On Beauty by Zadie Smith
"It's easy to confuse a woman for a philosophy".
In today’s episode, we’re discussing On Beauty, a theme-driven novel by Zadie Smith. Through subtle satire, the book explores complex issues related to race, social class, art, and education—examining these challenging topics within a complex family story and distinctly academic setting.
“He was bookish, she was not; he was theoretical, she political. She called a rose a rose. He called it an accumulation of cultural and biological constructions circulating around the mutually attracting binary poles of nature/artifice”.
As always, we wrap up the episode by sharing 8 pairings to complement your On Beauty reading experience. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
To hear more about Zadie Smith and On Beauty, listen to our introduction episode on Patreon. We’re also discussing the play in depth with our community on May 29th at 7 pm ET on Zoom. We would love to see you there!
Satirical Spring Rewind
Our episode on On Beauty brings our satirical spring to an end. We read five fantastic literary works, including two plays! If you missed any of these episodes or want to go back and revisit, we wanted to share all of our episodes here:
Episode 144 Brideshead Revisited
Episode 145 Measure for Measure with special guest Traci Thomas
Episode 146 The Importance of Being Earnest
Episode 147 The limits of satire & A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
Whether you joined us on Patreon for recaps and class, took in extra resources from our newsletter, or read along in anticipation of our episodes, we are so grateful for you! Check out our upcoming events:
Next up is our Summer Slow Down Read Along of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. We’ll be back in your feed next week with our classic book recommendations to pack for the beach.
Until then, We declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book!
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