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A show about queer women in history and historic literature, plus coverage of the field of sapphic historical fiction. Content note: May include discussions of sex within an academic context.
Episodes
Sunday Sep 20, 2020
Sunday Sep 20, 2020
On the Shelf for January 2018
The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 35 with Heather Rose Jones
Your monthly update on what the Lesbian Historic Motif Project has been doing.
In this episode we talk about:
- Recent and upcoming publications covered on the blog
- The Lesbian Premodern
- Announcing this month’s author guest, Kathleen Knowles
- New and forthcoming fiction
- The new and forthcoming books segment starts next month. I swear.
- Ask Sappho: Nina, from The Lesbian Review facebook group, asks “Can anyone recommend older literature with subtle (or not so subtle) sapphic undertones? I just read Cousin Bette and really enjoyed the little lesbian romance going on between Valerie and Bette. Apparently the Victorian era had lots of these covert lesbian romance narratives, and I need more!”
- Literary Studies:
- Castle, Terry (ed). 2003. The Literature of Lesbianism: A Historical Anthology from Ariosto to Stonewall.Columbia University Press, New York. ISBN 0-231-12510-0
- Donoghue, Emma. 2010. Inseparable: Desire Between Women in Literature. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. ISBN 978-0-307-27094-8
- Faderman, Lillian. 1981. Surpassing the Love of Men. William Morrow and Company, Inc., New York. ISBN 0-688-00396-6
- Faderman, Lillian (ed). 1994. Chloe Plus Olivia: An Anthology of Lesbian and Bisexual Literature from the 17th Century to the Present. Viking, xx. ISBN 978-0-670-84638-4
- Foster, Jeannette. 1985. Sex Variant Women in Literature. The Naiad Press. ISBN 0-930044-65-7 Third edition of the original 1956 publication.
- Decadent Novels:
- de Balzac, Honoré. 1846. Cousin Bette. gutenberg.org, Librivox audiobook
- de Balzac, Honoré. 1833. The Girl with the Golden Eyes. gutenberg.org, Librivox audiobook
- Gautier, Théophile. 1835. Mademoiselle de Maupin. gutenberg.org
- LeFanu, Sheridan. 1872. Carmilla. gutenberg.org, Librivox audiobook
- Zola, Emile. 1880. Nana. gutenberg.org
- Novels of Romantic Friendship:
- Converse, Florence. 1897. Diana Victrix. gutenberg.org
- James, Henry. 1886. The Bostonians. gutenberg.org vol.1, gutenberg.org vol.2, Librivox audiobook
- Linton, Eliza Lynn. 1880. The Rebel of the Family. gutenberg.orgbook
- Scott, Sarah. 1762. A Description of Millennium Hall. gutenberg.orgbook
- Call for submissions for the 2018 LHMP audio short story series. See here for details.
A transcript of this podcast is available here.
Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online
- Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp
- Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog
- RSS: http://alpennia.com/blog/feed/
- Twitter: @LesbianMotif
- Discord: Contact Heather for an invitation to the Alpennia/LHMP Discord server
- The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Patreon
Links to Heather Online
- Website: http://alpennia.com
- Email: Heather Rose Jones
- Twitter: @heatherosejones
- Facebook: Heather Rose Jones (author page)
Saturday Sep 19, 2020
Saturday Sep 19, 2020
2017 Roundup
The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 34
I take the opportunity for a year-end review of the Lesbian Historic Motif Project blog and podcast.
In this episode we talk about
- What inspired me to first start the blog
- How the podcast started and how it differs from the blog
- The podcast expansion and why I enjoy doing author interviews
- The upcoming fiction project
A transcript of this podcast is available here.
Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online
- Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp
- Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog
- RSS: http://alpennia.com/blog/feed/
- Twitter: @LesbianMotif
- Discord: Contact Heather for an invitation to the Alpennia/LHMP Discord server
- The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Patreon
Links to Heather Online
- Website: http://alpennia.com
- Email: Heather Rose Jones
- Twitter: @heatherosejones
- Facebook: Heather Rose Jones (author page)
Saturday Sep 19, 2020
Saturday Sep 19, 2020
Death did not them Depart
The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 33
An examination of joint grave memorials for pairs of unrelated women that use the symbolism of marriage.
In this episode we talk about:
- Classical Greek sculptural monuments from 5th c. BCE Athens
- A Classical Roman memorial in which two women are shown clasping right hands, in a gesture typically indicating marriage
- The unusual joint memorial brass of Elizabeth Etchingham and Agnes Oxenbridge from the 15th century in East Sussex
- The 17th century grave memorial of Mary Barber of Suffolk, which gave equal prominence to her husband and her beloved friend Ann Chitting.
- The 18th century memorial of Mary Kendall in Westminster Cathedral commemorating her “close union and friendship” with Lady Catharine Jones and her wish that their ashes might lie together after death.
- The memorial dedication by Mary Pope for Katharine Bovey, commemorating their “near 40 years in perfect friendship”, and with additional information documenting their joint household for those 40 years and how Bovey was notorious for refusing marriage in favor of “the pleasures of friendship.”
Articles mentioned
- Bennett, Judith. 2008. “Two Women and their Monumental Brass, c. 1480” in Journal of the British Archaeological Association vol. 161:163-184.
- Bray, Alan. 2006. The Friend. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. ISBN 978-0-226-07181-7
- Brooten, Bernadette J. 1997. Love Between Women: Early Christian Responses to Female Homoeroticism. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. ISBN 0-226-07591-5
- Lanser, Susan S. 2014. The Sexuality of History: Modernity and the Sapphic, 1565-1830. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. ISBN 978-0-226-18773-0
- Traub, Valerie. 2002. The Renaissance of Lesbianism in Early Modern England. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. ISBN 0-521-44885-9
- Younger, John G. “Women in Relief: ‘Double Consciousness’ in Classical Attic Tombstones” in Rabinowitz, Nancy Sorkin & Lisa Auanger eds. 2002. Among Women: From the Homosocial to the Homoerotic in the Ancient World. University of Texas Press, Austin. ISBN 0-29-77113-4
- The Roman memorial stone of Eleusis and Helena can be viewed here.
A transcript of this podcast is available here.
Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online
- Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp
- Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog
- RSS: http://alpennia.com/blog/feed/
- Twitter: @LesbianMotif
- Discord: Contact Heather for an invitation to the Alpennia/LHMP Discord server
- The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Patreon
Links to Heather Online
- Website: http://alpennia.com
- Email: Heather Rose Jones
- Twitter: @heatherosejones
- Facebook: Heather Rose Jones (author page)
Saturday Sep 19, 2020
Saturday Sep 19, 2020
Book Appreciation with T. T. Thomas
The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 32
In the Book Appreciation segments, our featured authors (or your host) will talk about one or more favorite books with queer female characters in a historic setting.
In this episode T. T. Thomas recommends some favorite queer historical novels:
- Miserere by Caren Werlinger
- In this Small Spot by Caren Werlinger - Note: this appears to be contemporary rather than historical.
- Neither Present Time by Caren Werlinger
- Temple Secrets by Susan Gabriel - Note: the lesbian content appears to be minor.
- True Luck Summer by Susan Gabriel - Note: it’s unclear whether this book has lesbian content
- The Secret Sense of Wildflower by Susan Gabriel - Note: this does not appear to be a lesbian novel.
- Occasions of Sin by Elena Graf
- A Small Country About to Vanish by Victoria Avalon
- And then we discuss the importance of historical fiction and what we think readers--especially lesfic readers--can find to enjoy in it.
A transcript of this podcast may be available here. (Transcripts added when available.)
Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online
- Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp
- Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog
- RSS: http://alpennia.com/blog/feed/
- Twitter: @LesbianMotif
- Discord: Contact Heather for an invitation to the Alpennia/LHMP Discord server
- The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Patreon
Links to Heather Online
- Website: http://alpennia.com
- Email: Heather Rose Jones
- Twitter: @heatherosejones
- Facebook: Heather Rose Jones (author page)
Links to T.T. Thomas Online
- Facebook: T.T. Thomas
Saturday Sep 19, 2020
Saturday Sep 19, 2020
Interview with T.T. Thomas
The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - episode 31
A series of interviews with authors of historically-based fiction featuring queer women.
In this episode we talk about:
- What T.T. finds so interesting about the decades around 1900
- Her fascination with the Regency-era figure of Anne Lister, whose diaries discuss her affairs with women in code
- Using professional journals, dictionaries, and court records for historic research
- Correspondence as a medium of storytelling
- How T.T.’s international family history inspired her settings
- The cross-country romantic odyssey of The Blondness of Honey from San Francisco to Chicago
- The story-within-a story of Vivien and Rose: when your characters start writing their own gothic romantic adventures
- Writing less common takes on sexuality
- Speaking of sex in code and metaphor, both in historic documents and fiction
- Mistress of Mogador and researching cultures very different from your own
- Books mentioned
- Whitbread, Helena ed. 1992. I Know My Own Heart: The Diaries of Anne Lister 1791-1840. New York University Press, New York. ISBN 0-8147-9249-9
- Whitbread, Helena ed. 1992. No Priest But Love. New York University Press, New York. ISBN 0-8147-5077-X
- Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander by Ann Herendeen (m/m/f historical romance)
- The Blondness of Honey by T.T. Thomas
- Vivien and Rose by T.T. Thomas
- A Delicate Refusal by T.T. Thomas
- Mistress of Mogador by T.T. Thomas
A transcript of this podcast may be available here. (Transcripts added when available.)
Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online
- Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp
- Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog
- RSS: http://alpennia.com/blog/feed/
- Twitter: @LesbianMotif
- Discord: Contact Heather for an invitation to the Alpennia/LHMP Discord server
- The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Patreon
Links to Heather Online
- Website: http://alpennia.com
- Email: Heather Rose Jones
- Twitter: @heatherosejones
- Facebook: Heather Rose Jones (author page)
Links to T.T. Thomas Online
- Facebook: T.T. Thomas
Saturday Sep 19, 2020
Saturday Sep 19, 2020
On the Shelf for December 2017
The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 30 with Heather Rose Jones
Your monthly update on what the Lesbian Historic Motif Project has been doing.
In this episode we talk about:
- Recent and upcoming publications covered on the blog
- Knighton’s Chronicle
- A joint grave memorial for two 15th century English women
- Thinking Sex with the Premoderns by Valerie Traub
- The Lesbian Premodern
- Announcing this month’s author guest, T. T. Thomas
- New and forthcoming fiction
- I really will be starting this segment soon.
- Ask Sappho: Lauri Wilson asks about the literary and real-life motif of cross-dressing women and how it changed over time. (And joins the show to talk about it.)
- Call for submissions for the new LHMP audio short story segment. See here for details.
A transcript of this podcast is available here.
Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online
- Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp
- Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog
- RSS: http://alpennia.com/blog/feed/
- Twitter: @LesbianMotif
- Discord: Contact Heather for an invitation to the Alpennia/LHMP Discord server
- The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Patreon
Links to Heather Online
- Website: http://alpennia.com
- Email: Heather Rose Jones
- Twitter: @heatherosejones
- Facebook: Heather Rose Jones (author page)
Friday Sep 18, 2020
Friday Sep 18, 2020
When did we become Lesbians?
The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 29
This episode discusses the history of words for women who loved women throughout recorded European history. What words were used? Where did they come from? What shades of meaning did they have? And how did those meanings change over time?
In this episode we talk about the following words:
- Greek: hetairistriai
- Greek and Latin: tribas, tribades
- Latin: lesbian
- English: sapphist
- Latin: fricatrix
- Words related to “sodomite” and “bugger”
- The tricky case of “hermaphrodite” and “virago”
- Slang terms like rubster, lollepot, and tommy
- Arabic: suhaqiyya, tharifa
- Links to entries of the Lesbian Historic Motif Project that discuss these and related words can be found in the “Vocabulary Terms” section of this blog entry
A transcript of this podcast is available here.
Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online
- Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp
- Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog
- RSS: http://alpennia.com/blog/feed/
- Twitter: @LesbianMotif
- Discord: Contact Heather for an invitation to the Alpennia/LHMP Discord server
- The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Patreon
Links to Heather Online
- Website: http://alpennia.com
- Email: Heather Rose Jones
- Twitter: @heatherosejones
- Facebook: Heather Rose Jones (author page)
Friday Sep 18, 2020
Friday Sep 18, 2020
Book Appreciation with Farah Mendlesohn
The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 28 with Heather Rose Jones
In the Book Appreciation segments, our featured authors (or your host) will talk about one or more favorite books with queer female characters in a historic setting.
In this episode Farah Mendlesohn recommends some favorite queer historical novels:
A transcript of this podcast may be available here. (Transcripts added when available.)
Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online
- Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp
- Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog
- RSS: http://alpennia.com/blog/feed/
- Twitter: @LesbianMotif
- Discord: Contact Heather for an invitation to the Alpennia/LHMP Discord server
- The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Patreon
Links to Heather Online
- Website: http://alpennia.com
- Email: Heather Rose Jones
- Twitter: @heatherosejones
- Facebook: Heather Rose Jones (author page)
Links to Farah Mendlesohn Online
- Website: Farah Mendlesohn
- Twitter: @effjayem
Friday Sep 18, 2020
Friday Sep 18, 2020
Interview with Farah Mendlesohn
The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 27 with Heather Rose Jones
A series of interviews with authors of historically-based fiction featuring queer women.
In this episode we talk about:
- I chat with Farah Mendlesohn about her brand new lesbian Regency romance Spring Flowering.
- How did a literary theorist specializing in fantasy and science fiction come to write historic romance?
- Why was the 17th century a great time to set fiction about women loving women?
- How does historical fiction writer Geoffrey Trease come into things?
- How Spring Flowering came out of a challenge and a NaNoWriMo project.
- Books mentioned
- Spring Flowering by Farah Mendlesohn
- In These Times: Living in Britain Through Napoleon's Wars, 1793-1815 by Jenny Uglow
- Beulah Marie Dix (she wrote historical fiction in the early 20th century and was known to have relationships with women)
- Behind Closed Doors: At Home in Georgian England by Amanda Vickery (mentioned as “In the Georgian Household”)
- A Very Queer Family Indeed: Sex, Religion, and the Bensons in Victorian Britain by Simon Goldhill
A transcript of this podcast may be available here. (Transcripts added when available.)
Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online
- Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp
- Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog
- RSS: http://alpennia.com/blog/feed/
- Twitter: @LesbianMotif
- Discord: Contact Heather for an invitation to the Alpennia/LHMP Discord server
- The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Patreon
Links to Heather Online
- Website: http://alpennia.com
- Email: Heather Rose Jones
- Twitter: @heatherosejones
- Facebook: Heather Rose Jones (author page)
Links to Farah Mendlesohn Online
- Website: Farah Mendlesohn
- Twitter: @effjayem
Friday Sep 18, 2020
Friday Sep 18, 2020
On the Shelf for November 2017
The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 26 with Heather Rose Jones
Your monthly update on what the Lesbian Historic Motif Project has been doing.
In this episode we talk about:
- Recent and upcoming publications covered on the blog
- Premodern Sexualities - a collection of papers on the history of sexuality
- Knighton’s Chronicle - a primary text mentioned in the “female knights” essay
- Thinking Sex with the Early Moderns - a theory-heavy book on the process of doing the history of sexuality
- The Lesbian Premodern - another collection focusing on theory and historiography but specifically looking at lesbian premodern history as a field of study
- An article on a medieval English joint memorial brass
- Announcing this month’s author guest, Farah Mendlesohn, and her debut novel Spring Flowering
- New and forthcoming fiction
- Still waiting to start this segment.
- Ask Sappho: Rose Herman-Pall asks “How did women in history signal to each other that they were Sapphically inclined, especially if they were in marriages to men?”
- Call for submissions for the new LHMP audio short story segment. See here for details. See here for details.
A transcript of this podcast is available here.
Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online
- Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp
- Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog
- RSS: http://alpennia.com/blog/feed/
- Twitter: @LesbianMotif
- Discord: Contact Heather for an invitation to the Alpennia/LHMP Discord server
- The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Patreon
Links to Heather Online
- Website: http://alpennia.com
- Email: Heather Rose Jones
- Twitter: @heatherosejones
- Facebook: Heather Rose Jones (author page)