I know it's been a long wait, and you've had to settle for listening to "The" Joe Rogan Experience or The Daily, or maybe for staring glassy-eyed at a chair or at your friends' faces while they ask you if you're sure you're okay. But you can stop all that now. We're back. And we're back with more C.S. Lewis, who in turn is back with a certain poet I like to call John Skelton. Because that was his name. Could he have been England's first rapper? Lil' Skeltie? Tune in and find out. This week, Dr. Katherine Wyma and I continue our tour of C.S. Lewis' Oxford History of English Literature (Excluding Drama), or, as he liked to call it, "the OHEL," because...he hated writing it. That said, it's quite clear that the research Lewis conducted for the book--for over a decade--inspired much of his creative work. Further, it's clear that he was interested in what he wrote about here and admired Skelton's poetry, at least a bit. We're in Book I of The Oxford History of English Literature today--mainly the section marked "The Close of the Middle Ages in England," and we're focusing on Skelton, because he is the most significant poet to write during this time--at least in England. (We recorded an earlier episode on "The Close of the Middle Ages in Scotland," but I have, to my great regret, misplaced that file. So if you were hoping to get that Dunbar or Henryson fix we all need sometimes, I'm afraid you'll have to wait a bit longer--so sorry!) So join us (and Lewis) as we mark time with Skelton, thinking about old age, death, and eccentric rhythms that aren't quite meter, but also aren't quite...not meter. Among other things, we discuss: 0:00 — Introduction & the OHEL Project 7:38 — John Skelton & Eleanor Rumming 14:23 — Medieval Body Humor & Aging 18:06 — Skeltonic Meter & Philip Sparrow 23:50 — Lewis on Philip Sparrow 28:40 — Grief, Pets, and Childhood 33:26 — Lewis vs. Eliot & Wrap-up This is taken from Chapter 2 of Here, by the way, are the two most famous Skelton poems we discuss: The Tunning of Elenor Rumming The Book of Philip Sparrow By the way--my reading of these poems is meant to sort of suggest how they sound without going full Middle (or even Early Modern) English on you. So, yes, I realize it's sort of neither fish nor fowl. But it was fun. If you want to add anything or make any suggestions, or just reach out and say hi, please don't hesitate to contact me at inklingsvarietyhour@gmail.com. Next: George MacDonald's Lilith!
