Loyal Books
12 episodes listed below
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Another delightful and sharply pointed excursion into the topics of the day, and of this day as well, with Gilbert Keith Chesterton. These reprinted magazine articles are filled with his good natured wit, his masterful use of paradox, and devastating ability to use reductio ad absurdum to destroy the popular myths that drive a society driving full-speed into secular humanism. You will come away with a whole new collection of wonderful quotes. (Ray Clare)
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Poetry, ceremony, and Chesterton's complaint about respect done by halves.
Chesterton treats Francis Thompson as a test case for poetry that can be immense without losing precision. By setting Thompson beside Browning, he makes the argument feel alive: poetic force comes from the tension between breadth and detail, and that gives the piece a brisk,…
Great books, taken chapter by chapter, with delight
Book talk with room to wander.
G.K.
The speaker reflects on their verbose writing style, discusses three proposals for journalistic ethics, and laments being cut off mid-thought.
This episode discusses a recent medical manifesto on alcohol, exploring its Arabic etymology and cultural implications.
This episode critiques the conflation of science with philosophy, arguing that science should provide factual health advice while philosophy handles personal judgment, based on a reading of a pamphlet by intelligent men who ignore these distinctions.
This episode critiques the modern approach to martyrdom, using suffragettes chaining themselves to railings as an allegory to argue that public demonstrations of discomfort often fail to advance causes effectively.
This episode discusses G.
G.K.
This episode contrasts how France and England approach memorializing literary figures, using the controversies around Zola and Shakespeare to explore national differences in intellectual discourse.
This episode critiques English patriotic panic over losing sporting events to French and Belgian competitors, using historical and satirical examples to challenge nationalistic assumptions.
G.
Chesterton defends fairy tales against claims of immorality, arguing they are fundamentally moral and didactic.
Chesterton discusses the poetry of Francis Thompson, highlighting its dual infinities of vast and minute imagery.