Lesbian Subjects: A Feminist Studies Reader (American West in the Twentieth Century) [Paperback]

Martha Vicinus (Author), William D. Rowley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1996 | Series: American West in the Twentieth Century

The growth in cultural studies has brought homosexuality to the center of work on gender and sexuality. The lesbian is now an accepted subject for scrutiny, she exists, but how do we define her history, whom do we include, and when did it begin? "Lesbian Subjects" includes essays drawn primarily from Feminist Studies from 1980 to 1993 and traces lesbian studies from its beginnings, examining the difficulties of defining a lesbian perspective and a lesbian past, a culture, social milieux, states of mind. The contributors are Susan K. Cahn, Tee A. Corinne, Heather Findlay, Karen V. Hansen, Anne Herrmann, Akasha (Gloria T.) Hull, Elizabeth Meese, Leisa D. Meyer, Lisa Moore, Makeda Silvera, Martha Vicinus, and Elizabeth Wilson.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

MARTHA VICINUS is Eliza M. Mosher Distinguished University Professor of English, Women's Studies, and History and Chair of the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan. She is author of The Industrial Muse and Independent Women, and editor Suffer and Be Still and A Widening Sphere.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (June 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253210380
• ISBN-13: 978-0253210388
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,078,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Anthology of essays from 1980 to 1993, October 4, 2006

By 

E. B. MULLIGAN "Bronwyn" (Tampa, Florida) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lesbian Subjects: A Feminist Studies Reader (American West in the Twentieth Century) (Paperback)

I bought this book to read the essay by Tee A. Corinne "Artist's Statement: On Sexual Art". It provided wonderful insight and was entertaining - as a bonus the editor included 6 pages of the author's work (4 of the pieces I had not seen before).

Excellent introduction by the editor.

This is a Keeper!

From the publisher's website -

An overview of the field of lesbian studies, tracing its history and providing a summation of current work.

". . . offer[s] a wealth of information on lesbian and women's history while providing a comprehensive look at a field of scholarship that is certain to continue to grow in influence." --Sojourner: The Women's Forum

The lesbian is now an accepted subject for scrutiny--she exists, but how do we define her history, whom do we include, and when did it begin? These essays, primarily drawn from Feminist Studies from 1980 to 1993, trace lesbian studies from its beginnings, examining the difficulties of defining a lesbian perspective and a lesbian past--a culture, social milieux, state of mind.

Essays range from studies of such well-known figures as the Harlem Renaissance poet Alice Dunbar-Nelson, to studies of specific historical moments, such as the regulation of sexuality in the Women's Army Corp during WWII. Other essays treat well-known authors such as Virginia Woolf and Gertrude Stein, lesser-known writers from the early nineteenth century to the present, Postmodern definitions of the Lesbian "Queer Theory", and Lesbian invisibility.

MARTHA VICINUS is Eliza M. Mosher Distinguished University Professor of English, Women's Studies, and History and Chair of the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan. She is author of The Industrial Muse and Independent Women, and editor Suffer and Be Still and A Widening Sphere.