A History of Gossip

Gossip has long been considered a particularly female phenomenon, think mother’s meetings, think gossip girl. And yet, when it comes to social gossip columns women have so often been left out.

In its conception the Evening Standard’s social diary described itself as ‘written daily by gentlemen for gentlemen’. Meanwhile, famous private diaries which provide insights into social and cultural scenes, particularly in the capital, have often been written by men too, think Pepys.

Indeed, Sasha Swire, references her friend Kate Fall who implored her to publish Diaries of an MP’s Wife by telling her, ‘it’s always men who write history’. What insights from women have been forgotten or dismissed?

In this book I am going to look at the interesting women who write diaries and the women about whom diaries are written.