Learning to Say No to Thyself (Plus, Dante!) | Mother Academia | The Commonplace

I've solved my book glutton problem: one in, one out. Plus, I have a lot of things to say about Dante.
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[@pienkunicorn]

I just want to pop in here and say you really are having an authentic graduate school experience here. Every video you've posted thus far about things you've learned is something that has happened to me in my PhD program I hope this encourages you :D

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

It absolutely does. Thank you!

[@fayefayelou4093]

I don't know that you'll see this, Autumn, but I just wanted to thank you for your example. This is random, but the kindness and gentleness and grace you share with ladies in your replies to comments is inspiring. I am so thankful God led me to your channel. It's perfectly timed! God bless you and your family! ❤

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

How kind you are! Thank you for taking the time to write such an encouraging note. So happy to have you here!

[@Kate-iv9pt]

I immediately clicked this video when I saw Dante's name in the title. :) I just finished my second read-through of the Comedy using Baylor University's 100 Days of Dante materials, which were so helpful for sticking to the reading plan and understanding the context of each canto and how they all fit together. Even with all the resources, I know there's so much I'm missing, and I'm with you in thinking this will be a regular re-read.

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

Right? I * think * I understood so much and then Baxter's book blew my mind! (Plus, I don't understand the context for any of the Florentine-specific people!)

[@akieffer]

I'm in a class on C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy and the Medieval Mind, and Dante keeps coming up. I've also only ever read excerpts for English classes in college. And I feel more and more like I need to go read the whole thing. Thank you for the recommendation on the commentary because I don't think I'm quite the kind of person who could read the Divine Comedy and just get it on my own.

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

Dr. Baxter's translation of the Inferno is also out now!!

[@The_Cause]

As I read through Paradise Lost, I am becoming more intrigued to read Dante’s Comedy. There is so much hidden in these old poems in terms of symbology and it blows my mind how they are stitched together. Jonathan Pageau is going to be releasing a series on Dante’s Comedy soon and as you mentioned Hillsdale is a goldmine. Thanks so much for sharing everything you do as your info has been helpful as we navigate the beginning years of homeschooling. Also… I just love your wall of books. Please do not stop what you are doing and stay blessed!

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

YES, I saw that Pageau is covering Dante and thought what great timing for....me. Ha! I can't wait for that. So happy to have you guys here!

[@MelonieL83]

I’m always exited for when you post, Autumn. Could you share the music that you have used in your videos? They’re so beautiful, whether Bach or otherwise 😊. Thanks for inspiring. I’m definitely trying to reel in my book gluttony.

[@Spencer_Lacey]

I believe she was playing YoYo Ma ☺️

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

I've been using Epidemic Sound which gives me a great assortment of tracks! *I* was playing YoYo Ma's Cello Suites in my house, but for the opening of the video, it was String Quartet No. 3, Op. 41, No. 3, by Robert Schumann.

[@MelonieL83]

Thank you for this. I will check it out.

[@amysingh4]

I’ve been forced to abandon my book gluttony by a rough first trimester of pregnancy. The intensity of the fatigue and nausea forced me to face the reality of how limited my time is, which gave me the push I needed to lay aside my impulse reads and stick to my yearly reading list. Currently reading Middlemarch for the first time (I CANNOT put it down!) and trying to begin Tolkien’s translation of Beowulf with commentary (super excited about this one, but it might have to be a second trimester read; my mental capacity is not at its best right now). It’s definitely a discipline to say no to the impulse reads and stay focused!

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

Many congratulations to you! Pregnancies derail my reading plans which is always a good reminder to hold all plans with open hands. Motherhood'll do that to ya. Middlemarch is one of my favorite books! Have you met Caleb Garth yet? I adore him.

[@amysingh4]

@@thecommonplacehomeschoolI’ve had to learn a lot of flexibility since having my first, and I can already tell having a second is going to step that up a notch! I just met Caleb Garth and can’t wait to see more of him!

[@Melinda_Sue]

Hi there Autumn! I'm not a mom currently nor an educator but I very much enjoy the things you share and say : ) Do you have any podcasts or videos about "hierarchies"/prioritization (whether on a daily basis or more zoomed out). Thank you! I first found your channel via dumb phone (me and my husband did listen to The Machine Stops, btw) and I played the medieval mind of CS Lewis episode yesterday and me and my husband quite enjoyed that, as well! On prioritization: certainly one way is to have less screens and apps in front of my face which expose me to 1000's of ideas (yes, even if they are all perfectly good and wholesome) on a daily basis. Hence why i'm yet again revisiting (and putting into practice) the taking-seriously-of less screen time!

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

Hey Melinda_Sue! Happy to have you here! I'm so glad you were able to listen to Dr. Baxter. He's fascinating! I don't think I have any resources on hierarchies explicitly but I think the idea is probably woven throughout my work. Sorry I don't have something more direct for you!

[@MichaelaGunn-gx8lr]

I have had the same complaint with Odysseus but I've never heard anyone share that criticism!! Starting the Divibe Comedy today with my sisters, planning to end on the feast of the Ascension. The timing of this video was too perfect!

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

Woo! Reading pals. I know; he's a hard one for me. But one thing I really learned to love about the classical tradition is it's taught me to wait and seek understanding. If I have a personal reaction that seems contrary to what has been held up as an example, I have to wait and keep learning. I can see admirable things in Odysseus (and Dante's description of him helped that too!) but it was nice to see someone so wise (Dante) put Odysseus so deep in the Inferno (beyond where I expected to find him) because of a very dangerous vice...like I said, another person adding to the Great Conversation and I was happy to find his input!

[@meganwiedeman5040]

I think people want Odysseus to make it home so Penelope can have her house back and move on with her life.

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

Was I the only one twitching when Odysseus reminded us marriage is based on divine law (and hence his bed could only be moved by a god) and should not be violated? I could turn an eye to the wanderlust but the adultery! Gah. Penelope!

[@meganwiedeman5040]

@@thecommonplacehomeschool it is pretty maddening to watch the inequality of gender expectations . But Penelope’s faithfulness and cleverness are admirable. The Greek Gods are fickle. Greek heroes are fickle. The only thing the Greeks seem to get right is that man is born depraved and sinful.

[@RaeBehrs]

I am working through Baxter's guide to Dante along with the Hillsdale course as well. Next month, I'm also starting a book club where we are going to read through Baxter's book on Lewis followed up by the Ransom Trilogy and Deeper Heaven. It's fun to see you are working through some of the same material!

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

We are totally on the same brain wave. The footnotes in Medieval Mind grew my TBR extensively...you've been warned.

[@jwilson-28]

Could you share any resources on narration for mother academia? I have no current practice or experience with narration, so I'd appreciate a primer for adult learners. Would love a video with an example from your reading, if you'd be willing to share. Thanks!

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-12-narration-tell-it-back-to-me-principles-14-15/id1568956517?i=1000574984220 This is my podcast episode on general narration. I apply the same principles to myself!

[@Olivia-mom25]

Can you share a link to where you find these classes you’re following along with? St John’s? I know Hillsdale. Thank you!

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

Yes! Here is the original planning video where I talk through how I found my classes: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2KUo6N-f92kjLs Here is St. John specifically: www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/graduate/masters-liberal-arts/reading-lists

[@AHeartForHomeEducation]

Struggling to pick my next story! I usually listen to one spiritual book (Confessions right now) and one story (just finished Little Men and Great Divorce) and I have decision paralysis for my next audio story. I found a beautiful recording of Brideshead Revisited, which I’ve heard a lot about from Common House…but it is 30 hours long and I’ve also seen some iffy reviews on the content. Should I take the plunge?! I resonate with your reading plans being detoured!

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

Ahhh, YES. I read Brideshead earlier this year and recommend it. I think it's a very Catholic book without explicitly being so, and in that way, there was a balm to much of what's heartbreaking in the story (many aches of modernity). I can't say I had full resolution at the end-it was more like a small exhale after a warying read, but, it was really good.

[@LifeLoveLacie]

I know you mentioned this in a past video, but all my searching and I can’t find it. 😅 where do you get your books from. The ones that all look a like?

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

Everyman's Library Classics!

[@RaeBehrs]

Teaching from Rest is on sale on Audible right now. It's only two hours and forty minutes long. I finished it one day while doing kitchen work.

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

Oh, great tip! Thank you! It's a perfect chore-listen!

[@humblyhaley]

An Experiment in Criticism by C.S. Lewis really shifted my perspective as a reader and helped so much with my own “book gluttony”. Currently reading Paradise Lost by John Milton with A Preface to Paradise Lost by C.S. Lewis and a guide is so helpful! The Odyssey is on my summer list and I plan to read Inferno this fall and I’m excited to dive in now. Thank you for sharing 😄

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

Ah, yes. SUCH a great recommendation for a book gluttony read! Can I recommend a podcast companion for Paradise Lost? The episode(s? Can't remember now.) on it from Classical Stuff You Should Know is great. If you don't listen to them, I really enjoy them as a more casual companion to my old books. Their humour is the perfect kind of nerdy and they clearly love the material and each other.

[@humblyhaley]

@@thecommonplacehomeschool I haven’t heard of their podcast but will look into it immediately! Thank you for the recommendation 😄

[@hannahbaker2856]

You know about our bookshelf addiction . . . I try to do one-in-one-out but the other members of my household do not! 😭

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

One-in-one-out is good for the reading list but not the shelves! Never! ;)

[@Private_pandemonium]

Is there a link to your notion page- reading list for my perusal? I csn't see it in the description. Thanks

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

No, there isn't! I show the Notion Mother Academia section for these videos but my Notion holds way too much personal stuff to have out and about. Ha!

[@marycarolsommers7657]

Which version of Chronicles of Narnia are those?! We’ve been reading through them and checking them out from the library, but I really want a nice set for our family.

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

Woo! Narnia! Our hardback set is an early 1950s U.S. Book Club edition which matters only because Lewis sent a slightly different version to the U.S. during its early printing. So my books have fun, sneaky changes! By the 80s/90s, the publishers decided to print the same editions and stopped mine. As for hardbacks, you can find many editions online via Amazon, eBay, etc!

[@marycarolsommers7657]

@@thecommonplacehomeschool Thank you so much for this!!

[@lauralogan3046]

Hold up, are you an Orthodox Christian?? Our family joined the Orthodox Church this past year & I haven’t come across many others in the online community/space ❤

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

A blessed Holy Week to you! We are catechumen!

[@lauralogan3046]

@@thecommonplacehomeschool that is wonderful!! 🩷☦️

[@RosieJ7223]

Ooooo I spy a New Polity Journal! 😍

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

IYKYK

[@heidib.4089]

I think I enjoy Odysseus because I’m not married to him :). Completely agree about his character!

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

"Oh, what was that, darling? You slept with the goddess to save your swine-men and then...just stayed a year, was it?"

[@pienkunicorn]

Cunning is a heroic trait for Greeks. Humility isn't because they are not a Christian civilization

[@thecommonplacehomeschool]

Ah, I believe you but also find it hard to reconcile with (what I've read from) Aristotle and Plato, etc. It's less of the humility angle and more of the justice angle for me. I'll need to do more reading. Thank you for this little idea to seize my mind!

[@pienkunicorn]

@@thecommonplacehomeschool I read it in a Lewis essay. Or pieced it together from a few of his essays :D I've actually never read the Odessy. Only children's versions / the Overly Sarcastic Productions summary. It's on my list for this year. Got distracted by shiny library book 🤣