Classic Lit Goes To High School (feat. JoAnna Novak)
Episode 56
Where in the present day can you find the stakes of high society match-making or puritanical persecution? Try high school. This week, we’re discussing high school comedies that find their roots in canonical English literature.
Chance starts the show in conversation with novelist JoAnna Novak, whose forthcoming book I Must Have You briefly riffs on Clueless and explores the voices of ’90s teenagers. At 25:40, Noah and Chance weigh in on how Clueless manages to be both of its time and quite aware of that fact. At 37:30, your hosts review 10 Things I Hate About You, arguing the merits of Julia Stiles, the virtues of plastic pants, and what the movie does with its Taming Of The Shrew plot. At 51 minutes, they jump to this decade and wrap up with Easy A, wondering if high schoolers today are really so Hawthorne-ian about sexual politics. Have fun, and may we please remind you it does not say RSVP on the Statue of Liberty.
JoAnna’s novel is out May 9 on Skyhorse Publishing. Keep up with her work here.
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Be Reel is a movie reviewing & reappraising podcast hosted by Chance Solem-Pfeifer and Noah Ballard.
Each time out, we select three movies based around a genre and call up guests ranging from submarine captains to Oscar winners. Then, we rate the movies, weighing both technical quality and entertainment.
Noah and Chance are old friends who mostly respect each other’s opinions. Even though Chance is a fool and a traitor. Find their show presented at ThePlaylist.Net and follow them on Twitter for the latest on Noah’s literary agenting and Chance’s work in the Portland arts scene.