In the early twentieth century there was no definition of homosexuality because there was no law that can validate homosexual desires. Homosexuality was considered as a factor that does not stabilize the social masculine identity especially in an era where men thought of as powerful and dominant in the society: the patriarchal society. Thus, the fear of expressing their homosexuality and of the accusation of having feminine characteristics was prevalent among young men. Men should be restrained and refrained from such characteristics so they can be labeled men in the masculine world. Such a system in the British society equilibrates femininity to homosexuality as both were thought of as a threat of emasculating the society: that is men’s home. Despite the fact that there were more homosexual men than women before passing the law in 1971, the sexual offenses Act rescinded the illegality of homosexuality in the British society, images of sympathy for women alongside the internalized pressure and the unspeakable desires are shown in E. M. Forster’s significant novel Maurice. As a literary work had written in 1912, but was published posthumously in 1971, Maurice expresses the power that society deploys to assert control over both homosexual and women. Moreover, it depicts their inner conflict of achieving their self-actualization.
Throughout a close reading of Maurice, I argue that there is an intentional balance between homosexuals and women’s situation in the British society at that time where both homosexual and women are marginalized and lost their identity within the society. I suggest that Maurice is a feminist critique of marriage and lack of women’s sexual education from a homosexual perspective as it depicts both women an...
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...age as a Trade,. Detroit: Singing Tree, 1971.
Foucault, Michel, and Robert Hurley. "Part Two: The Repressive Hypothesis." The History of Sexuality: An Introduction. Vol. 1. New York: Vintage, 1990.
Nicholson, Linda J. "Gayle Rubin, “The Traffic in Women: Notes on the ‘Political Economy’ of Sex”. The Second Wave: A Reader in Feminist Theory. New York: Routledge, 1997.
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Miller, Jane Eldridge. Rebel Women: Feminism, Modernism, and the Edwardian Novel. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1997.
Rahman, Tariq "A Study of Alienation in E. M. Forster's Maurice". Durham University Journal , 51.1 (1990):81-87
St, John-Stevas Norman. Life, Death and the Law: Law and Christian Morals in England and the United States. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1961.
homosexual liberation. Some have demonstrated their anger and concerns about prejudice against homosexuals in both riots and artistic forms. Therefore, these people seek to prove to the heterosexual world that homosexual ‘deviancy’ was a myth.
Seidman, Steven. Beyond the Closet: The Transformation of Gay and Lesbian Life. New York: Routledge, 2004. Print
This essay sets out to distinguish how male characters can be portrayed in the same fashion as their female counterparts, and therefore become subjected to the same erotic objectification. This will be researched under the circumstances that the production revolves around gay characters and the assumed audience is exchanged from a homogenous crowd of heterosexual spectators, to a homogenous crowd of homosexual spectators. To support this claim there will be references to a segment from the American remake of the television series Queer as Folk (USA, dev. Ron Cowen, Daniel Lipman, 2000-2005) where Brian Kinney (Gale Harold) and Justin Taylor (Randy Harris) first meet.
“The Trial of Katherina Hetzeldorfer” is a male perspective of a case against Katherina Hetzeldorfer, a woman accused of acting like a man during sexual acts, as well as having a wife who she passed off as her sister. This account highlighted the lack of representation for women accused of homosexuality in medieval Europe as well as the negative view of women taking on male roles. The “Lesbian Love Letter from a German Manuscript” is a more informal, first-person account of a sapphic relationship. It is poetic in nature, with the author utilizing figurative language to praise her lover’s beauty. “The Penitential of Theodore” is a set of instructions for priests to guide confessors in penance. It is an excellent example of the controversy in opinion about male versus female homosexuality. Specific rules govern detailed sexual interactions, implying that these acts happened as precedents for the rules. Many of these rules regard homosexual relations and the number of years of penance necessary to absolve oneself of the sin. As a commentary on the theories of social constructionism and essentialism, Alice Echols’ “Hidden From History: Reclaiming the Gay and Lesbian Past” review offers thoughtful insight into the strengths and weaknesses of each argument. This cluster of texts illustrates a diverse experience of lesbianism in medieval Europe while commenting on the lack of male understanding of lesbian
Sexuality is a subject that has changed over times, the idea of sexuality and sex shifted from one view to another as people began to enforce different views in society. At the beginning of the 17th century there was little need for secrecy about sexuality and sexual practices as the idea was an open topic that could be discussed freely in society. Adult humour was not kept from children and ideas were open to all (Foucault and Hurley, 2008). However this times in society changed due to the power of the Victorian bourgeoisie. Sex and sexuality became confined and moved into the privacy of the home. People no longer spoke freely about it and secrecy became key (Foucault and Hurley, 2008).
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.
Foucault, Miachael. "We 'Other Victorians'" and "The Repressive Hypothesis."The History of Sexuality, Volume I: An Introduction.Trans. Robert Hurley. New York: Vintage, 1980.
n Prelude, Katherine Mansfield explores issues of sexual frustration and the restrictions on female identity in a patriarchal society, as experienced by three generations of Burnell women. Linda Burnells responses to male sexuality are tainted by their inevitable association to her obligations in fulfilling her role as a wife and a mother, both of which Linda has shown indifference towards. As a result, Linda's own sexuality suffers under feelings of oppression.
Halperin, David. "Is There a History of Sexuality?." The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. Ed. Henry
This paper will look at the different conceptions highlighted by Bulman in his article through the use of different methods used by the actors in the play. Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare captures the different conceptions of gender identity and different sexualities within the Elizabethan period.
The short stories “Souls Belated” and “The Yellow Wallpaper” have in common ‘Marriage’ as main theme. However, the marriage is treated quite differently in both short stories. In "Souls Belated", Lydia chooses to take control of her destiny, to deviate from conventions and to choose what is good for her. She is the strongest character of the couple. Whereas, in "The Yellow Wallpaper", the name of the main character who is also the narrator of the story is not known. She is identified as being John’s wife. This woman, contrary to Lydia in "Souls Belated" is completely locked up in her marriage. This essay will first describe and compare the characters of Lydia and John's wife in the context of marriage, and then it will look at how marriage is described, treated and experienced by couples in these two short stories.
Foucault, Michel. "We 'Other Victorians'" and "The Repressive Hypothesis."The History of Sexuality, Volume I: An Introduction.Trans. Robert Hurley. New York: Vintage, 1980. 3-13, 17-49.
As Tamsin Wilton explains in her piece, “Which One’s the Man? The Heterosexualisation of Lesbian Sex,” society has fronted that heterosexuality, or desire for the opposite sex, is the norm. However, the reason behind why this is the case is left out. Rather, Wilton claims that “heterosexual desire is [an] eroticised power difference [because] heterosexual desire originates in the power relationship between men and women” (161). This social struggle for power forces the majority of individuals into male-female based relationships because most women are unable to overcome the oppressive cycle society has led them into. Whereas heterosexual relationships are made up of the male (the oppressor) and the female (the victim who is unable to fight against the oppressor), homosexual relationships involve two or more individuals that have been freed from their oppressor-oppressed roles.
Stein, Edward. The Mismeasure of Desire: The Science, Theory, and Ethics of Sexual Orientation. New York, NY: Oxford UP, 1999. Print. 20 Oct. 2011
The relationship between law and morality has been argued over by legal theorists for centuries. The debate is constantly be readdressed with new cases raising important moral and legal questions. This essay will explain the nature of law and morality and how they are linked.