Discussions of cross-dressed medieval romance heroines commonly mention the tale of Grisandole. For the sake of completeness, I tracked down this comprehensive analysis of the tale. Although Grisandole's cross-dressing doesn't include any of the accidental homoeroticism of many such tales, this article is a great example of how medieval romances were built up out of pre-existing material, and how many parallel versions of a core tale co-existed, swapping elements out or in depending on the local taste.
LHMP
Blog entry
The medieval French Roman de Silence is a rich text for exploring gender and sexuality, but as is often the case, what you find can depend on what you're looking for. What I personally look for is often imagery that could have informed a medieval woman's understanding of her sexual possibilities. This author seems to have been looking for ways to associate the homoeroticism in the tale with the villainess--even though the villainess's sexual transgressions are all heterosexual from her point of view.
This is the final item from the collection Decoding Anne Lister: From the Archives to ‘Gentleman Jack’. Once again, it's just a place-holder rather than a full summary, as the interview is entirely focused on the making of the modern tv series.
This week I'll be posting from the Golden Crown Literary Society conference in Orlando Florida!
This is another article that I haven't summarized in detail (or much at all) because it's concerned with modern topics, specifically the process of adapting Lister's story for tv. The article if fascinating reading, but not pertinent to history, as such.
The final section of this collection of articles centered around Anne Lister concerns itself with modern engagement with her history and legacy, like this one which has as a jumping-off point the wording on commemorative plaques installed referring to her.
No real summary on this one as it isn't directly relevant to the project.
Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 348 – 10th Anniversary Special: Interview with Linda Garber - transcript
(Originally aired 2026/08/01)
A transcript of the interview will be added when available.
Show Notes
An interview with Professor Linda Garber about her research into lesbian historical fiction.
Books and Media Mentioned
Although primarily focusing on Lister as an example of 19th century tourism and female travelers, this article is also interesting for the examination of her visit to the Ladies of Llangollen at Plas Newydd.
This is another article in the collection that doesn't touch directly on sexuality. It's well worth reading for an understanding of Lister's motivations in her domestic improvements, as well as for the delicate balance between Shibden as historic site and Shibden as media pilgrimage site.
Like a number of the articles in this collection, this is more about the general social context of Anne Lister's life, with little direct reference to her sexuality. But because of the detailed nature of her archives, we can trace more general patterns in the social dynamics of her time.
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