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Daniel Foucachon

Digressio: Inherit the Humanities

In this episode of the Digressio Podcast, Daniel Foucachon and Dr. Joe Carlson explore John Milton’s Paradise Lost and Regained as the crowning epic of the English language, and why they deserve renewed attention today. They discuss how to read epic poetry well, the challenges and rewards of Milton’s elevated style, and the importance of approaching his work on its own terms rather than through modern distortions. The conversation also addresses common misconceptions about Milton’s theology, defending his orthodoxy from later accusations, and contrasts faithful Christian readings with the skepticism often found in mainstream editions. Ultimately, this episode is a call to recover our literary inheritance, equipping families, teachers, and pastors to engage these great works deeply and to build homes rich with books, ideas, and lasting cultural memory.

Ep 17 - A Conversation on John Milton

In episode 16 (episode 4 of Season 2), Joe Carlson and Daniel Foucachon read some epic poetry together, beginning with a BAD reading of epic poetry, followed by a tutorial covering four basic principles for reading epic poetry: 

First, allow the natural stresses of the words to dictate the flow of the sentence. Different words have different stress lengths, depending on the placement of the vowels and the number of consonants. For example the words “to” and “flinch” are both one syllable words, but you can tell one takes less time to say than the other. Furthermore, a short word like “to” naturally leads you into the next word (ending with a vowel as it does), whereas you want to land on “flinch” a little, taking just a moment before moving on. Read the following naturally, while paying attention to the space you give between the words: “to flinch means to make a quick movement in reaction to something.” Notice the lack of space following the three instances of “to”, and the space following the harder sounds of “flinch” “make” “quick” and “movement”. This is how the English language works, and you shouldn’t fight it when reading, especially when reading poetry.

Second, read according to the punctuation, not the line break. The line breaks because the number of syllables allotted that line have been used up, not because a breath is required. Pay attention to the natural breaks in the syntax: the commas, the semicolons, the periods. Also, like I mentioned above, pay attention to the flow of the words themselves, and let the natural stresses dictate your annunciation and your rests.

Third, read the poem aloud and slowly. Taste the words on your tongue. Let their sounds fill your eustachian tubes, bringing the words directly to your ears, as well as traveling around your cheeks and hitting them from the outside. This process will encourage and cultivate your ability to enter into the story, imaginatively accepting the imagery of the poem as the landscape you are inhabiting.

Lastly, for extra credit, you can listen for moments of alliteration (repetition of certain consonants), assonance (repetition of certain vowel sounds), parallelisms, chiasmi, and the skilled use of enjambment (the continuation of a sentence beyond the end of a line), among other poetic tools wielded by the master. But these are the technical aspects of the poetry, the museum lighting that carefully illumines the painting. Therefore, while they certainly offer fodder for fruitful discussion, do not let them distract you from the painting itself, the story that Milton is telling.

Ep 16 - How to Read an Epic Poem

This is the Digressio podcast, helping families inherit the humanities in their home. 

Welcome to Season 2, where we are, among some "Digressios," discussing Epic Poetry. 

I’m your host Daniel Foucachon, and I’m joined by our co-host Joe Carlson, translator of Dantes Divine comedy, and author of The Dante Curriculum.

The topic today is “What to do with an epic poem?”

Ep 15 - What To Do with an Epic Poem?

In episode 14 (episode 2 of Season 2), Daniel Foucachon and Joe Carlson continue the discussion of epic poetry by defining an epic poem. 

They begin by discussing the four genres of literature based on Dr. Louise Cowan's genre theory (Epic, Tragedy, Comedy, and Lyric), and then the four elements that make up an Epic, which functions as Cosmopoesis through: 

 • Expansion of Space
 • Expansion of Time
 • Harmony of Opposites
 • Fulfillment in the Eschaton

Join the discussion!

Ep 14 - What is an Epic Poem?

Welcome to Season 2 of The Digressio Podcast! In this season Daniel Foucachon and co-host Joe Carlson will discuss Epic Poetry, starting with the topic of this first episode: The Need for Epic Poetry.

Ep 13 - The Need for Epic Poetry

The following was a portion of a Dante panel, focusing on the Inferno, presented at the University of Dallas, March 27, 2023, by Joe Carlson. 

Read the full article. 
Learn more about Dante's Divine Comedy at DantePoem.com

Ep 12 - Nostra Vita (Joe Carlson on Dante's Opening Lines)

This special edition of the podcast is a reading of an article by Joe Carlson entitled “Four Reasons to Read Dante in 2023." 

You can also read this article: 
https://romanroadspress.com/2023/01/four-reasons-to-read-dante/

Joe Carlson is a translator of Dante's Divine Comedy, and the author of a reader guide for each of the the three canticles, published by Roman Roads Press. You can find these at DantePoem.com.

Ep 11 - Four Reasons to Read Dante in 2023

This special edition of the Digressio Podcast features an article by Dr. Mitch Stokes, senior fellow of Philosophy at New Saint Andrews College, entitled, "What Does Jesus have to do with STEM." STEM refers to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. 

In this article Dr. Stokes explores the need to integrate STEM fields with the Liberal Arts, and addresses the current crisis in Physics. 

"The proper kind of liberal arts education for STEM students has more than theoretical value; it has substantial practical value for the STEM disciplines themselves." - Mitch Stokes

Dr. Stokes is the author of Calculus for Everybody, a Calculus text that embodies his vision for preparing the next generation of classical students heading into STEM fields. 

Learn more about Calculus for Everyone, and the other classical curriculum published by Roman Roads Press at www.romanroadspress.com 

Article read by Tim Stephenson. "What does Jesus have to do with STEM" first appeared in Digressio Magazine, Vol. 4 by Roman Roads Press. Read the article at www.DigressioMag.com.

Ep 10 - What Does Jesus have to do with STEM? by Dr. Mitch Stokes

In this episode, Daniel Foucachon sits down with Tim Griffith (the creator of Picta Dicta) and Reuben Jansen (the author of Picta Dicta Latin Primer) to discuss the art of learning Latin the right way, which means speaking and using Latin. 

Reuben tells us the story of how Latin Primer came about, and we discuss what speaking and using Latin as a living language looks like, as well as why it is worth while pursuing. Come listen to some Latin (don't worry, we'll teach you - even in this podcast!). 

Links: 
Picta Dicta (Vocabulary, Primer courses, and Readers): https://romanroadsmedia.com/latin

Ep 9 - How to Speak Latin, with Tim Griffith and Reuben Jansen

Timothy Griffith joins us to answer the question "Why Latin?" and why we need to integrate the three pathways of Use, Grammar, and Reading. We also bash the SAT a little bit, and talk about the CLT. 

INTRO:
Tim Griffith, Fellow of Classical Languages, New Saint Andrews College
Picta Dicta

OUTLINE:
1. Why learn latin?
2. Why latin over another language?
3. Being familiar with the ancient worldview
4. Real education vs. Studying to the test, and the Classical Learning Test.
5. The three learning pathways
6. The Grammar Approach and the Natural Method vs. Mixed Method Latin
7. How Picta Dicta uses all the learning pathways

LINKS:
The Mass Extinction Nobody Talks About - Tim Griffith
The Classic Learning Test
Picta Dicta as a live class at Kepler Education

Ep 17 - A Conversation on John Milton

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