proto-feminism

Wuthering Heights

Posted on July 8, 2015

Welcome to a very special episode of Novel Ideas. This week we join the Minerva podcast network. If you found us through Minerva Magazine, we’re pleased to have you! A quick word of warning: this podcast contains some adult language, so if that concerns you, consider this fair warning. Our spoiler policy generally doesn’t matter as much for classics, but you should also be aware that we spoil anything and everything because we want to be able to discuss everything in the book in detail.

For this episode we read Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, a classic love story that might not be either of those things. We discuss those points as well as 19th century literary devices, the dangers of passion, Victorian values, and (of course) feminism. We also examine why it isn’t okay to hang puppies, weird hate auras, modern adaptations, and the questionable biology surrounding Victorian pregnancy.

The music bump is “Wuthering Heights” by Kate Bush, which is apparently sung from the point of view of Cathy’s ghost.

95 – Wuthering Heights – Hanging Puppy Love

Our ratings: All of the characters are terrible people, but at least it isn’t very fun to watch them interact.

Ben: 3/10. I didn’t enjoy reading it even a little bit. One extra point subtracted for having multiple instances of puppy hanging.

Gabs: 3.5/10. An extra half point awarded for demonstrating the healing power of reading.

This entry was posted in Admin, Episodes and tagged 19th century literary devices, classics, cousin fucking, death, dialect, dying of hate, editors are good, Emily Bronte, foiling expectations, ghosts, hate aura, insults, modern adaptations, not a love story, notagonist, passion, plot driven pregnancy, power of reading, proto-feminism, psychopathy, puppy hanging, recursive flashbacks, revenge, sex, supernatural, terrible people, the moors, Victorian values, weak of spirit, Wuthering Heights.

Jane Eyre

Posted on February 12, 2013

Welcome back to Novel Ideas for a classically oriented episode. This week we’re featuring Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, a Romantic romantic proto-feminist semi-gothic coming of age story about finding one’s place in the world. I believe that even to this day, this book remains the best known work in that genre. In this episode, we discuss the elements of that genre, as well as mental illness, feminism, religion vs. morality, sexual mores, and the search for love. We also discuss several types of Janes, St. John the vampire hunter, and why people live in environments guaranteed to kill them.

The music bump is “Jane” by Ben Folds, after the title character of this book, who is also arguably the protagonist.

37 – Jane Eyre – Unclose Your Mind

This entry was posted in Episodes and tagged Bronte-sauri, Charlotte Bronte, deadly environments, feminism, finding love, Jane Austen, Jane Error, Jane Eyre, Jane Who?, man brain redux, marriage values, mental illness, multi-genre, old school trolling, past tense of suicide, physiognomy, Pilot the newfoundland, Plain Jane, poor survival skills, proto-feminism, religion v. morality, sexual mores, St. John Vampire Hunter, unclose.