Revealing Anne Lister of Shibden Hall
There are two connotations to the word “revealing”: to reveal (v) = to expose; revealing (adj) = enlightening, illuminating.
Either would actually fit the title of a 2010 BBC special that I watched Sunday evening. The wonderful things to see in the special Revealing Anne Lister: to see Helena Whitbread, who published some of Lister’s diaries in the 1980s; and … to SEE THE DIARIES!
You can read more about Helena Whitbread and her Lister books here.
I used to enjoy History to Herstory – a website on Yorkshire Women’s Lives, which used to have a wonderful section on Lister: pictures, extracts of the diaries by Whitbread and Jill Liddington (who’s published some further books on Lister’s diaries). But today I see the website has been “new and improved” — and frankly I’m not sure WHERE to find the bits and pieces about Lister that I loved. If you solve the mystery of their disappearance, do let me know.
The time period of Anne’s diaries make them VERY much of interest to Two Teens; and the story of the publications and the writers working on them are worthy of notice too. A high recommendation for the BBC special.
Charlotte Frost said,
January 25, 2012 at 1:17 am
Thanks for these links, Kelly. I, too, wonder whether our mutual acquaintances ever met Anne Lister.
Janeite Kelly said,
January 26, 2012 at 9:08 am
Hi, Charlotte –
I’ve wondered if the Cunliffe-Listers are any relations (these are Mary’s grandfather’s people), but if I have proved or disproved it for myself it’s in a file somewhere rather than in my brain…
The families travel, but Yorkshire seems never to be on their routes (more gorge than moor tourists).
I will say, though, that people whose writings (diaries and/or letters) survive enough to prompt investigation into their lives seem to always end up somehow running into each other!
I did see your note on Helena Whitbread’s twitter account re: Sir William Knighton.
I was reading Jill Liddington’s late 1980s essay on the historians who had in the past worked on the Lister diaries; I do wish someone would publish more encompassing accounts of them, if not a definitive edition. Patience!
k
Helena Whitbread said,
February 2, 2012 at 4:17 am
Re Janeite Kelly’s closing comment above, I am (and have been for a number of years) working on a full biography of Anne Lister and her circle of women lovers/friends/family. Quite a number of scholars have made her the subject of their theses, from undergraduates to Ph.Ds. There is always scholarly work going on concerning the charismatic Anne Lister!
Janeite Kelly said,
February 2, 2012 at 10:58 am
Dear Helena,
Your Lister biography will be a great pleasure to see, and read. I really admire your work over all these years. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, you and Deirdre Le Faye are two scholars I look up to. You both took on subjects, dug up information, published, found more, published more. Exceptionally impressive!
k