The Discourse

Courtenay Roche

A deep-ish dive into the cultural conversations dominating our screens week-to-week. Twin sisters Courtenay and Cecile wield the fading remnants of their liberal arts educations to take on such vital topics as: Is there a male loneliness epidemic? Did liberal feminism ruin the workplace? Will generative AI be the death knell of the influencer era? Does the world really need another podcast helmed by two white Zillennials? Let's discuss.

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  1. 18 июн.

    Yesteryear Deep Dive: Let Women Be Awful!

    C + C take on the buzziest release of the year in this special Book Club edition of The Discourse. Yesteryear is writer-cum-podcaster Caro Claire Burke's debut novel, a satirical portrayal of tradwife influencing taken to its extreme. Since its April release, Yesteryear's detestable protagonist and undeniably compelling premise have been the subject of much online discourse.  The book is told from the perspective of Natalie Heller-Mills, a popular “tradwife”-style influencer whose life and work revolves around her picture-perfect Idaho farm, aptly named “Yesteryear.” She and her husband Caleb—the spoiled youngest boy from an American political dynasty that appears to be part-Kennedy, part-Bush in its inspiration—have five kids between them (put a pin in that), and a sixth on the way. The crux of the novel arrives when Natalie wakes up one morning in 1850 and is forced to confront the harsh reality of the “traditional” life she claims to want. Bitter cold mornings, rock-hard bread, and a husband who is all-too-eager to slap her around for her misdeeds. Can she survive the real yesteryear ? Join C + C for yet another romp through the world of tradwifery, religious fundamentalism, and the subjugation of women—this time through the lens of our antihero narrator, Natalie Heller Mills. This far-ranging episode (our longest yet!) covers everything from the author's backstory—she was Court's fav podcaster before she was a bestselling author!—to jealous reviewers' many bad-faith critiques, to our pet theories about Natalie (gay?? autistic????? amish???). Whether you've already devoured the book and want to go deeper, OR you're sick of feeling left out of the conversation, this is one you'll want to tune in to.

    2 ч. 5 мин.
  2. 1 февр.

    Is BookTok Reviving Literature...or Ruining It?

    As its compelling literary content has bled through the cracks of our cultural discourse, BookTok has transformed from merely an internet subculture to a powerful market force that has upended the publishing world as we know it, debatably revived the brick-and-mortar bookstore, and fueled the production of some of the most popular movies and TV shows of the last few years - including the hit new series "Heated Rivalry." What started as a benign TikTok subculture composed of (mostly) women who make and consume content about books has since become a cultural watershed: Is the TikTokification of literature a harbinger of intellectual decline, or a glimmer of hope for a dying medium? Before taking on the intellectual merits of smut, Courtenay & Cecile take a trip into the belly of the beast, starting with some delicious prose depicting a taboo dive bar hookup. We define some terms—"tropes," "spiciness," and "MCs" among them—and try our best to get acquainted with the source material. Next, we start in on the critiques: Is BookTok glorifying consumerism? Can you judge a writer by their number of Instagram followers? Is the publishing industry failing its readers by serving them unedited slop? We take a look at a few major scandals, including the discourse around "Lightlark," the viral video-turned-YA novel that divided the BookTok community. Finally, we look at what the experts have to say: Is there any inherent value in reading, or is it no better for your brain than bingeing the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives? (The answer—according to journalists and psychologists—might surprise you!)

    1 ч. 10 мин.
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A deep-ish dive into the cultural conversations dominating our screens week-to-week. Twin sisters Courtenay and Cecile wield the fading remnants of their liberal arts educations to take on such vital topics as: Is there a male loneliness epidemic? Did liberal feminism ruin the workplace? Will generative AI be the death knell of the influencer era? Does the world really need another podcast helmed by two white Zillennials? Let's discuss.

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