Pop DNA

This week we’re joined by Sanjana (@baskinsuns on TikTok) to discuss the Bridgerton books and TV series in the context of historical and Regency Romance! 

We look at how the genre was influenced by the works of Jane Austen, and how the Bridgerton show explores the conventions of historical romance and issues like gender, race, and social class.

We also got Sanjana to take the “Which Bridgerton Are You?” quiz with us, and our results will surprise everyone. Or possibly no one. 

Follow Sanjana on TikTok at @baskinsuns and subscribe to her newsletter here. Take the quiz to find out which Bridgerton you are. 

Find us on Instagram for memes and book recs!

This week we are joined by longtime friend of the show Nicole to discuss her favorite moments on the Bridgerton show, insights into the books, and give her best Regency Romance recs!

We also dip into the real-life gossip and scandal of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, find out who may have been the historical inspiration for Lady Whistledown, and even work in references to the TV show Friends, the movie Moulin Rouge, and of course Pride and Prejudice.

What Bridgerton gets right about gossip in Regency London. Who was the "real" Lady Whisteldown? Scandal and the English opera.

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To kick off our Bridgerton series for the month of February, we dive into the Shondaland oeuvre, from her first big TV hit Grey’s Anatomy to now, and discuss the throughlines we see in all of her work. 

We also talk about our favorite moments and characters from Bridgerton season 1, some thoughts on the Bridgerton books by Julia Quinn, and historical romance in general (which we will get into more thoroughly later this month), and pitch an entirely new podcast.

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We wrap up our discussion of The Devil Wears Prada this week with a deep dive into the real-life inspiration for Miranda Priestly, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, and her influence on the fashion industry. We also talk about the real villain of the story--or perhaps just another nuanced character?--Andy's boyfriend Nate. 

We also decide to fan cast three new adaptations of the novel (only one of which is a musical), and of course reveal our results of the "which character are you?" quiz. You can take the quiz here.

Follow us on Instagram, where you'll find a full cast list for one of our hypothetical adaptations, but only if you want to, and join us next month as we discuss Bridgerton!

This week we're looking at how The Devil Wears Prada fits within the context of fiction that takes place in New York City and the branding of NYC. We also look at the novel's place in the late 1990s/early 2000s literary phenomenon known as "Chick Lit."

Check out this Observer article about the "I heart New York" t-shirts and the branding of the city.

Read this Library Journal article on Chick Lit, and this Salon retrospective on the rise and fall of the genre.

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We finally decided to tackle this iconic sleepover staple from our teen years! 

We kick off the series with an only slightly rambly overview of our initial experiences (with the novel and the film), some connections to other fashion-focused media (like Emily in Paris and The Bold Type), and our rapid-fire thoughts on The Devil Wears Prada's impact in the cultural zeitgeist. 

Obviously, we also talk for far too long about the cold open on The Office where Michael thinks he's Miranda Priestly.

Check out Entertainment Weekly's article on the cast reunion over Zoom last summer.

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In this our third and final episode on A Wrinkle in Time, we ask the question, Who is this for? Because many people apparently need a reminder!

We look at how children's literature can explore scary topics in a way that's approachable and healthy for kids, and we also talk about those negative reviews of the 2018 film that seemed to miss the point entirely.

We also, of course, share our results of the quiz to find out which A Wrinkle in Time characters we are...

Article on why children should read scary stories. New York Times review of the 2018 film. Brie Larson's speech at the Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards. 

Take the quiz to find out which A Wrinkle in Time character you are.

We are on Twitter and Instagram, where we post book recommendations and memes, but never with consistency.

This week we ask a very important question: what genre is A Wrinkle in Time? Science fiction, fantasy, or something else?

Erin lays out some evidence with an exploration of the different alien creatures we meet and planets we visit, and the concept of a tesseract as seen in real-life theoretical physics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Then Rhonda dives into what exactly defines these genres anyway. 

We also look at Wrinkle through the lens of the work of other speculative fiction authors Ursula K. Le Guin and N. K. Jemisin, and how the ideas of utopia, dystopia, autonomy, and privilege are explored in this work for children.

Our favorite scholarly source, the A Wrinkle in Time Fandom wiki. An exploration of the planets seen in the 2018 film adaptation. The Tesseract as used in Wrinkle.

What genre is A Wrinkle in Time? Let's discuss. Free PDF of "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula Le Guin, and Google Books preview of "The Ones Who Stay and Fight" by N. K. Jemisin. Rhonda's essay on the two stories.

We are on Twitter and Instagram, where we post memes, book recommendations, and nonsense with little to no consistency.

In part 1 of our Wrinkle series, we lay a foundation for discussing this classic work and its 2018 film adaptation. Turns out the book had a HUGE impact on both of us in our childhoods!

We also look a bit into the culture and society of the late 1950s and early 1960s, and Madeleine L'Engle's unconventional Christian faith, both of which informed her writing in A Wrinkle in Time.

The mid-20th century was an interesting time. Washington Post article on the faith of Madeleine L'Engle. Every Mrs. Who quotation from the 2018 film adaptation. 

We are on Twitter and Instagram, where we post supplementary content, memes, and book recommendations, with little to no consistency