Lister's Social Context in Paris

This section opens with several encounters Lister had with figures from (recent) French history that presumably had resonance for her personally in some way. She and Mrs. Barlow visited the prison where Marie Antoinette had been kept. Orr connects this with Marie Antoinette’s homosexual reputation (true or not) and with the fascination she held in that regard in the 19th century. The two also examined the writings of Madame de Sévigné, the famous salonnière known for her intimate female friendships. Another set of records that Lister and Barlow took the opportunity to examine were those related to Joan of Arc. Orr speculates that Lister and Barlow may have discussed the possible intimate history of these two women as well (though it appears there’s no positive record of such discussion) as women who stepped outside gender expectations, and who attempted to manage their sexual reparations related to that. Orr also connects this topic to Lister’s thoughts about the Ladies of Llangollen. The interest, Orr asserts, was not in the truth or falsity of claims about these figures, but an interest in how they actively managed the way in which society saw them. In particular, the Ladies and Lister’s neighbor Miss Pickford presented examples of how a public reputation as romantic friends could be maintained in conjunction with an erotic partnership.

This chapter as a whole examines how Lister interacted socially with the other residents of Place Vendôme and her strategies for managing her own and others’ reputations. Soon after arriving, Lister began speculating on the romantic potential of several of the residents, as part of a larger assessment of the character of her fellow lodgers. [Note: I may have previously described the boarding house as being specifically for women, which isn’t the case. I was misled by the fact that Whitbread’s excerpts focus entirely on the female residents. As will be seen, the male residents make part of the sexual dynamic of the whole.]

Within the house, residents made visits between their rooms in the same way that one might visit other houses, and these are recorded in the journal with the same notation as external visiting, providing evidence for interactions. Lister was quite curious and opinionated about her fellow guests and was often sarcastic and slyly witty in her descriptions. Her commentary maps out her views on normative acceptable behavior.

Orr provides a catalog of key figures in the residence. In addition to the proprietor Madame de Boyve (and her husband who makes very little appearance), there were two English widows with teenage daughters, Mrs. MacKenzie and Mrs. Barlow. An Anglo French woman, Mademoiselle de Sans was briefly the object of Lister’s romantic interest. Another key figure was Mr. Franks, an Irish man that Madame de Boyve was trying to matchmake with Lister.

Anne at the Place Vendôme

This section maps out the social dynamics of the Place Vendôme community.

Lister’s closest social circle consisted of other English expatriate women of a similar social class. They shared advice about Paris life, visited each other, and accompanied each other on social outings – an essential function in an era when single women going about unaccompanied could be considered odd.

There was also a more extended network of people not resident there who participated in evening entertainments and outings. For the most part Lister socialized with other English ex-pats, although she did have some regular interactions with French women, such as her French tutor Madame Galvani. In addition, there was another layer of vendors and servants that came and went and might be commented on.

Madame Galvani – although not discussed extensively in the dissertation – was a source of “salacious gossip, sexual information, and illicit and erotic book[s].”

Many of the casual callers at the residence were men, invited by Madame de Boyve who was an enthusiastic matchmaker.