Alpennia Blog

Thursday, August 13, 2026 - 11:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project The last two covered publications about medieval romances had only tangential relevance to the Project, but this article is a treasure. I've previously run across passing references to the same-sex romantic interactions in Amadis de Gaule, but they tended to assume that the reader was thoroughly familiar with the tale. This article focuses specifically on those romances and lays out the background and context for the…

Sunday, August 9, 2026 - 20:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project 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…

Saturday, August 8, 2026 - 15:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project 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…

Wednesday, August 5, 2026 - 14:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project 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. Major category: LHMPTags: LHMP LHMP #577 Donoghue & Wainwright 2023 Emma Donoghue in Conversation with Sally Wainwright About LHMP

Tuesday, August 4, 2026 - 13:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project 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. Major category: LHMPTags: LHMP LHMP #576 Roulston 2023 From Anne Lister to…

Monday, August 3, 2026 - 16:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project 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. Major category: LHMPTags: LHMP LHMP #575 Gonda 2023 Labels, Plaques and Identity Categories About LHMP Full citation:

Sunday, August 2, 2026 - 11:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project No real summary on this one as it isn't directly relevant to the project. Major category: LHMPTags: LHMP LHMP #574 Steidele 2023 Traveling in the Caucasus About LHMP Full citation: Steidele , Angela. 2023. “Traveling in the Caucasus, Traveling in Time: Decoding Biography as Genre” in Decoding Anne Lister: From the Archives to ‘Gentleman Jack’, Chris Roulston & Caroline Gon

Saturday, August 1, 2026 - 07:00 lhmpodcast.jpg 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 Garber, Linda. 2022. Novel Approaches to Lesbian History. Palgrave. ISBN 978-3030854164 Cruikshank, M. (ed) 1982.…

Tuesday, July 28, 2026 - 10:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project 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. Major category: LHMPTags: LHMP LHMP #573 McHugh 2023 The Art of Travelling Requires an Apprenticeship About LHMP Full citation: McHugh , Kirsty. 2023. “‘The Art of Tr

Sunday, July 26, 2026 - 15:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project 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. Major category: LHMPTags: LHMP LHMP #572 Clare 2023 Anne Lister’s Home About LHMP Full citation:

Saturday, July 25, 2026 - 17:55 thetheoryof-600wide.jpeg On August 25, 2026 I'll be releasing the book version of my project The Theory of Related-ivity: A History and Analysis of the Best Related Work Hugo Category. This is a revised and slightly expanded version of the blog series, based on reader feedback and some additional data that I was pointed to. It will be available both in ebook and print versions from all the usual sources. There are arguments for each format. In the print version,…

Saturday, July 25, 2026 - 11:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project 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. Major category: LHMPTags: LHMP LHMP #571 Ulph 2023 Building Castles in the Air About LHMP Full citation:

Friday, July 24, 2026 - 11:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project The modern political landscape might suggest an association between queer lives and progressive politics, but history is more complicated than that. Like some of her contemporaries, Lister embraced what Lanser frames as a "compensatory conservatism," resting also on her status as a landowner and entrepreneur, where conservative politics to some extent helped balance out the eccentricities of her personal life. Major category:…

Wednesday, July 22, 2026 - 10:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Not all of the articles in this collection have the historic focus that's my primary interest. But if my teasers intrigue you, the collection is available through Open Access. Major category: LHMPTags: LHMP LHMP #569 Baylis-Green 2023 Self-Conscious Closeting About LHMP Full citation: Baylis-Green, Caroline. 2023. “Self-Conscious Closeting and Paradoxical Writing in Anne Li

Tuesday, July 21, 2026 - 09:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Everything I've read by Stephen Turton on the history of queer language has been fascinating. This is no exception. Major category: LHMPTags: LHMP LHMP #568 Turton 2023 My Use of the Word Love About LHMP Full citation: Turton, Stephen. 2023. “‘My Use of the Word Love’: Lister, Language and the Dictionary” in Decoding Anne Lister: From the Archives to ‘Gentleman Jack’, Chris Roulst

Friday, July 17, 2026 - 20:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Anne Lister was widely read and infinitely curious about scientific topics. When she turned her curiosity to the human body, there was an underlying purpose. Major category: LHMPTags: LHMP LHMP #567 Clark 2023 Anne Lister’s Search for the Anatomy of Sex About LHMP Full citation: Clark, Anna. 2023. “Anne Lister’s Search for the Anatomy of Sex” in Decoding Anne Lister: From the

Saturday, July 18, 2026 - 07:00 lhmpodcast.jpg Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 347 - On the Shelf for June & July 2026 - Transcript (Originally aired 2026/07/18) Welcome to On the Shelf for—well, this is a catch-up episode covering both June and July 2026, after my broken arm-related vacation. I’m back to typing with both hands now, though it’s a bit slower and more painful than usual and I may continue using my computer’s speech-to-text function sometimes to help out. The schedule is…

Sunday, July 12, 2026 - 14:27 lhmpodcast.jpg Major category: LHMPTags: LHMPpodcast2027 Fiction Series Call for Submissions: 2027 Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast Fiction Series The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast will be open for submissions in January 2027 for short stories in the lesbian historic fiction genre, to be produced in audio format for the podcast, as well as published in text on the website. I strongly advise authors to review these guidelines thoroughly be

Saturday, July 11, 2026 - 08:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Attention has been drawn to the fact that -- in all of her voluminous journaling -- Anne Lister never identifies with existing terms for women-loving-women, such as "tribade" or "lesbian" (yes, the word existed during her era) and explicitly rejected identification with "sapphic." Some have seen this as a strong argument for viewing her primarily through a transgender lens. But this article points out a different angle: that…

Friday, July 10, 2026 - 16:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project My brief break is over and I have another series of Anne Lister posts coming before moving on to other topics. This is a collection of articles revolving around archival material and/or the relationship between history and popular culture. These write-ups were done using a combination of hand-written notes and speech-to-text software, due to my broken arm. Although I've tried to do careful proofreading, the speech-to-text…

Tuesday, June 30, 2026 - 18:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Well I did it: I posted something for the Project on every day in June. This was, in part, thanks to tackling the longer work that could be chunked up into multiple posts. I try to do the marathon posting every year for Pride month, but this year was on hard mode due to the broken arm. The cast comes off in two days, after which there will be an unknown period of physical therapy getting back to 100%. I'll be taking a short break…

Monday, June 29, 2026 - 17:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Sometimes when I'm summarizing the conclusion of a work it feels like I'm just being repetitive. But in this case I think an overall summary of my summary of the book helps to put all of the pieces together into a big picture. Major category: LHMPTags: LHMP LHMP #564q Orr 2006 A Sojourn in Paris - Conclusion About LHMP Full citation: Orr, Dannielle. 2006. A Sojourn in Paris 182

Sunday, June 28, 2026 - 11:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project As we come to the close of the analysis chapters of Orr's dissertation, we finally focus in on the course of Lister's courtship of Barlow and the landmarks in its progression. Major category: LHMPTags: LHMP LHMP #564p Orr 2006 A Sojourn in Paris - Anne and Mrs Barlow About LHMP Full citation: Orr, Dannielle. 2006. A Sojourn in Paris 1824-25: Sex and Sociability in the

Saturday, June 27, 2026 - 16:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project In this section of Orr's dissertatioin, she traces how Lister used gradual revelations of her sexual history as past of negotiating her courtship of Mrs Barlow. Major category: LHMPTags: LHMP LHMP #564o Orr 2006 A Sojourn in Paris - Anne’s Sexual Story About LHMP Full citation: Orr, Dannielle. 2006. A Sojourn in Paris 1824-25: Sex and Sociability in the Manuscript Writing

Friday, June 26, 2026 - 14:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project We finally get to the section of Orr's dissertation that explores in detail Anne Lister's romance with Mrs. Barlow. Major category: LHMPTags: LHMP LHMP #564n Orr 2006 A Sojourn in Paris - Chapter Three Anne’s Sexuality; Anne and Mrs Barlow About LHMP Full citation: Orr, Dannielle. 2006. A Sojourn in Paris 1824-25: Sex and Sociability in th

Thursday, June 25, 2026 - 15:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Listers landlady in Paris sometimes seems almost like a caricatures. She is constantly matchmaking among her tenants, sowing discord and gossip to manipulate them, and possibly participating in her housekeepers side business of arranging for sexual services. Her failure to correctly identify Lister's social interests provided both comedy and conflict. Major category: LHMPTags: LHMP LHMP #564m Orr 2006 A Sojourn in Paris - Mme de…

Wednesday, June 24, 2026 - 16:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project If there's a moment of pure comedy in Anne Lister's diary entries for her Paris stay, it's watching her continued obliviousness to the attempts of her landlady to hook her up with Mr. Franks. "Oh, we just happen to be the two odd people out in every social outing that Madame de Boyve has arranged. Ha ha. What a coincidence!" Major category: LHMPTags: LHMP LHMP #564l Orr 2006 A Sojourn in Paris - Mr. Franks About LHMP

Tuesday, June 23, 2026 - 17:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Although the most significant romance that our Lister enjoyed during her Paris trip was with Mrs. Barlow, there are several other flirtations of various intensity that are documented in her journal. This section of the dissertation looks at her interactions with Mademoiselle de Sans. Major category: LHMPTags: LHMP LHMP #564k Orr 2006 A Sojourn in Paris - Melle de Sans About LHMP Full citation:

Monday, June 22, 2026 - 09:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project People sometimes ask me how lesbians in the past found each other, and sounded each other out about their desires. In this section, looking at Lister's socializing with the MacKenzie mother and daughter in Paris, we see a teenager's insightful observation of Lister's personality, and how she used her classical education to carefully ask that sort of question. Major category: LHMPTags: LHMP LHMP #564j Orr 2006 A Sojourn in Paris -…

Sunday, June 21, 2026 - 21:00 The Lesbian Historic Motif Project There's some thing of a rolling process to setting up and posting these blogs. Even as I am in the middle of posting the sections of Orr's dissertation, I'm working ahead to finish writing up the remainder of the blogs for this document. I have one more work session to complete that work and then I can coast for the rest of the month. It looks like I've timed the blogs precisely to finish the current publication on the last day of…