The Penguin Book of Lesbian Short StoriesMargaret Reynolds And more than that - sometimes women love women. Like Queen Victoria, the world has preferred to believe that sex between women is impossible, resulting in a long silence between the writings of Sappho and the flowering of talent produced by feminism and the sexual revolution. Lesbian writing has come a long way since Virginia Woolf's famous essay of 1928. Since then women have challenged traditional forms of expression and subject matter in an extraordinarily rich and varied discourse to give voice to the lesbian imagination. In this wide-ranging anthology, Margaret Reynolds has brought together the work of thirty-two women from Britain, continental Europe, and the Americas - including three specially commissioned pieces - that covers nearly a century of lesbian writing, from Sarah Orne Jewett (1897) to Jeanette Winterson (1993). The collection ranges from Frances Gapper's pastiche of a Romantic melodrama, through the wry humor of Merril Mushroom's description of butch and femme courting rituals, to the wit of Alison Bechdel's cartoon strip. The anxiety of unresolved desire is present in many stories - Radclyffe Hall's Miss Ogilvy is unable truly to find herself in this world, Djuna and Lillian hold back from each other in Anais Nin's "Cities of the Interior", and the energy and commitment that should go into a loving relationship are stifled by convention in Jane Rule's story of passion outside marriage. But here are brave spirits, too - Renee Vivien's Sarolta and her Prince(ss) live forever in a vision of ideal tenderness, Colette's heroines preserve the sanctity of their little white bed, and Jewelle Gomez's bulldagger society survives far from the haunts of men. There arecoming-out stories, stories about cross-dressing, vampire tales, science fiction, parody, and romance. Each story is quite different from the others, yet each acknowledges a particular facet of lesbian history and makes it real. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 43
Page xxvi
... coming - out story came into its own . Of course it has its place . Young people in our culture are not encouraged to identify themselves as gay . So for many women and men the process of acknowledging their sexuality is very closely ...
... coming - out story came into its own . Of course it has its place . Young people in our culture are not encouraged to identify themselves as gay . So for many women and men the process of acknowledging their sexuality is very closely ...
Page 3
... coming war for patriotism and a new freedom had hardly yet begun . The dull interior , the changed life of the old house , whose former activities seemed to have fallen sound asleep , really typified these larger conditions , and a ...
... coming war for patriotism and a new freedom had hardly yet begun . The dull interior , the changed life of the old house , whose former activities seemed to have fallen sound asleep , really typified these larger conditions , and a ...
Page 168
... coming and going settle on the bare arms of the young women selling them . The huntresses have dark maroon hats , and dogs . Hearing the rifle - shots , Dominique Aron says that the bird is still flying , the hare still running , the ...
... coming and going settle on the bare arms of the young women selling them . The huntresses have dark maroon hats , and dogs . Hearing the rifle - shots , Dominique Aron says that the bird is still flying , the hare still running , the ...
Contents
SARAH ORNE JEWETT Marthas Lady 1897 I | 1 |
RENÉE VIVIEN Prince Charming 1904 translated | 20 |
The Wise Sappho c 191618 | 26 |
Copyright | |
26 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
arms asked beautiful become Beebo began beginning blood body called close coming dark don't door dress eyes face feel felt fingers friends Gillian girl give hair half hand head heard heart hold husband keep kissed knew lady later laughed Laura leave lesbian Letty light lips living Lizzy looked lover Martha matter mean mind Miss mother mouth moved never night once passed picked play Press pulled reached remember roll round seemed side sitting sleep smiled soft someone sometimes sound stand stay stood stop story street sure talk tell things thought told took touch trying turned voice waiting walked watch whole window woman women writing young