Ep. 6 - No, Thanks: The Aimless Female Antihero

We talk about the series 'Fleabag,' written by and starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge. We discuss the title character as a comedic anti-hero who acts against the normative understanding of femininity in the 21st century. We examine the structure of the show, which begins as a raunchy comedy and evolves into an exploration of grief and forgiveness. We also explore the show’s relationship with contemporary feminism and the demands it makes of women.

We’re joined by doctors Sarah Hagelin and Gillian Silverman, Associate Professors of English at CU Denver, as well as CU Denver students Brittney Finley, Alyssa Haskel, and Kamesh Saba.

Further reading:

Bastow, Clem. “Fleabag’s feminist rethinking of tired screenwriting tools.” The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/fleabags-feminist-rethinking-of-tired-screenwriting-tools-121104

Jones, Alice. “How ‘Fleabag’ Sold Thousands of Jumpsuits and Made Religion Sexy.” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/16/arts/television/fleabag-phoebe-waller-bridge-uk.html

The songs you hear on the show are "Belle et Triste" and “Roza Vertov” by Kariatida: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kariatida