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Something Understood

Religion & Ethics

Ethical and religious discussion that examines some of the larger questions of life

Ethical and religious discussion that examines some of the larger questions of life, taking a spiritual theme and exploring it through music, prose and poetry

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Something Understood: Escapism

Escapism

28/04/2013

BBC Radio 4 - Something Understood, Escapism

Art historian James Fox considers why there seems to be a human need to escape.

Art historian James Fox considers why there seems to be a human need to escape, and what it is we are trying to escape from.

The art historian James Fox considers the idea of escapism, asking if there is a human need to escape and, if so, what it might be that we need to escape from. 

From the idea of heaven to the draw of nostalgia, and from the reaction against the horrors of the First World War to the appeal of popular entertainment, the human imagination is celebrated and explored. 

James Fox traces a path through readings from, amongst others, W.B. Yeats, David Foster Wallace and Marcel Proust, with music from Gabriel Fauré, Vaughan Williams and The Wizard of Oz.

The readers are Mark Quartley, Monica Dolan and Frank Stirling.

Producer: Philippa Geering
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4.

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