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. |
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Page 290
... fingers . It was delicious . I licked her fingers and fed her with my own hands . We never did get our clothes back on . In South Carolina , in the seventh grade , we had studied nutrition . ' Vitamin D , ' the teacher told us , ' is ...
... fingers . It was delicious . I licked her fingers and fed her with my own hands . We never did get our clothes back on . In South Carolina , in the seventh grade , we had studied nutrition . ' Vitamin D , ' the teacher told us , ' is ...
Page 291
... finger on the ear and the others curled to the cheek as if he were thinking all the time . ' Milk , ' he announced , ' that's the problem , a mild allergy . Nothing to worry about . You'll take calcium and ... fingers 291 A LESBIAN APPETITE.
... finger on the ear and the others curled to the cheek as if he were thinking all the time . ' Milk , ' he announced , ' that's the problem , a mild allergy . Nothing to worry about . You'll take calcium and ... fingers 291 A LESBIAN APPETITE.
Page 322
... fingers of the wind , hugged her newly opened vessel to her breast , then took her deeper into darkness . The Eyrie was still far away . The slut moaned , twisted , and exposed her throat . She wanted it again . It was going to be ...
... fingers of the wind , hugged her newly opened vessel to her breast , then took her deeper into darkness . The Eyrie was still far away . The slut moaned , twisted , and exposed her throat . She wanted it again . It was going to be ...
Contents
SARAH ORNE JEWETT Marthas Lady 1897 I | 1 |
RENÉE VIVIEN Prince Charming 1904 translated | 20 |
The Wise Sappho c 191618 | 26 |
Copyright | |
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