz addresses the role of liberal education in sustaining the democratic project. She also identifies the most significant threats to liberal learning and offers practical remedies that might address them. After her lecture, Zena sat down with Chris for a conversation and fielded questions from the audience at AEI. Show notes:  * Zena’s books, A Philosopher Looks at the Religious Life [https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/philosopher-looks-at-the-religious-life/2C4824582F1E28F8D5428D064024A548] and Lost in Thought [https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691178714/lost-in-thought] * Learn more about St. John's College [https://www.sjc.edu/] and the Catherine Project [https://catherineproject.org/] * Watch previous editions [https://www.americandream.is/lecture-series/] of AEI’s American Dream Lecture Series Time stamps:  5:04 – Zena’s lecture 36:53 – Zena’s conversation with Chris 56:38 – Audience Q&A Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out [https://open.spotify.com/track/0t7Dc6aK0rDlF7GHzCFVGp],” used with permission from the artist. Produced by Sean Doolan.

A Family Affair

Novelist Karan Mahajan joins the show to talk with Chris about his new work, The Complex. They discuss the novel’s memorable characters, settings, and themes, as well as Karan’s literary influences and the challenges of writing about Indian culture and politics for a non-Indian audience. Show notes:  * Karan’s novel, The Complex [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/753771/the-complex-by-karan-mahajan/] * “The True Margaret [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/08/14/the-true-margaret-fiction-karan-mahajan],” a short story excerpted from The Complex in The New Yorker * Chris’s review of [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/premium/4496926/review-the-complex-karan-mahajan/]The Complex [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/premium/4496926/review-the-complex-karan-mahajan/] in the Washington Examiner * Karan’s previous novels, The Association of Small Bombs [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/318764/the-association-of-small-bombs-by-karan-mahajan/] and Family Planning [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/family-planning-karan-mahajan?variant=32207613624354] Time stamps:   5:08 – The Complex’s cast: The Chopra clan 17:58 – Laxman Chopra & literary villainy 32:27 – Karan’s literary influences, Tolstoy and Naipaul 42:55 – Experimenting with narrative perspective 48:54 – Modern readers & writers Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out [https://open.spotify.com/track/0t7Dc6aK0rDlF7GHzCFVGp],” used with permission from the artist. Produced by Sean Doolan.

Post-Bellum and Pre-Harlem: A Conversation About Charles W. Chesnutt

Chris talks to Tess Chakkalakal about her new literary biography, A Matter of Complexion: The Life and Fictions of Charles W. Chesnutt. Tess explains why Chesnutt is such an important figure in American literary history, how his short stories and novels made the case for a color-blind society, and why he should be more widely read today. Show notes: * Tess’s book, A Matter of Complexion [https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250287632/amatterofcomplexion/] * Chesnutt’s short stories: The Conjure Woman and Other Conjure Tales [https://www.dukeupress.edu/The-Conjure-Woman-and-Other-Conjure-Tales] and “The Wife of His Youth [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1898/07/the-wife-of-his-youth/306658/]” * Chesnutt’s novels: The House Behind the Cedars [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/296500/the-house-behind-the-cedars-by-charles-w-chesnutt/] and The Marrow of Tradition [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/296515/the-marrow-of-tradition-by-charles-w-chesnutt/] * Chesnutt’s speech, “Race Prejudice; Its Causes and Its Cure [https://chesnuttarchive.org/item/ccda.works00051]” Time stamps: 2:22 – Chesnutt’s early life and education 15:16 – The Conjure Woman 25:09 – The House Behind the Cedars 44:28 – The Marrow of Tradition 52:44 – Chesnutt’s views on race and their legacy Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out [https://open.spotify.com/track/0t7Dc6aK0rDlF7GHzCFVGp],” used with permission from the artist. Produced by Sean Doolan.