Customer Reviews

Melville's Gay Father and the Knot of Filicidal Desire: On Men and Their Demons

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Melville's Gay Father is an extremely interesting book for anyone with an adventurous attitude and the willingness to consider some potentially discomforting ideas about the sexual impulses of men. Professor Tuman presents his ideas partly by explaining his personal history but primarily through brief interpretations of about 10 important literary texts, ranging from the Biblical story of Abraham and Isaac to Conrad's Secret Sharer to Nabokov's Lolita. The interpretations are all subtle and intriguing, and you can follow them even if you haven't read the texts being discussed. More than that, you'll want to read these texts. If there is one text you do need to know, it's Melville's short novel Billy Budd--a central work in American literature.

After reading Melville's Gay Father, you may find yourself wondering about your father's homoerotic impulses and--if you are male--about your relationship with your male child. In addition, Tuman draws both stuttering (in males) and anorexia (in females) into his argument in a surprising and very interesting way. You may not accept all the ideas you find in Tuman's book, but you will surely find yourself carried along in the sweep of Tuman's extraordinary intellect.