Romantic Genius [Hardcover]

Andrew Elfenbein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 1999 | Series: Between Men~Between Women: Lesbian and Gay Studies

Surprisingly little has been written about homosexuality in British Romantic writing, and, similarly, little discussion has emerged about homosexual themes in the lives and poetic careers of the major Romantics. In Romantic Genius, Andrew Elfenbein explores the correspondence between the stereotypes applied to the "genius" and those applied to the homosexual, showing the centrality of disreputable desires to the works of Romantic male authors -- from William Beckford to Samuel Taylor Coleridge to William Blake -- as well as to the writings of lesser-known but equally significant female authors of the period.

Editorial Reviews

Review

In Romantic Genius, Andrew Elfenbein combines traditional Romantic author studies with the interpretive flexibility of queer theory. The result is a provocative study that will introduce some readers to lesser-known Romantic writers and texts, and demand that others see familiar figures in a new light.

(Lisa Moore Albion )

Review

A provocative, engaging and well-written study, and one which will make a major contribution to studies of Romanticism and the homosexual tradition in English literature. Elfenbein's central contention -- that the 'idea' of homosexuality is intimately linked with late eighteenth-century and Romantic conceptions of original genius -- is of compelling significance, not simply for gay and lesbian scholars, but for anyone with an interest in English literature and culture of the period.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (July 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231107528
• ISBN-13: 978-0231107525
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,718,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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