EP76. Satire & The Brontë 2: Charlotte Bronte is in YOU

Smith & Waugh Talk About Satire

Could You be Satire? Jo and Adam discuss the weird Netflix show about putting women in cages and quoting literature at them. Along the way, they chat about academia in popular culture, the dangers of quoting out of context, and the representation of Charlotte Brontë in memes and quotations. Then they explore the ways Brontë used her pen-name Curer Bell for satirical purposes, which Jo has written about in a forthcoming chapter - and her love-hate relationship with William Makepeace Thackeray. In a neat coincidence, Adam is about to give a talk at the literary society of The Reform Club in London, which takes its name from Thackeray ("The Thackeray Society"), so the hosts trail that and speculate on the breakfast he might have there.