Sirens, succubi & sex symbols: a history of female monsters

Sirens, succubi & sex symbols: a history of f...

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Cannibalism, heartbreak and Madame Guillotine: George Forster's extraordinary life

He sailed to Antarctica with Captain Cook, rubbed shoulders with Benjamin Franklin and helped found a revolutionary republic. It’s little wonder, then, that Andrea Wulf describes George Forster – the 18th-century traveller, botanist and champion of human rights – as “one of the m ...  Show more

Charlotte Brontë's life through clothes

We might picture Charlotte Brontë's life as an isolated one, separated from much of the world and its fashions as she whiled away the hours in her father's Haworth parsonage. But the truth, as Eleanor Houghton tells Lauren Good, is very different. By exploring the clothes Charlot ...  Show more

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The Sirens
The Ancients

The word 'Sirens' conjures up many images, possibly of beautiful mermaid-like creatures luring sailors to their watery deaths. These ancient Greek mythical creatures, linked to the Queen of the Underworld Persephone, feature in well known myths such as Jason and the Argonauts ...

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Conversations: Women Are Wet & Spongy, the History of the Female Body w/ Prof Helen King
Let's Talk About Myths, Baby! | Greek Mythology & the Ancient Mediterranean

Liv speaks with Professor Helen King about her new book Immaculate Forms, and the history of the female body. From the ancient world (women were wet and spongy) to the more modern (Man Discovers Clitoris). Plus, Artemis and periods.CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. ...  Show more

The Truth About Medusa
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

You could be forgiven for thinking the Greek myth of Medusa has zero relevance to us today. Snake for hair?!


But as you'll hear in today's episode, she's a woman who was vilified for her femininity and sexuality. She was literally cast out of society for it - into a ...

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Conversations: How Women Became Poets, Gender History in Greek Literature w/ Emily Hauser
Let's Talk About Myths, Baby! | Greek Mythology & the Ancient Mediterranean

Liv speaks with author Emily Hauser about her book How Women Became Poets. They look at women in Greek myth, literature, etymology, and, very specifically, the long and arduous history of women 'poets' in Greek literature. Plus, a sneak peak at Emily's next work: Mythica/Penelope ...  Show more