This one will be quick because I have to teach in about 40 minutes (Sons and Lovers—can’t you see SP as Mrs. Morel?). But since my editor at the CHE mentioned yesterday that my earlier post on Tina Fey/Sarah Palin is still getting “hits” (many from people who would like, I suspect, to see that word applied to me, Sopranos-style), I thought I’d add some new aggro (as they used to say in the U.K.—do they still say that? I haven’t lived there since 1981) and offer proof that I was not the only one who instantly made the connection (to be fair, everybody with access to a TV made that connection) between Fey and Sarah (and yes, I use Fey’s surname out of respect for her accomplishments):
Before you start yelling at me—which is fine and not surprising—I do want you to notice, please, that HRC is also parodied, as brilliantly and unnervingly, as SP.
One last thought before I wrangle with Lawrence (they just finished The Good Soldier and so we’ll discuss the connections between financial control and sexual control in the two novels since, after all, Gertrude Morel resembles Leonora Ashburnham even more than she resembles the Republication V.P. candidate—plus we never talk contemporary politics in my classroom since there’s so much to talk about concerning British modernism, a topic they won’t hear much about on late-night talk shows): I’ve found that Sarah Palin has a particular attraction for women who adore the movies Nine to Five, Erin Brockovich, and Pretty Woman.
Hey, one of those was a fabulous movie. Fey could recreate Tomlin’s character. She’s great—no matter whom she’s playing.
