“Gentleman Jack” and Too Muchness feat. Rachel Vorona Cote

For this episode, I’m joined by Rachel Vorona Cote (@RVoronaCote), author of the excellent book Too Much: How Victorian Constraints Still Bind Women Today to talk about the concept of “too muchness” (or, how social norms and expectations constrain women’s bodies, minds, and sexualities). Specifically, we looked at too muchness and the BBC series on HBO Gentleman Jack, a series based on the diaries of Anne Lister, aka “the first modern lesbian" who lived from 1791 to 1840. We talked about too muchness and: Anne Lister’s gender and sexuality, women’s mental health and the threat of institutionalization, and lots more. It was GREAT.

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This episode was produced by Sally and Rachel and edited by Aram Vartian. Our logo was designed by Amber Seger (@rocketorca). Our theme music is by Tiny Music. Follow us on Twitter @OhILikeThatPod and on Instagram @OhILikeThatPod.

Things we talked about:

Too Much: How Victorian Constraints Still Bind Women Today by Rachel Vorona CoteForbidden Notebook by Alba de CéspedesGentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister by Anne ChomaThe Reform Act of 1832Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (2010)The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens’ London by Judith FlandersSally's Veronica Mars newsletter Mars InvestigationsMy Gender is Maximalism by Frankie de la Cretaz for AutostraddlePretty Hate Machine by Nine Inch NailsPeaker Blinders (2013-2022)Poker Face (2023)Julia Furlan’s podcast recs for Women’s History MonthAlex Sujong Laughlin’s podcast recs for Women’s History Month