Lesbian Panic: Homoeroticism in Modern British Women's Fiction (Between Men~Between Women: Lesbian and Gay Studies) [Hardcover]

Patricia Juliana Smith (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0231106203 | ISBN-13: 978-0231106207 | Publication Date: April 25, 1997 | Edition: 1

For Smith, "lesbian panic" is often a fear of losing one's identity and value within the heterosexual paradigm. This book traces the history of "lesbian panic" through key works: The Voyage Out and Mrs. Dalloway; The Little Girls and Eva Trout; King of a Rainy Country; The Golden Notebook; and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Smith's wise, provocative, and readable volume explores the 'disruptive action or reaction that occurs when a [female] character -- or, conceivably, an author -- is either unable or unwilling to confront or reveal her own lesbianism or lesbian desire.'... The author addresses the work of eminent modernists (e.g., Woolf, Spark, Lessing, Bowen) along with more experimental narratives (... Emma Tennant, Fay Weldon, Jeanette Winterson).... Smith resists easy explanations by addressing the political and cultural context of narrative ideologies....A genuine addition to lesbian and narrative studies and a balancing vision to politically motivated criticism.

(Choice )

Review

Should interest, provoke, and delight many readers--not simply for its illuminating and stylish readings of Woolf, Bowen, Spark, and many others, but for its compelling larger theme: that 'lesbian panic' must be considered a preeminent plot-shaping force in modernist and postmodern British fiction.

(Terry Castle, Stanford University )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 236 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press; 1 edition (April 25, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231106203
• ISBN-13: 978-0231106207
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,223,727 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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