straygodess replied to your photoset: “Anne Lister in love with Miss Walker. Anne Lister’s diary, 1832....”
thank you op i read that she was in it for the money too and dreaded how thatd play out in the series.. but this is beauiful
I’m gonna take this opportunity to just say a few words about this matter. We should all keep in mind that we’re talking about a woman who lived 200 years ago, the concept of love was different back then and she acted following the “rules” of heterosexual relationships, because that’s what she knew. Anne wanted a wife, she wanted someone to share her life with. People married out of convenience, not for love, love was a secondary thing, not a priority, and part of the appeal of a person came also from their social position and their money (maybe this is an absurd concept for us today but it wasn’t absurd in the 19th century). When Anne decides to “make up to Miss Walker” she does it because Miss Walker would be a perfectly reasonable choice as a partner, because of her position and her money, but also because: “We got on very well together. Thought I, as I have several times done before of late, shall I try & make up to her?” (August 10, 1832). Anne liked her company.
Their relationship was not always a happy one and for sure it wasn’t easy, Ann Walker suffered from depression and anxiety and her mental health was really really bad, this also had an impact on Anne Lister’s mood. Anne Lister cared about Miss Walker; when their “engagement” doesn’t go has planned Lister tries to convince herself that she doesn’t care that much about Ann: “The tears silently trickling from my cheeks down hers. Somehow I was shockingly softened tho’ perpetually saying to myself ‘Well, I care not how she decides…’. On awaking found myself as tearful as ever...” (November 2, 1832) I mean...this bitch says she doesn’t care but cries all her tears. And let’s not forget that Anne’s the only one who takes care of Miss Walker and actively tries to restore her health, she never leaves Ann’s side even when things get really bad (if that’s not love, I mean..).
To end this rant I wanna say and scream from the top of my lungs: Anne Lister was always faithful to Ann Walker! She didn’t even care about Mariana Lawton anymore and she considered herself happy. From Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister: “At first Mariana was shocked at just how settled Anne and Ann were as a couple. Occasionally she tried to tempt Anne with an ‘open-lipped’ kiss but Anne resisted, refusing all intimacy. ‘The fact is’, said Anne when Mariana left to return to Lawton Hall, ‘I am not sorry she is gone’ (November 12, 1836)”.