In the late eighteeth century, notions of modesty and propriety meant that there were few ways in which sexuality could be discussed openly in a social setting. Gothic narrative served as an outlet. In Victorian Supernatural fiction, the anxieties surrounding homosexuality is a very prominent theme. However, due to the cultural status of homosexuality as taboo, the subject is heavily veiled in literature. In John Mead Faulkner's `The Lost Stradivarius,' the story appears to be about a young man's obsession with a wonderful musical instrument and a particular piece of music. Through carefully disguised metaphor's, the story conveys pertinent information regarding the reception of homosexuality in England during the Victorian period. Similarly, Henry James' psychological tale, `The Turn of the Screw' subtly deals with homosexuality as taboo, and elucidates the repercussions of sexual deviance in children.
Many people think Henry James was homosexual. He lived in an era and society that was particularly unforgiving of deviation from the sexual norms. It was Oscar Wilde who called homosexuality `the love that dare not speak its name.' Leader of the fin-de-siècle Aestheticist movement, flamboyant dresser, wonderfully witty talker, Wilde--a clever but never "great" playwright/novelist/poet/essayist--was essentially famous for being famous, and for being homosexual in an age during which Britain was deciding what sexual deviance meant and whether to punish it. In The Trials of Oscar Wilde: Deviance, Morality And Late Victorian Society historian Michael S. Foldy advances a theory: Wilde, who was imprisoned for "indecent acts" with men, served as whipping-boy for larger societal anxieties over "moral health"--and as scapegoat for t...
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...tween John and William is implicit within the text, but is never made explicit.
The reception of homosexuality in Victorian England reflects the cultural climate of the period. An intense fear of anything `different' or `foreign' was present, which reflected the intense dread of invasion by foreigners. Same sex relationships were rampant before and after it became a criminal offence. Victorian authors could only touch on `the love that dare not speak it's name' using thinly veiled metaphors. Henry James, a homosexual himself, presented his sexual persuasion in The Turn of the Screw in a less than edifying light, by depicting a homoerotic relationship between two children and their adult minders. John Mead Faulkner, in The Lost Stradivarius, illustrates the madness ensuing from active homosexual encounters made dormant, in the case of John's marriage to Constance.
Sexuality of the Frontierswoman in Grey's Riders of the Purple Sage and Doctorow's Welcome to Hard Times
But he does not simply dispel the myths of early 20th century gay life, he also details such myths to...
When Victorian Era, England is brought up in most context’s it is used to exemplify a calm and more refined way of life; however, one may overlook how the children of this era were treated and how social class systems affected them. Samuel Butler’s The Way of All Flesh is a novel written to take a closer look at the life of children growing up in the unfair social hierarchy of Victorian Era England. Butler’s main characters are Theobald and Ernest, who grow up during the time period; Overton, who is Ernest’s godfather, is the narrator of the novel and provides insight into Theobald and Ernest as they mature through the novel. Theobald is the son of a wealthy, strict, and abusive father who treats him with no mercy, but leaves him with a rather significant inheritance from his Christian publishing company, at his death. Ernest is the son of Theobald, who beats him with a stern fits over even the pettiest things in
Written in 1818, the latter stages of the Gothic literature movement, at face value this novel embodies all the key characteristics of the Gothic genre. It features the supernatural, ghosts and an atmosphere of horror and mystery. However a closer reading of the novel presents a multifaceted tale that explores
The concerns of Victorian England about the status of faith and manhood have left a deep mark in the literature of the period. The Picture of Dorian Gray and Dracula are good examples of this concern. In both books there is an emphasis in the corruption of the body and of the soul as maladies that haunt the greatness of England. The aristocracy is pointed as the social strata from where this decadence will spread. These books show a population of youth that lacks the guidance of parents and are apparently deprived of fertility as a consequence of the disorientation that reigns among them. This corruption is shown in conjunction with a lack of religious faith and an excess of sin that will result in the transference of England to the forces of evil.
Victorian society dictated harsh restraints on sexuality, especially female sexuality. Members of Victorian society believed that sexual repression was a sign of good breeding. This was the time of the “cult of true womanhood,” the “code of chivalry,” and the Social Purity Movement.
Collins, Angus P. "F. Scott Fitzgerald: Homosexuality and the Genesis of Tender Is the Night." Journal of Modern Literature 13.1 (Mar. 1986): 167-171. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Kathy D. Darrow. Vol. 280. Detroit: Gale, 2013. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.
The topic of homosexuality has always been one approached with caution due to its taboo nature derived from its deviation from the heterosexual norm. Traditionally, and across several cultures, homosexuality has been successfully discussed through normalizing the behaviour through heterosexual representation. Gender reversal or amplification of feminine qualities of male characters have often been means by which authors are able to subtly introduce the foreign idea of homosexuality and equate it to its more formal and accepted counterpart, heterosexuality. The works of Shakespeare and Li Yu have assisted in exposing homosexual relationships while still maintaining them under the heterosexual norm, whether it be through direct or metaphorical representations.
Halperin, David. "Is There a History of Sexuality?." The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. Ed. Henry
"The Victorian Era." History of Human Sexuality in Western Culture. Word Press, n.d. Web. 03 Jan. 2014.
Romantic literature, as Kathy Prendergast further claims, highlighted things like splendor, greatness, vividness, expressiveness, intense feelings of passion, and stunning beauty. The Romantic literary genre favored “parts” over “whole” and “content” over “form”. The writer argues that though both the Romantic literary genre and the Gothic art mode were medieval in nature, they came to clash with what was called classical conventions. That’s why, preoccupations with such things as the supernatural, the awful, the dreadful, the repulsive and the grotesque were the exclusive focus of the nineteenth century Gothic novel. While some critics perceived the Gothic as a sub-genre of Romanticism, some others saw it as a genre in its own right (Prendergast).
During the 19th century, of course, homosexuality was acknowledged by heterosexuals (particularly of the upper classes) as an existing activity among the lower classes - an activity that thrived in London's own East End. Those who were thought to be homosexuals were often blackmailed. With the Labouchere Amendment in 1885, homosexuals faced a greater threat of exposure through blackmail. In fact, "the threat of exposure as a sodomite is the basis of more than half of the prosecutions throughout the eighteenth century" ("Jekyll & Hyde," par. 8). Other Victorian writers, like Oscar Wilde, faced this threat, which often damaged their reputations if the affair ever made it to a court.
Gothic writing is related to a style of fiction that deals with the mysterious or grotesque; Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Ministers Black Veil” is classified as a dark romantic work because it contains the themes of sin, guilt, and looking at the darker side of human life. He had trouble from his early life, his dreary adulthood, and his fascinations with common man. His early and more unsuccessful work is from his silent and productive years.
The Victorian Era in English history was a period of rapid change. One would be hard-pressed to find an aspect of English life in the 19th century that wasn’t subject to some turmoil. Industrialization was transforming the citizens into a working class population and as a result, it was creating new urban societies centered on the factories. Great Britain enjoyed a time of peace and prosperity at home and thus was extending its global reach in an era of New Imperialism. Even in the home, the long held beliefs were coming into conflict.
Perhaps, like many artists, Oscar Wilde was ahead of his time. Today, his flamboyant ways, pride, and homosexuality would be seen as part of his creative outlet and as eccentric, not as something to fear as Victorian society did. Like Ellen DeGeneres’ homosexuality and Lady GaGa’s bizarre way of dressing, many artists today find their outward appearance to be part of their persona and society today is more likely to embrace the differences in artists and praise them for their creativity. However he was perceived in his time, today Oscar Wilde is considered one of the most gifted and most often quoted users of the English language (Wright 54).