Back to School 4: Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld
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What cultural elements define American preppy culture in 'Prep'?
Did Nero really fiddle while Rome burned? Did Oedipus actually have a complex? And how did a quarter of a million spectators at the Circus Maximus get by with only one loo? Welcome to Instant Classics. I'm Mary Beard, historian and contrarian. And I'm Charlotte Higgins, Guardian journalist and classicist on the side. Instant Classics is a podcast with one foot in the ancient world and one foot in the present. Each week we dive into the myths, the dramas and the characters of classical Greece and Rome to discover what they still mean to us now, from Greek myth to gladiators and from togas to tragedy. And... If you're as excited about Christopher Nolan's forthcoming Odyssey movie as we are, you may want to join the Instant Classics Book Club.
We're making our own Odyssey through Homer's masterpiece, one book at a time. Instant Classics, ancient stories, modern twists, and no degree in classics required. And we're not just... Two blokes. Suck on that patriarchy.
Right.
Sophie, what's your favourite American high school film?
So many to pick from, Jonty. I was just making a little list. And before I tell you, you have to guess. Here's what I've got. Clueless, Bring It On, The Breakfast Club, Fame, Rushmore, Gross Point Blank or Say Anything. Have you seen all of those films?
Most of them.
Have you seen Rushmore?
Yeah. Is that your favourite?
Well, I'm torn. Maybe. But I love Say Anything, the Cameron Crowe film.
Ah, yes. With John Cusack holding up the stereo at the end, right?
Totally.
Totally.
Yeah.
I also made a list. And there's not as much crossover as I thought there might be. I've got Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Mean Girls, Superbad. Heathers, Dead Poets Society, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Dazed and Confused, and here's my all-time favourite, The Breakfast Club, which was on your list as well.
Which was on my list. The Breakfast Club is truly great. We just re-watched The Breakfast Club with our kids. Really holds up. My goodness, it's good.
And I would say that some of those films are not only my favourite American high school films, they're some of my favourite films of all time. And there is not a similar tradition in Britain. Like there are British films about school, but there is something about the American high school film from about 1980 onwards that has emerged as a genre in its own right. And I think the question, and it's the question going to be running through this episode is, is what is so fascinating about American high schools that over the last 40, 50 years, they've become a genre in cinema and fiction that has totally eclipsed, totally eclipsed what was previously the dominant school genre, which was English public school fiction.
100%. I should say, because we are all about the commitment to truth telling in this podcast, Jonty, I was winding you up. My favourite high school movie is Clueless.
So prior to recording, I said, Sophie, this is so boring because your answer is obviously going to be Clueless. And then you got all up to tea. You got all up to tea and said, I'm not telling you. I'm not telling you.
Yeah. But it was.
Clearly, it's the greatest Jane Austen adaptation ever made.
This is The Secret Life of Books. I am Jonty Claypole, high school sporting hero, trying to get my studies done while also focusing on the important things in life, which is scoring.
How does Curtis Sittenfeld's 'Prep' compare to 'The Great Gatsby'?
I don't even know the language. Scoring my next try in American football. What would I do? Touchdown, dude. Touchdown. I'm all about the touchdown.
Yeah, nice. I'm Sophie G. I'm hot. I'm cute. I've got it all going on. I'm the homecoming queen. I stand up in the middle of school assembly with my boombox and I dance wildly to classic rock. This week, I don't think anyone's going to have guessed what the book is. This week is Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld. So we're rounding out our series on high school novels. And we've so far been located in Britain, but we're jumping across the Atlantic this week and several decades. And we're in 1990s Massachusetts with the American novelist Curtis Sittenfeld's first book, Prep.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What cultural elements define American preppy culture in 'Prep'?
0:03–3:53
2
How does Curtis Sittenfeld's 'Prep' compare to 'The Great Gatsby'?
3:53–9:36
3
What themes of class and privilege are explored in 'Prep'?
9:36–14:13
4
How does the character Lee navigate her identity at Ault?
14:13–19:50
5
What role does the game 'Assassin' play in the story?
19:50–24:45
6
How does Lee's relationship with Conquita highlight class differences?
24:45–30:27
7
What does the chapter 'Spring Cleaning' reveal about Lee's struggles?
30:27–35:50
8
How does 'Prep' reflect on the pre-9/11 American elite experience?
35:50–1:13:15