Hellenism and Homosexuality in Victorian Oxford [Hardcover]

Linda Dowling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1994

A Choice Outstanding Academic Book for 1995

Linda Dowling offers the first detailed account of Oxford Hellenism, the Victorian philosophical and literary movement that envisioned the possibility of homosexuality as a positive social identity.

"An exceptionally clear-headed and far-reaching analysis. . . . Beautifully written and argued with subtlety, the book is indispensable for students of Victorian literature, culture, gender studies, and the nature of social change."--Choice

Product Details

• Hardcover: 173 pages
• Publisher: Cornell Univ Pr (June 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801429609
• ISBN-13: 978-0801429606
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,188,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #65 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Movements & Periods > Victorian

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FROM OXFORD TO STONEWALL, December 8, 2007

By 

Scott R. Hightower (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hellenism and Homosexuality in Victorian Oxford (Paperback)

The ABSOLUTE must read for all in the LGBT community. Presents to artistic/political struggle between the creative world and the world of family values. It lights the way from the French Revolution to Stonewall.

3.0 out of 5 stars A Yawner At Times, January 28, 2012

By 

C. Harrigan - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hellenism and Homosexuality in Victorian Oxford (Paperback)

I can't agree with a word of Mr. Hightower's review of this book. Dowling's subject matter might bear importance in many indirect ways to the 21st century, but as far as I can tell, it remains a very specialized topic. I cannot imagine the average LGBT person finding it all that relevant. As well, I have no clue how someone could describe this book as about a struggle between "the creative world and the world of family values"... without entirely missing the point. (Which isn't that difficult to imagine, given Dowling's tendency to verge on PoMo gobbledygook.) Lastly, other than the fact that "Victorian" occurs after the French Revolution and before Stonewall, I'm hard-pressed to see how Oxford Hellenism lights the way between them.

Aside from that unhelpful review, I'd offer a few warnings. Namely that this book might be difficult for the casual reader. It's academic writing which, despite the richness of its subject and its handful of brilliantly illuminating moments, may become tedious - especially if you are more interested in an informal, anecdotal history. (That stuff is exiled to the footnotes, which are sometimes so long and digressive that it's tough to get back on track.) Her writing alternates between lucid and murky. Run on sentences abound, etc. She also demands a lot of knowledge from her readers. I have an interest in Wilde and Aestheticism and I'm familiar with most of the primary and many of the peripheral persons of the era. A reader who is not may be lost or overwhelmed with names.

I'd mostly recommend the book to dedicated students of Aestheticism, or those interested in the history of Oxford University.