Decoding Anne Lister: From the Archives to ‘Gentleman Jack'

by Caroline Gonda (Editor), Chris Roulston (Editor)

This is the first edited collection of essays on the nineteenth-century diarist Anne Lister. Now recognized as a UNESCO world heritage document, Lister's five-million-word diaries are paradigm-shifting in terms of their range of material, from social commentary and politics to breath-taking travel accounts. However, they have become most well-known for their explicit descriptions of same-sex practices, written in code and constituting a significant portion of their content. The essays here address the variety and interdisciplinarity of the Lister's negotiations with her own 'odd' identity, her multiple same-sex relationships, her involvement in politics and her lifelong thirst for knowledge. It also addresses Lister studies in popular culture through the successful Gentleman Jack BBC-HBO series, including an interview with Sally Wainwright and foreword by author Emma Donoghue. This title is part of the Flip it Open Programme and may also be available Open Access. Check our website Cambridge Core for details.

287 pages, Hardcover

Published July 13, 2023

Reviews

[Ren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an interesting but complicated person. Gotta appreciate they wrote over 5 million words on their diaries, 24 diaries in total, and 4 of them were written on this secret language (so they could talk about gender&sexuality). Gotta be me when I am gone some day