Gentleman Jack

A biography of Anne Lister, Regency Landowner, Seducer and Secret Diarist

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Pub Date Nov 01 2018 | Archive Date Jan 10 2019

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Description

'A fascinating book about a remarkable woman' The Times Anne Lister was a Yorkshire heiress, an intrepid world traveller and a proud lesbian during a time when it was difficult simply to be female. She chose to remain unmarried, dressed all in black and spoke openly of her lack of interest in men. The first woman to climb Vignemale in the treacherous Pyrenees, she journeyed as far as Azerbaijan and slept with a pistol under her pillow. As daring as Don Juan and as passionate as Heathcliff, Anne would not be constrained by the mores of Regency society. Anne's diaries lay hidden for many years, before scholars were brave enough to crack their code. Her erotic confessions and lively letters tell the story of an extraordinary woman. In this groundbreaking new book, celebrated author Angela Steidele gives a fresh perspective on the life of a cult historical figure.

'A fascinating book about a remarkable woman' The Times Anne Lister was a Yorkshire heiress, an intrepid world traveller and a proud lesbian during a time when it was difficult simply to be female...


Advance Praise

'Anne Lister's diaries are an indispensable read for anyone interested in the history of gender, sexuality, and the intimate lives of women' Sarah Waters

'Anne Lister's diaries are an indispensable read for anyone interested in the history of gender, sexuality, and the intimate lives of women' Sarah Waters


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781788160988
PRICE £16.99 (GBP)

Average rating from 16 members


Featured Reviews

"She is another man’s wife. I am solitary."

The deeper I got into this book, the less I liked Anne Lister. To quote the author, she really is a beast of a woman. An egocentric, selfish social climber I truly could not see that she had any heartfelt feelings for anyone except for her namesake Aunt Anne. Even so, this isn't a book about being a good person, or even about love though I suspect that the BBC will sugarcoat the truth in an upcoming drama. Anne Lister was a woman who lived unashamedly true to herself. The simple admission that her lifelong flame was 'another man's wife' is such an honest, modern lament that I wonder just how much we really understand about the gender spectrum in other eras. Though I'm sure that the entirety of the journals are too much for the casual historian, I very much appreciated this snapshot of what proved to be a fascinating, if somewhat wasted, life. 'Neither politics nor business life, neither her studies nor love had brought her success, happiness or satisfaction' yet somehow it seems certain that Anne would be only too satisfied to see both a changed world for lesbians and the esteemed place that her words now have in it.

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I hadn't heard of Anne Lister before I saw this biography on NetGalley, but I am glad I took a chance on it. Anne Lister was a - in many ways - ground-breaking figure from the Regency period and Angela Steidele has done a fantastic job of making her life very readable. Lister was an obsessive diarist, so it seems plenty (too much!) material was available; it has clearly taken a lot of work and skill to shape it into an interesting narrative. I'm especially awed that the biographer herself is German and this book translated - I have no clue how that works with a diary written in a mixture of English and Lister's own private code, but I'm impressed.

Anne Lister is presented a lot in her own words here, which is fabulous and unexpectedly accessible as she really doesn't write in the way you would expect an early 19th century woman to write. She was quite graphic about her sexual conquests, of which there were many, and really doesn't hold back in her views. She is presented as pioneering in many ways, not least her extensive travelling, her open lesbian relationships and her manipulation of inheritance rules so that she could own her own estate and businesses. A lot of what is included in the book doesn't show her in a positive light, for example her mercenary tendencies and her infidelity to her 'wives', but she was clearly an interesting figure and a force to be reckoned with.

The only thing that I found was that the last section of the book, detailing Lister's travels around Russia, were less engaging than the rest. It seems, separate from the intrigues of society and her romances, Lister was an intrepid explorer, but not necessarily very interesting in her record- keeping. I much preferred the more scandalous elements of her life!

Overall, this is an important book because it reveals someone who was very much living at odds with society's norms. Although she can't be hailed in any way as an early feminist, her diary reveals a lot about Regency society and those who did not conform. However, the book is also an entertaining read that presents a vibrant voice from the past.

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Anne Lister is such a fascinating figure, and this is the first biography to really do justice to her and to her circle of friends and lovers.

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