Textory - The Podcast

(TW: a description of s*xual harassment) What happens when a curious young girl tries to learn about taboo topics? In today's episode, we're reading an anonymous "Young Girl's Diary" published in the 1920s and supposedly written in 1910s. 
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With Halloween around the corner, today we’re appropriately talking about Victorian d*ath - specifically, what were the most common causes, and what ideas they had to avoid it.  
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We all know someone who knows someone who has some good stories... How about some from 1920s? These supposedly real encounters were described and sent in by the readers of "Ghost Stories" magazine.
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Levitating tables, ghostly plasma sightings, mysterious voices - every turn-of-the-century seance enjoyer was hoping for some unforgettable spirit manifestations. But one medium has had enough, and she ruthlessly spilled the tea on all the tricks of the trade. Today we're reading "Mediums Unmasked" from 1892, where the authoress is debunking and exposing all of the "mysterious" happenings linked with psychic mediums like herself.
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Blind obedience, an open mind, critical thinking skills – what was expected of early 20th century students and what tips were considered useful to students? Find in today's episode, where we're reading a "How To Study" manual from 1917.
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Today we're reading possibly the oldest text in - wait for it, it's a mouthful - Textory's history! The Sarashina Diary (AD 1009-1059) was written by a Japanese lady who spent much of her life at royal court.
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Nothing scared 17th century folks more than witches, but women dressing in masculine styles was a close second. In today's texts - "Hic Mulier" and "Haec Vir" pamphlets from the 17th century, we're examining what exactly was considered so unforgivable that had to be put to print. 
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What was random dating and how did it affect 1950s love lives? What was the pinning ritual all about and why was it perfect for predatory young men? All this and more in today's episode about the "Modern Courtship and Marriage" book from 1957.

How much studying is too much? What should a female student wear? What should her dorm look like? If you were a female student in the Edwardian era, you would have loved "Girl Student Days and After" from 1911 - our today's text!
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Over a hundred years ago parents were also looking to parenting books for advice. What does this one, "The Best Method for Raising Children" from 1924, has to say about caring for newborns, corporal punishment or regulating your emotions? You'll be surprised.

Located at the edge of the Baltic sea, 17th century Gdańsk was a multicultural merchant city. Peter Mundy, a British traveller, lived there for around a decade, and left a fascinating memoir of his time in the town located in modern-day northern Poland that we're reading in this episode. 
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What was a typical day like for a teacher in a small town in 1890s Illinois? Today we’re reading diaries of Emma Wormwood and reflecting on the lifestyle, duties and leisure a woman faced in a 19th century rural setting. 
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What if I told you first popular advice column was published in the 1690s? “The Athenian Mercury” followed a Q&A format, which dealt with issues from the fields of philosophy, physics, religion, and interpersonal relationships, which are the focus of today’s episode. 
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Should a potential 1920s candidate for a wife be "untouched”? Not at all, let her use life! At least that was the opinion of Clement Wood, the author of today’s text - “The Art of Courtship” from 1926. Surprisingly bold for the era, Wood’s tips and tricks on “wooing” the opposite sex are the focus of today’s episode. Enjoy! 
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Are women good at poetry? Can they even write it? These were probably serious questions people in the past were asking. In today’s episode we have an answer that is a loud and clear “YES”, as we read works of female English, Scotch and Irish women throughout 17th-19th centuries. 
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We might imagine Renaissance Italy as a place of innovation and art, but the day to day reality was plagued by disgusting behaviors. Today we're reading a surprisingly foul 16th century manual on being a well-behaved person. 
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Tom Lefroy is often pictured as Jane Austen’s true love that forever ruined her views on marriage. But do her own writings suggest it was mostly... well, a situationship? Find out in today’s episode! 
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Rotting flesh, deformed bones, disappearing noses... Old medicine didn’t have much to offer for those suffering from the most horrific diseases - like syphilis - but some attempted ailing the sick. In today’s episode we’re reading “Observations on the Venereal Disease” from 1686. 
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From never-ending list of tasks and duties to possibly being mistreated, domestic service in the Victorian era sounds like absolute hell. And yet, for many women, it was a dream job. Today we’re reading “Instructions in household matters: or, The young girl's guide to domestic service” from 1845, which details how to best prepare for that sort of work. 

Also, welcome to season 3 of Textory The Podcast! Announcement time – future episodes of the podcast will be uploaded on a separate Youtube channel rather than on my channel, so if you’ve been following the podcast there, make sure to sub...

Working nights? Working from home? Lunch breaks? These were some of the very modern-sounding questions working women were asking during WW1. In today's episode we're talking women's labour and reading "The Garment Worker" magazine from April 1918.
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Gloves or no gloves? How did you get introduced to eligible gentleman? Could he buy you a drink? Today we're reading “Routledge’s Ballroom Companion” from 1866.
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It's winter season in 1839 and you're trying to survive. What would be your reading of choice? Probably "How To Prevent Consumption", with bleakly useless advice and wild theories.

Famous for his dead-pan comedy style, Buster Keaton was one the kings of slapstick comedy. But behind his success hid battles with production studios, his wife, and his addiction. In today’s episode, we’re reading Keaton’s memoir “My Wonderful World of Slapstick”. 
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There is so much myth and speculation around who Marie Antoinette was as a person, that it’s really helpful to have historical texts from the era – like today’s “Memoirs of Madame Campan” - of people that really knew her. But how reliable are her observations? 
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Probably the farthest we’ve ever gone in our podcast time machine – today we’re in ancient Rome, in a crowd of very upset women, as described by Livy in “History of Rome”. 
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A feminist – bordering on misandrist – text from 1592? Written by a woman? Count me in! In today’s episode, we’re reading Moderata Fonte’s “The Merits of Women”, translated and edited by Virginia Cox. 

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While owning cats as pets goes back to antiquity and beyond, the existence of self-proclaimed “cat people” is a result of the popularization of the hobby in the 19th and 20th centuries. Today we’re reading Francis Simpson’s “Cats and All About Them” from 1902 to see what Edwardian cat ownership looked like. 
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In today’s episode we’re reading a rulebook on how to be an absolutely insufferable Victorian f*ckboy, by none other than the courtesan and dancer Lola Montez. Her “The Art of Fascinating” from 1858 should be a guide to anyone setting up a Tinder profile. 
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Not all women involved with the feminist movement were necessarily radical. Today we’re reading “Woman’s Thoughts on Women” by Dinah Craik, a British writer with an unusual life story, and discovering her views on female work, female friendships, and old women’s clothes. 
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Ever wondered what decisions were behind Victorian home decorating? No? Well now you are! “Handbook of Housekeeping on a Small Income” from 1897 guides the reader through comfortably arranging your own house while keeping things (relatively) budget friendly. 
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We all know about Victorian obsession with ankles. But they didn’t just leave things to take their own course – as documented in this 1858 manual by Lola Montez on keeping your ankles (and other body parts) fresh and sexy. 

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In the modern dating climate, we sometimes wish relationships came with a manual. In the 1920s, ladies could use one, written by the author of the previous episode’s “A Woman You Should Not Marry”. How does it compare? Is Reinhold Gerling, to quote Mr Darcy, equally “severe upon his own sex”? 

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At the end of the 18th century, it was not easy to restore one’s reputation as a seduced woman and a single mother. But the author of the “Advice To Unmarried Women” from 1791, the text we’re focusing on in this episode, believed it’s possible. 

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The infamous Hays code changed cinema history forever – but what were the actual rules? This episode dissects the 1929 document that made movie kisses short and innuendos nearly extinct.  

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Getting separated with your husband after 7 months is not a typical problem for a 17-year-old... Unless you lived in the 50s! In this episode we’re looking at relationship troubles that teenagers dealt with and the advice that was given to them in the “Boy Loves Girl” comic magazine. 

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https://www.patreon.com/textory 

Choosing a marriage partner is no easy feat, even less so when it’s the 1920s and divorces are still uncommon. Unsure gentlemen could have used guidebooks like the one we’re reading in this episode - “A Woman You Should Not Marry” by Reinhold Gerling. Warning: plenty of sexism in this one. 

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If you thought the types of crimes women throughout history commited were minor thefts and disobeying their husbands, think again! Coin forgers, highwaywomen, murderers and all sorts of fascinating felons are subject of today’s episode, as we’re reading 18th century court records from Old Bailey. 

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What fate awaited an unmarried, disgraced 15-year-old in the Regency era? Well, a life of success and climbing the social ladder if you were smart about it! Our text for this episode is the Memoirs of Harriette Wilson, a Georgian courtesan who published them out of spite, calling out her past lovers. Slay! 
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How do fairies benefit the planet? How do they procreate? Do fairy horses exist? These are genuine questions none other than sir Arthur Conan Doyle asked himself in 1922. In this episode we’re reading his book “The Coming of the Fairies”, a serious essay on the possible existence of fairies. 
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Hi guys! Welcome back to Textory season 2! I have lots of deliciously scandalous and irresistibly fascinating texts for you this season. If you want to support what I’m doing, check out my Patreon! 

https://www.patreon.com/textory 

Two castles, a husband-prince, longest string of pearls in the world - what more could a girl wish for? In this episode we’re reading the diaries of Princess Daisy of Pless, revealing a life full of travels, flirtations, but also dullness and longing for something more.