 Waters was drawn to the Victorian era because of the ( mis ) understandings of what social norms existed during the period . As she stated , " I find it a fascinating period because it feels very close to us , and yet in lots of ways it is utterly strange : many of the things we think we know about it are stereotypes , or simply wrong . " Considering herself part of gay and lesbian literary heritage , Waters was influenced by Oscar Wilde , and Chris Hunt , who wrote Street Lavender , an historical novel with gay male themes also set in the Victorian era . She has stated that Tipping the Velvet is a female version of Street Lavender , with a plot similar to My Secret Life by " Walter " . 
