Decoding Anne Lister

This is the first edited collection of essays on the nineteenth-century diarist Anne Lister. Now recognised as a UNESCO world heritage document, Lister’s 5-million-word diaries are paradigm-shifting in terms of their range of material, from social commentary and local and global politics to breath-taking travel accounts. However, they have become best known for their explicit descriptions of same-sex practices, which were written in code and constitute a significant portion of their content. The collection addresses the full variety and interdisciplinary quality of Lister’s diaries: her complex negotiations with her own ‘odd’ identity, her multiple same-sex relationships, her involvement in local politics, her travel accounts and her lifelong thirst for knowledge. It also addresses how Lister studies have crossed over to the realm of popular culture through the successful Gentleman Jack BBC-HBO series, and includes an interview with Sally Wainwright and a 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.

Chris Roulston is Professor of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies and French Studies at the University of Western Ontario. She has been a leading Lister scholar for the past decade. Her essays on Lister’s relationship with Eliza Raine, classical literature, queer sexuality, marriage and Gentleman Jack have appeared in Eighteenth-Century Studies (2022), the Journal of Lesbian Studies (2013, 2022) and the Journal of the History of Sexuality (2021).

Caroline Gonda is College Associate Professor and Director of Studies in English at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge. She was the first person appointed to the post of LGBTQ+ Fellow at a Cambridge College. With John Beynon, she co-edited the pioneering collection Lesbian Dames: Sapphism in the Long Eighteenth Century (2010). She writes and teaches on literature, gender and sexuality, particularly lesbian narrative and queer reception.