Uncommon Sense - The Official Podcast of the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton

Joe Grabowski sits down with Nick Bash, a Biola University alum who studied filmmaking alongside the Rhetoric Honors Great Books Program, to discuss his senior thesis short film The Last Bonaparte—a loose adaptation of Chesterton's The Napoleon of Notting Hill. In This Episode: How film, as a relatively young art form, is still learning to match the depth and immersion of literature What Chesterton's Orthodoxy revealed to Nick about joy, and how that discovery drove the making of The Last Bonaparte The communal nature of filmmaking and how the process of telling a story begins to mirror its themes How setting the film in 2084 draws on Orwellian themes to sharpen Chesterton's critique of standardization and bureaucracy Why Tolkien's philosophical writings on creativity convinced Nick that faithful Christian storytelling means crafting a story, not a sermon Chapters: 00:00: Introduction 00:36: Nick's Background: Biola, Great Books, and Chesterton 03:06: Film as a Young Art Form 05:50: Drama, Embodiment, and the Communal Art of Filmmaking 09:39: Film as Synthesis of the Arts 14:02: Reclaiming Joy in a Machine-Oriented World 18:52: Chesterton, Orwell, and the Year 1984 25:34: Tolkien on Adventure and Sub-Creation 28:42: Story vs. Allegory Resources Mentioned: The Last Bonaparte FOLLOW US Instagram | Facebook | X SUPPORT Consider making a donation: chesterton.org/give Visit our Shop: chesterton.org/shop Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios

In this episode, Joe talks about one of Chesterton's most famous, but still too little studied, poems, "The Donkey." Learn a bit more about the poem through a New Critical based reading, consider just some of the allusions that may have shaped the poem in Chesterton's mind, and - perhaps - discover anew a great source for Lenten meditation! ##### FOLLOW US Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chestertonsociety Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanChestertonSociety X: https://twitter.com/chestertonsoc SUPPORT Consider making a donation: https://www.chesterton.org/give/ Visit our Shop at https://www.chesterton.org/shop/

Happy Saint Patrick's day! In this episode, Joe talks about some of Chesterton's insights upon and sympathies with the Irish, particularly their faith and culture. Mentioned in this video: "Irish Politics and Irish Religion" by G.K. Chesterton: https://library.chesterton.org/irish-politics-and-irish-religion-33426/ On Chesterton and Michael Collins: https://www.catholicarena.com/latest/chestertoncollins220822 On the "Turning the Tide" report: https://theway.ie/new-report-shows-shifting-religious-trends-and-signs-of-renewal-among-young-adults-in-ireland/ Archbishop Eomon Martin's introduction of the report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LO_7U2ME-k ##### FOLLOW US Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chestertonsociety Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanChestertonSociety X: https://twitter.com/chestertonsoc SUPPORT Consider making a donation: https://www.chesterton.org/give/ Join the Knights of the Apostolate: https://www.chesterton.org/knights Visit our Shop at https://www.chesterton.org/shop/

In this episode, Joe talks about a (in)famous Chesterton quotation, often misunderstood, sometimes misapplied. He digs into its origins and context(s) and shares some interesting facts about it you may not know! ##### FOLLOW US Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chestertonsociety Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanChestertonSociety X: https://twitter.com/chestertonsoc SUPPORT Consider making a donation: https://www.chesterton.org/give/ Visit our Shop at https://www.chesterton.org/shop/

In this episode, Joe talks about how Chesterton can help us mark the year of America's semiquincentennial and previews some future chats about the subject that we'll be hosting on the channel. Mentioned in this video: Our Groundhog Day episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n30P-YGf9FM "On Neighbors and Nations" by G.K. Chesterton: https://library.chesterton.org/on-neighbors-and-nations-11054/ ACS Books new edition of Chesterton's "What I Saw in America": https://www.chesterton.org/store/product/what-i-saw-in-america-special-semiquincentennial-edition/ SPECIAL NOTE Join us for Lent - still time if you haven't signed up! Visit https://www.chesterton.org/lent today! FOLLOW US Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chestertonsociety Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanChestertonSociety X: https://twitter.com/chestertonsoc SUPPORT Consider making a donation: https://www.chesterton.org/give/ Visit our Shop at https://www.chesterton.org/shop/

Happy Mardi Gras! In this episode, Joe extends a special invitation to join the Society this Lent to approach the paradox of suffering in the Christian life through the lens of Our Lady of Sorrows and with help from G.K. Chesterton. Learn more about our offerings this Lent, about our proposed practice of lectio divina, and hear from Saint John Paul II on Mary's example of participatory suffering. To sign up, visit: https://www.chesterton.org/lent Mentioned in this video: Our most recent Advent campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFCXtUx17VA Pope St. John Paul II's "Salvifici Doloris": https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1984/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_11021984_salvifici-doloris.html FOLLOW US Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chestertonsociety Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanChestertonSociety X: https://twitter.com/chestertonsoc SUPPORT Consider making a donation: https://www.chesterton.org/give/ Visit our Shop at https://www.chesterton.org/shop/

Recorded February 2, in this episode Joe reflects on the day's special occasion. Yes, that one. Which is to say both. Or, all three. Hear his musings on the Presentation (and the Purification), Simeon's prophecy, the "missing years" of Jesus' life, and... a certain famous Pennsylvania rodent. Want to see Punxsutawney Phil's prediction? Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiHIkoPHdrc FOLLOW US Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chestertonsociety Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanChestertonSociety X: https://twitter.com/chestertonsoc SUPPORT Consider making a donation: https://www.chesterton.org/give/ Visit our Shop at https://www.chesterton.org/shop/

Have you ever noticed how quiet it is after a snowstorm? The silence reminds us of the noise we so easily tune out the rest of the time. But what about the other sources of noise in our life, the ones we deliberately tune into? Joe reflects on the snow and silence and why tuning out of the noise is sometimes a very necessary thing. In this episode: Gerard Manley Hopkins' "The Habit of Perfection" - read online here: https://gerardmanleyhopkins.com/uncategorized/the-habit-of-perfection/ FOLLOW US Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chestertonsociety Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanChestertonSociety X: https://twitter.com/chestertonsoc SUPPORT Consider making a donation: https://www.chesterton.org/give/ Visit our Shop at https://www.chesterton.org/shop/

Joe reads a brief essay from G.K. Chesterton about the meaning of a New Year. Happy New Year! FOLLOW US Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chestertonsociety Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanChestertonSociety X: https://twitter.com/chestertonsoc SUPPORT Consider making a donation: https://www.chesterton.org/give/ Visit our Shop at https://www.chesterton.org/shop/

No new episode this week, but please see this special Christmas message from Joe Grabowski. Visit https://give.chesterton.org/EOY2025 to make a Christmas gift to the Society today! FOLLOW US Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chestertonsociety Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanChestertonSociety X: https://twitter.com/chestertonsoc SUPPORT Consider making a donation: https://www.chesterton.org/give/ Visit our Shop at https://www.chesterton.org/shop/