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Ep. 4: 40 Elephants and Other Dangerous Women

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Ep. 4: 40 Elephants and Other Dangerous Women

By: Stephen Fry
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About this listen

This episode examines how the role of women in education, marriage, divorce, sexuality, psychology and politics were all debated in the Victorian era. Some women were becoming active in society, whether men liked it or not- and some used the power of the pen to assert themselves.

In particular we’ll meet Mary Carr, ‘Queen of the Forty Thieves’, an all-female criminal gang, later known as the 40 Elephants, well known for attracting men and then turning what looked like seduction into extortion. They were shoplifters, blackmailers and dab hands at swindling people – mainly men - out of money....

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A thoroughly enjoyable series spoilt only by that infernal piano jangling so persistently in the background. I have now developed a way of listening that manages to block out the irritating plink plonk and focus hard on the narrative. Thus, I should manage to get to the end of the series sane.

Thoroughly enjoyable

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