The SparkNotes Twitter account has identified and cornered the market on literary memes
Following in the footsteps of mid-’90s Baz Luhrmann, SparkNotes—y’know, the people who sell English class study aids—is trying to make classic literature “hip” and “cool.” Now that it’s 2019 and, alas, turning teens on to Shakespeare via Hollywood dreamboats emoting to Butthole Surfers songs doesn’t do the trick anymore, the company has taken another route: a social media account that posts non-stop literary memes.
Despite the strong wafts of calculated branding that stink up aspects of this marketing strategy, a lot of what SparkNotes tweets is actually, in its own very specific way, pretty funny.
Take, for example, the many, many Romeo And Juliet-focused images.
All of these are groan-worthy, but the sheer volume of them indicates a long, intense commitment to an ongoing bit that’s ultimately kind of endearing. The Hamlet memes, continuing in the same vein, insert Shakespeare references into well-known meme formats and appeals to pop culture.