Sex. Love. Literature.

"See, on the road to Hell there was a railroad line..." It's time for a deep dive into the Broadway musical, Hadestown. We get into how the musical adapts the Grek myths of Orpheus and Eurydice & Hades and Persephone for a modern setting; the love stories–and tragedy–of the two core relationships; and the productive ambiguity of seeing it all happen on stage.  Content Warning: Di...

Corinne wasn’t feeling well this week, so Ayanni called in the cavalry. This episode, she's joined by her spouse (and friend of the show) Andrew Cooper to talk about the new action-dramedy series, Mr. and Mrs. Smith . They give their general impressions, think about the series’ adaptation choices, and muse about the show’s depiction of married life.  Show Notes : Other Lit Mentioned this episo...

Happy New Year, y'all! We continue our annual tradition of checking in about what pop-culture is "sparking joy” in January,  our favorites of 2023, and what we’re looking forward to in 2024. (CW: discussion of parental and sibling death.) Oh, and did we mention we have a tumblr now? www.tumblr.com/sexlovelitpodcast Show Notes : Check out Charcooll--the awesome artist who did our cover art...

CW: Discussion of s*xual assault, and brief mentions of drugging and s*icide, from 1:00:27 – 1:04:15 You’ve made it to the third and final installment of our semi-accidental mini-series on the Chinese Drama, Lost You Forever . (You either really like us, or you really like Lost You Forever , and we appreciate you either way.) We know you’ve been waiting for it, so this episode, we finally get to t...

We’re continuing our three-part mini-series on Lost You Forever by diving right into a truck load of spoilers! In honor of the reverse harem-ness at all, we organized our discussion around leading lady, Xiaoyao, and her four suitors. This episode, we start with Xiaoyao herself–and her many abandonment issues. Then, we get into our complicated feelings about her charming, ambitious cousin, Cang Xua...

CW: Brief mention of s*icide @ 30:00. Welcome to the first installment in our three part mini-series on the Chinese drama, Lost You Forever ( Season 1). If you haven’t seen this drama, don’t worry–the first part of our mini-series is spoiler free! We give some context about the show set up, share some spoiler-free reactions, and wrap up with a game of F*ck, Marry, K!ll. Along the way, we also shar...

Happy Halloween, SLL Listeners! This episode is a special spooky season treat: a Trope Spotlight episode on ~Demon Lovers~ 😈. We’re joined by comic-scholar, friend of the show, and fellow monster aficionado Dr. Sam Langsdale to tackle the deliciously demonic topic. Together, we parse through what makes a demon a demon-as well as what we want from a demon lover-throw in some monster theory, and sh...

This episode, on the recommendation of an SLL listener, we’re excited to do a deep dive into the Japanese Drama, Rinko-San Wants to Try . We get into how the show complicates conceptions of virginity, plays with the friends with benefits trope, and maybe get in our feelings a lil bit about a second female lead who really got under Ayanni’s skin. As two people who study, analyze, and have a literal...

This is the second episode of our two part discussion on the Female Gaze. Since we laid some groundwork and gave some context in part one, this time around, we dive right in. In thinking through “the female gaze,” we ask questions of whom we presume is looking and who is being looked at. We also think about how the gaze becomes more complicated in our modern media context, especially when we move...

We’re tackling a big topic in our two part discussion on “the female gaze.” What is the female gaze and why does it matter? In this first episode, we establish some context for the term by getting into the history of the “gaze” as a concept, the psychoanalytic origins of the Male Gaze as theorized by Laura Mulvey, and how the oppositional gaze, as coined by bell hooks, makes space for alternative...

Content warning: This episode contains a very brief discussion of sexual assault from 27:14 - 27:21. Happy 3rd Birthday to Sex. Love. Literature! 🎂 Since we started the show as English PhD candidates, the two of us have been through a lot. And now, over the last year, we’ve defended dissertations, donned our wizard robes, and officially both become doctors. To celebrate, this episode is all about...

Content warning : This episode contains discussion of bullying in the narrative from (13:05 - 19:00) and sexual assault from (37:21 - 48:50). This is the second of our two-parter on Netflix’s Sex Education with filmmaker, writer, and scholar Michele Meek! We dive right into the sex with this one, starting with depictions of sex in the show, how we feel about the ways consent does and does not work...

Content warning: While we don’t discuss sexual assault in detail, we do mention it a few times, since it often comes up in conversations about consent. We've got a treat for you all this episode! Along with your usual fabulous co-hosts, we’re joined by filmmaker, writer, and scholar Michele Meek to discuss the Netflix show Sex Education. In the first of two episodes with Michele, we first learn ab...

We’re doing a deep dive into the Shondaland Netflix show, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story! This episode, we talk about the steamy, but bittersweet romance of George and Charlotte, the evolution of the inimitable Lady Danbury, and how this new Bridgerton tale makes space for the complex desires of mature women. Like most Bridgerton series, this one has a large cast. Skip to (18:56) to bypass th...

This episode, we’re talking about the in’s and out’s of the Friends to Lovers trope. We cover what we think makes for a great friends to lovers story, what really really doesn’t, and throw in a ton of examples. (Only half of which are Kdramas.) What's Sparking Joy ran a little long this episode, so it won't hurt our feelings if you want to skip to the end (19:36). Lit discussed this episode: The D...

We’re diving into the spicy Korean web-drama Hit the Spot , aka Fanta G Spot . There was so much ground to cover (and once again, so much sex) that we’re splitting our discussion into two parts. In part one–which you’re reading about right now–we give some context for the show’s setup, introduce the cast of characters, and share our reactions to the two main romances. Make sure you listen to part...

This episode continues our deep dive into the sexy and sex-filled Korean web-drama Hit the Spot, aka Fanta G Spot.  We get into the ways that the drama centers female pleasure, how it balances education with fantasy, and ask if consent can really be sexy. (Spoiler: yes.) If you haven't listened to part one, check it out for our take on the show’s setup, the cast of characters, and for our reac...

It's time for our yearly celebration of pop-culture: "What's Sparking Joy 2023!" We start off with a round of “What’s Sparking Joy” for us in January, move on to thinking about our favorite pop culture of 2022, what we’re looking forward to in 2023, and a round of pop-culture predictions. We also take a moment remembering KPOP! Broadway and our experience seeing the final performance of its run. (...

This is our spoiler-filled deep dive into the Chinese Drama, Love Between Fairy and Devil . (If you'd like to hear our take on the drama sans-spoilers, check out "E23: Love Between Fairy and Devil (Part 1, Spoiler Free)".)  In this episode, we cover the show’s multifaceted depictions of love, the scenes that made us cry, and a spicy take about the show’s finale. Plus, there's a special behind...

Happy New Year, SLL Listeners 🎉🎉 For our first episode of 2023, we’re diving into our first Chinese Drama discussion with the high fantasy romance Love Between Fairy and Devil . If you haven’t seen this drama, don’t worry! The first part of our conversation--AKA this episode right here--is spoiler free! We give some context about the fantastic storytelling, the fabulous cast of characters, and a...

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of sexual assault, from (28:34 - 35:55). At the last YASA Conference, we answered the very pressing question on the mind of every Lore Olympus reader: Why is Hades So Hot? (Read: many, many reasons.) This time around we broaden our focus by putting Lore Olympus in context. In our "semi-academic" style, we discuss how this adaptation of the Hades &a...

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of sexual assault, beginning at (18:55). In this special episode, we ask the question on the mind of all Lore Olympus readers: why is Hades so hot? This episode was originally recorded in 2020 for the the inaugural Young Adult Studies Association Conference, so it leans a little more academic than our usual episodes. We get into how how cartoonist...

This episode is the second of our two-parter on Bridgerton , Jane Austen, and the appeal of the Regency Romance genre. Continuing our tête-à-tête with Mav and Hannah from Vox Popcast , we get into why Netflix’s Persuasion may or may not have sucked, other delightful Jane Austin adaptations, and what ingredients we absolutely have to have to make a regency romance work. You can find Hannah, Mav, an...

Back in your ear holes for the first time since May, we’re fresh off our summer hiatus. This episode we’re joined by friends of the show, and fellow pop-culture connoisseurs, Mav and Hannah from VoxPopcast . In part inspired by Netflix’s recent Persuasion adaptation as well as the continued success of Bridgerton , we wanted to put regency romances in context. In the first of two parts, we get into...

In the second of two episodes on Netflix’s Love is Blind , we continue our discussion with June and Lauren on dating reality television. We get into the gendered expectations around love and sex; why you should never feel guilty about enjoying reality shows; and our guests’ favorite matchmaking show of all time, Are You the One? You can find Lauren and June's new show, Under Review, where ever you...