Old Books with Grace

The Hunter and the Hunted: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, pt. III

There are more traps at Bertilak's castle than you think, Gawain... and loads of stylish hunting poetry! Welcome to part III of the series on the incredible medieval poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight!

Games, Gifts, and Icicles on Armor: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, pt.II

Fitt II of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Wander through the icy woods with Gawain as he searches for the Green Chapel, to meet his fate with the Green Knight. Grace explores the medieval context of this fantastic poem and thinks with the poet on what it means to be human.

A Beheading at a Feast: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, pt. 1

Ever since the siege ceased at Troy, betrayal and treachery has ruled the forebears of Sir Gawain... so we are plunged into the fantastical fourteenth-century masterpiece, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Let's meet Arthur, Guinevere, a host of secondary characters, our hero Sir Gawain... and a gigantic knight, green from head to toe... Grace considers this strange beginning, the sins of our forebears, the wonderful poetry itself, and the spooky delight of the Green Knight.

A Lovely Short Intro to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Want to think about a spooky, wonderful medieval poem together for October? This episode kicks off a series on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a poem about magic, humanity, creatureliness, and failure written in the fourteenth century by an anonymous poet. It's one of my favorites. You don't have to read the poem to enjoy this series--let's go meet a green knight!

Talking Austen and L‘Engle With Haley Stewart

Grace Hamman welcomes podcaster, speaker, and fellow mom writer Haley Stewart of Carrots for Michaelmas and Fountains of Carrots. Haley and Grace chat Jane Austen, Madeleine L'Engle, faith, and the challenging vocations of being writers and mothers (and which Jane Austen adaptations they think are the best and the worst).

Austen's Persuasion: Ch. 10-12 Vol. II with Scott Hamman

Dr. Grace Hamman and her special guest this week, her husband Scott, discuss love, communication, resurrection, learning how to learn, and gush over Austen's profundity in depicting relationships in Persuasion. They also freeze in slight horror and pause the recording awkwardly when their four-year old son emerges to pee at 10:30 at night while they record. Welcome to the grand finale of the Summer Old Book Club!

Austen's Persuasion: Ch. 7-9 Vol. II with Goodwyn Bell

Welcome to the penultimate week of the Summer Old Book Club! Grace invites her friend Goodwyn Bell to chat about the continuing drama with Mr. Elliot, if where you grew up affects how you read Jane Austen, Anne's charming, blush-filled interactions with Captain Wentworth, the importance of Bath, the confusing lies of Mrs. Smith, what Jane Austen thinks of friendship, and so much more...

Austen's Persuasion: Ch. 4-6 Vol II with Carol Irwin

Welcome to Week 6 of the Summer Old Book Club and perhaps the first ever podcast episode featuring a grandmother and her granddaughter discussing Persuasion in great detail! Join Dr. Grace Hamman and her 86 year-old Grama, Carol Irwin, as they think through Mr. Elliot, Mrs. Smith, the intricacies of rank and society in Bath, what a "good" pride entails, and so much more...