Literature about homosexuality
Literary Theory and Criticism
By NASRULLAH MAMBROLon
With the increasing impact of the gay rights movement and acceptance of gays in mainstream society, male lover studies and gay literature are emerging as esteemed fields. Defining gay literature is sometimes difficult, given the frequent vague and subtle references to homosexual characters or themes create in works. Not all gay literature deals specifically with sex; most focuses on emotion. The penner Christopher Isherwood said it best when he explained that being gay does not involve the perform of sex; instead, it is the proclivity or the ability to descent in love with another member of the similar gender.
In general, however, fiction is termed gay when it incorporates a same-sex attracted theme or gay nature into its narrative. Thus, not all gay literature is written by lgbtq+ authors; nor do all gay authors write same-sex attracted fiction. No single piece of gay fiction can claim to be emblematic of the “gay experience,” for as the growing numbers of gay brief stories shows, this “experience” is different in each story. Further, gay literature also can share traits of other thematic clusters of literature, such as Feminist/Feminism, Native American
From Sappho to Stonewall, and beyond: how fiction tells LGBTQ+ history
Fiction tells us so much about the time we live in – and LGBTQ+ writers have been writing since the early days of literature. Their stories hold often, but not always, been marginalised, but they have always said something about the era in which they were first told or published. Here, we take a gaze at the evolution of queer fiction across the ages – for brevity’s sake, focusing on the Western world – and what it reflects about that moment in history, from Sappho, to Stonewall, and beyond.
Queer stories in antiquity
Madeline Miller’s hit The Song of Achillesis a moving queer retelling of The Iliad from the perspective of young prince Patroclus that simultaneously reflects pride in same-sex relationships (Achilles remains adamant throughout that he and Patroclus be seen together) and modern anxieties about sentimental relationships and masculinity – how men can be gentle, how to handle family expectations.
But creature queer wasn’t always coded as different, and many myths don’t require retelling: even before the printed word, ancient mythology and religious narratives were rife with romant
"Over the Rainbow is lively, engaging, and thoughtful. More to the point, the field of children's literature needs such a collection."
Katherine Capshaw Smith, University of Connecticut
In spite of the growing critical interest concerning gender and sexual nonnormativity in and around narratives written for juvenile readers, no book-length volume on the subject has yet appeared. Over the Rainbow: Queer Children's and Young Adult Literature is the first collection of essays dedicated to LGBTQ issues in children's literature. Bringing together significant essays and introducing new operate, Over the Rainbow is intended to serve both as a scholarly reference and as a textbook for students of children's studies; gender/queer studies; and related disciplines such as English, history, sociology, and education. Editors Michelle Ann Abate and Kenneth Kidd showcase important essays on the subject of LGBTQ children's and young grown-up literature including Harriet the Spy, Rainbow Boys, Petty Women, the Harry Potter series, and A Separate Peacewhile providing a provisional history of both the literature and the scholarship and examining the field's origins, current status, and possi
Literature and Homosexuality
Michael J Meyer Published in
Introduction. 1. Tara PRINCE-HUGHES: Worlds In and Out of Balance: Alternative Genders and Gayness in the Almanac of the Lifeless and The Beet Queen. 2. Kemp WILLIAMS: The Metaphorical Construction of illustrate more
Reference details
- Permalink:
- Title:
- Literature and Homosexuality / edited by Michael J. Meyer.
- ISBN:
- Author:
- Meyer, Michael J., editor.
- Description:
- 1 online resource.
- Series:
- Brill Book Archive Part 1, ISBN:
Rodopi Perspectives on Modern Literature ; 21 - Bibliography:
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Contents:
- Introduction. 1. Tara PRINCE-HUGHES: Worlds In and Out of Balance: Alternative Genders and Gayness in the Almanac of the Lifeless and The Beet Queen. 2. Kemp WILLIAMS: The Metaphorical Construction of Sexuality in Giovanni's Room. 3. Angela FRATTAROLA: Frustration and Silence in Gore Vidal's The City and the Pillar . 4. Roger BOWEN: Squalid With Joy: Scobie, Sex, And Race In Lawrence Durrell's Alexandria Quartet . 5. Kathy PHILLIPS: Between the Third Sex and the Third Reich: Brecht's Early Works. 6. Thomas MARCH: A Viable Alternative: Homosexuality a
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