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Strange Antics
- A History of Seduction
- Narrated by: Janine Cooper Marshall
- Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins
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Strange Antics
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Summary
When is seduction about more than just sex? In this brilliantly original history, Clement Knox explores these questions as well as the philosophy, legality, politics, art and literature of a force that underwrites our world.
In the first history of its kind, Clement Knox reassesses our idea of seduction in a narrative that moves from Casanova’s pursuit of pleasure, to America’s racialised seduction laws, to the Nazi propaganda designed to stoke sexual panic, and up to #MeToo.
Modern, big-thinking and enormously entertaining, Knox offers an extraordinary range of stories to chart the many guises of seduction, showing that our ideas about desire, courtship, and power have always developed in step with a changing world.
Critic reviews
‘Clement Knox has mastered the art of reader seduction with his intriguing and expertly woven web of gripping stories and insights. Strange Antics will hold the reader in its thrall’ Hallie Rubenhold, author of The Five
‘Erudite yet engaging … Though ambitious in its scope it is endlessly surprising in the individual stories it unearths. I found this Pandora’s box of sexual mores through the ages both thought-provoking and hugely entertaining’ Cathy Newman
‘Big and bold … His history of seduction examines a variety of narratives from scandalous memoirs to legal procedure … Impressive … There is much to praise here’ Sunday Times
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What listeners say about Strange Antics
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Liz
- 11-12-21
Long winded and unfocused
I was really looking forward to reading this but quickly it's academic tone and rambling story telling paled. I persevered but now i've finished I rather wish I hadn't.
The early chapters go into tedious detail on the lives of Casanova, Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley. Much on their life and actions and little reflection on what that means for the theme of the book.
Jazz, flappers and the sexual revolution of the 1960s, incels, pickup artists and #metoo are all dealt with perfunctorily in the last chapter. There might be a good book in here if it had been pruned hard, as it is, it feels like a first pass at a phd dissertation before their tutor suggested many rewrites.
The narration is generally good and professional. though many mispronounced words, which would have been nothing much if the general text had been less rambling.
So overall, not what I'd hoped and I'm considering getting a refund.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Glenn
- 17-09-22
Western Cultural History through a sexual lens
Not what I was expecting when I downloaded this book, a really interesting analysis of the history of Western Culture as viewed from the perspective of sexual liberation and Gender politics.
in 2022 many might take issue with the binary perspective of cisgender paradigms and a lack of transgender perspectives. But the text is an otherwise thorough and insightful look at the past few Centuries of cultural evolution and revolution.
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