 Waters includes a historical reference to the medical profession starting to acknowledge and identify female homosexuality in the 19th century when a friend of Diana 's named Dickie reads aloud during a party from a medical text describing the histories of several acknowledged lesbians , including Dickie 's own . One story discussed among the wealthy women at the party is about a young woman with a large clitoris , which they consider congenital in lower @-@ class women . They attempt to prove their point with Diana 's maid Zena , but Nan prevents this humiliation , which precipitates her final rift with Diana . Using Dickie 's book to strike Nan across the face , Diana gives her a black eye and bloody cheek before throwing her out into the street with Zena . Nan goes to Florence 's house , which is filled with socialist literature . Although Diana is a supporter of women 's suffrage , she discourages Nan from reading such literature , confiscating any political material Nan picks up . In contrast , Nan feels hopelessly uninformed when Florence and her friends engage in heated political debates . She asks questions , but feels stupid about not knowing the answers . Florence introduces her to the writings of Walt Whitman , Eleanor Marx , and Edward Carpenter , which they sexualise by using as an introduction to intimacy . 
