E19: Show and Tell - Satire

I’m dying to see how this one ends. We talk about satire - what it is, how it’s different from parody or hyperbole, how Taylor uses it and why. Jodi starts with the quintessential satirical example from Taylor’s catalog - “Blank Space,” Jenn argues that Reputation is actually a satirical album, and Maansi makes a case for satire in “Mastermind.” Find out what witch hunts and chess have to do with it all. We acknowledge that satire is an intellectual form of comedy, which requires us to examine what Taylor is saying in a more nuanced way. Hear our first read interpretations, and then hunker down for the second read interpretations that unravel the threads of satire a bit to get to the heart of what she’s trying to say.

Mentioned in this episode: 

• "Blank Space" 1989
• "I did something bad" reputation
• "Mastermind" Midnights
• Oxford languages dictionary, Satire
• The Onion
• SNL
• Weird Al 
• Animal Farm, George Orwell
• Best in Show
• Scary Movies
• Hunger Games
• Weekend Update, SNL
• “A Modest Proposal” Jonathan Swift, 1729
• Aristophenes
• English Professor Discusses Satire & Performs Rhetorical Analysis on Swift’s “A Modest Proposal”
• Witches, midwives, and nurses, Barbara Ehrenreich
• The Prince, Machiavelli
• The Art of War, Machiavelli
• Queen’s Gambit

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Episode Highlights: 

[00:38] What is satire and how is it different from Parody?

[04:33] Jonathan Swift satire

[07:33] Blank Space

[20:28] I did something bad

[32:28] Mastermind

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This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.