Surplus Women

Why are spinsters always solving mysteries?

Contributors:

—Rosemary Cresswell, senior lecturer in global history at the University of Hull. Follow her on Twitter @RosieCresswell.

—Camilla Nelson, associate professor of writing at the University of Notre Dame Australia.

—Helen Parkinson

Further reading:

—A field guide to spinsters in English fiction

—'Surplus women': a legacy of World War One?

—Singled Out: How Two Million Women Survived Without Men After the First World War by Virginia Nicholson.

—The Shadow of Marriage by Katherine Holden

—Unnatural Death by Dorothy L Sayers

NB: Links to Blackwell’s are affiliate links, meaning that the podcast receives a small commission when you purchase a book there (the price remains the same for you). Blackwell’s is a UK bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge.

You can find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/surpluswomentranscript.