Chloe Plus Olivia: An Anthology of Lesbian Literature from the 17th Century to the Present [Paperback]

Lillian Faderman (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1995

This text explores lesbian sensibility in 20th century fiction. From the verse of Sappho in 600 BC to Radclyffe Hall's "The Well of Loneliness", published in 1928, there is little women's writing that is recognised as "lesbian". It is short because while romantic friendship between women was an accepted social institution from the Renaissance to the 19th century, and sex between women appears to have been a staple of pornography since the incarnation of that genre, the possibility of seeing oneself as "a lesbian" had to wait until the emergence of English sexologists in the last decades of the 19th century, who defined lesbianism as a social and sexual category. If by "lesbian literature" we mean work in which the subject of lesbianism is the centre, the history is even shorter. Is there a "lesbian sensibility" that can be identified in literature that may not be concerned specifically with lesbian sexuality? Examining works as diverse as Willa Cather's "My Antonia", the poetry of Gertrude Stein, the fiction of Carson McCullers, and the lesbian heroine in the novels of Margaret Atwood, the author seeks to redefine the canon.

Product Details

• Paperback: 848 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (December 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140172483
• ISBN-13: 978-0140172485
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #805,587 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! Implicit and explicit lesbian lit. for centuries, February 3, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Chloe Plus Olivia: An Anthology of Lesbian Literature from the 17th Century to the Present (Paperback)

Faderman has compiled a homosexual 'tour de force' with this anthology. Ranging from Emily Dickinson to Audre Lorde to Pat Califia, this generous volume ecompasses psychoanalytic theory (Sigmund Freud), historical documents, a play, poetry, and short stories. The poetic inclusions offer the largest assortment of both encoded and straightforward lesbian poetry that is available in one book. Faderman's notes for each author offer insight (the clitoral imagery in Emily Dickinson's poetry, Angelina Weld Grimke's background). The short stories are humorous, romantic, sexy, sad, and touching in turn. Altogether this book is worth much more than its price because it offers many hours of entertaining reading for any woman who has ever been attracted to another woman.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful reference . . ., April 3, 2002

By 

SEP "sepowe" (Texas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Chloe Plus Olivia: An Anthology of Lesbian Literature from the 17th Century to the Present (Paperback)

Just as the back cover says, Chloe Plus Olivia is "certain to become the reference point from which all subsequent studies of lesbian writing will begin". Lillian Faderman has done a wonderful job (and a great deal of homework) putting together this compendium of lesbian work. There are a few things, however, one should realize about this book. It only contains excerpts, not necessarily entire works--for obvious reasons, as she often cites novels. Therefore, it should be treated as a reference guide, not a source of great lesbian literature. Secondly, Faderman admits she dealt only with European and North American writers. I'm not faulting her for this; I simply wanted to point out that there are no selections from Asians, Latinas, or Native American writers. My favorite aspect of this book is that it contains interpretation and criticism. Though I'm perfectly capable of doing that myself, I always eagerly devour other scholars' opinions, especially in this particular area of study. Ms. Faderman introduced hours of new reading besides the obvious Willa Cather and Audre Lourde--but I still had to go to the library and get the actual books.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable for academics and everyone else, July 5, 2006

By 

K. Cole "starving student" (Waco, TX) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Chloe Plus Olivia : An Anthology of Lesbian Literature from the 17th Century to the Present (Paperback)

This is an excellent source for any readers wanting to either sample or begin a deeper study of feminist/women's/lesbian literature. It does a great job of putting each work that it presents into historical perspective, giving the reader a connection with the author. For readers concerned about extremist or impulsive editors labeling every work ever written by a woman as "lesbian," I don't think this anthology should hold many fears. The editor is careful to classify each work, so that this anthology becomes not so much a lesbian anthology as it does an anthology of women's writings on women's relationships--from friendships to sexual relationships. I hope in time this anthology will come to be used in colleges and universities, because it has much to offer literary study in general. At the same time, it's not stuffy or overly "academic," so please don't shy away just because you hated your high school English textbook!