LGBTQ+ themes in Victorian literature
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ต.ค. 2024
- In which I talk about LGBTQ+ themes in Victorian literature…
--Videos Mentioned--
Jen Campbell videos mentioned:
Let’s Talk: Villains and Deformity: • Let's Talk | Villains ...
Science, Fairytales and Freakshows: • Science, Fairy Tales &...
--Books Mentioned--
Same-Sex Love: / same-sex-love-1700-1957
Queer Dickens: / queer-dickens
Dombey and Son, Charles Dickens: / 50827.dombey_and_son
Bleak House, Charles Dickens: / 31242.bleak_house
Little Dorrit, Charles Dickens: / 31250.little_dorrit
Nicholas Nickleby, Charles Dickens: / 325085.nicholas_nickleby
Lady Audley’s Secret, Mary Elizabeth Braddon: / 588747.lady_audley_s_s...
A Laodicean, Thomas Hardy: / 1306603.a_laodicean
The Grey Woman, Elizabeth Gaskell: / the-grey-woman
Carmilla, J. Sheridan Le Fanu: / 48037.carmilla
Drama in Muslin, George Moore: / 361275.a_drama_in_muslin
The Picture of Dorian Grey, Oscar Wilde: / 5297.the_picture_of_do...
In Memoriam, Alfred Tennyson: / 294399.in_memoriam
Article on In Memoriam, Holly Furneaux: www.bl.uk/roma...
--General links--
My website: www.katielumsde...
Facebook: / justbooksandthings
Twitter: / katiejlumsden
Instragram: / katiejlumsden
Goodreads: / katie-lumsden
NaNoWriMo: nanowrimo.org/p...
Foyles Affiliate link: www.awin1.com/c...
Email: katie.booksandthings@gmail.com
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This video didn't feel long at all - I could have listened to you talking about this fascinating topic for much longer!
Thanks :) :)
Thank you for making this. My interest has now been shifting from fantasy to historical fiction (whether they be fiction from history or fiction set in history) and as a queer person, I really wanted to read books with queer themes/subtext (homoerotic themes/subtext) in them. I now have a huge list of books to read or listen to.
Excellent video as always! What do you think about Cynthia, in Wives and Daughters? I've found her speach in Chapter 24, about her inability to fall in love even when she loves Molly more than anyone else and then she takes Molly's face with both hands and kiss her, all quite revealling. And then, her attitude towards men and her (not so strong, it's true) decision of never get married and become a governess in Russia; all that made me think she could be a character with LGBT elements on it. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, I think I may be going too far in my interpretation.
Such an interesting video! I just finished reading The Picture of Dorian Grey, and I was surprised at how obvious the homosexual elements are (although I read somewhere that Wilde revised some of its content for the second edition, to make them more subtle). I also remember watching the BBC adaptation of Little Dorrit and wondering about the relationship between those women and whether that could possibly exist in the book. Drama in Muslin sounds very interesting as well; I added it to my tbr list!
Thanks! They are all such interesting books.
I discover your channel today and I'm happy of discover it ! I never see a video on this theme, I am glad to hear you about it :) Thank you, it is great video !
Thank you!
This is such a fascinating video, but will have to return to it after reading some of these books. Currently reading A Picture of Dorian Gray and have been reading a little online about its use in the libel trial that Wilde brought against the Marquess of Queensbury.
Hey Katie! I'm catching up on all your videos so sorry if I might spam you with comments today. This was such a good video. I myself tend to agree with the whole "author is dead" (for the most part haha) viewpoint--I'm definitely adding all these (and maybe even good old Dorian for a re-read) to my TBR + currently reading the essay now.
Thanks :) I need to reread Dorian Gray too!
Brilliant video Katie! 30 minutes felt like 5 so I very much enjoyed it. I read Carmilla a while ago and was so fascinated by just how obvious it was. I think is a wonderful vampire book that should be read more. The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of my favorite novels and is definitely a must read for anyone interested in LGBT+ themes in literature, not just in the Victorian era, but as a whole. As always a very well put together and informative video. Thanks for the recommendations :)
Thanks :) Carmilla is such an interesting one - I've just finished another novel by him, and noting how entirely unsexualised and unromanticised the relationship between the two main female character is in that, makes me think even more that it must be intentional in Carmilla.
Inner sin on the outer form is something I find really interesting. This video was AM-MAZING! I love how much you researched all these and put them together I’m definitely exploring this further from your final recommendations Camilla in particular sounds super exciting but I loved the description of the guy bathing from the dickens novel. It reminded me a lot of a since in Moby dick which I believe has lots of references (a full video is coming). But yes wow loved this so much thanks for creating it. In my TBR is Vernon Lee you might Vernon a very interesting person 🤓
Thanks Oly! Would super recommend Camilla. I really do need to read Moby Dick some time. Vernon Lee sounds like a fascinating writer too!
Thanks for this great video! I'm currently looking at The Picture of Dorian Gray for my coursework and it's interesting to analyse the homoeroticism within it...and there's a lot of it! I also studied Lady Audley's Secret last year and thought the exact same about Robert Audley and George. I've always wondered what would happen if the writers rewrote their novels now and if they'd include more explicit homosexuality parts
Thanks :) I do wonder that too.
Great video, I was so looking forward to this!!
They're not Victorian, but let me recommend you "Maurice" by E. M. Forster (written in 1914) and "The Well of Loneliness" by Radclyffe Hall (1928). They're definitely worth a read! ❤
They're both on my list! I'm looking forward to reading them in the future.
Radclyffe Hall was an utter BADASS
The Breathing Ghosts Series Quite so!!!
Please do disability in Victorian literature. That sounds fascinating. Does Hunchback of Notre Dam count.
I hopefully will in future. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is French, so not Victorian, though of the same period I think, but that is on my TBR too.
Interesting video! I was waiting for this. I will have to see if my library carries 'Queer Dickens' It seems to be a fascinating read.
Thanks :) I'd certainly recommend Queer Dickens.
About the Captain Cuttle & Solomon Gills. If I remember right, Captain Cuttle is constantly swarmed and stalked by his landlady and her family(?? i think that's what she was, or was she a neighbour ??) and attempts to draw Cuttles toward her. I mostly saw it as more of: 'Lady, I want nothing with you and your family, please leave me alone and stop spying on me,' and less of homosexuality with Solomon Gills.
There is a novel named "Fingersmith"written by Sarah Waters which is a 21st century novel but the plot is set in the Victorian period.... This particular novel consists of a same sex relationship.... Lesbianism... There is a film adaptation and if you're interested, then try watching it before reading this novel.... I personally haven't read that novel but I've watched the BBC Series and I liked the plot twist... Anyway wonderful video.... You're soooo passionate and that is why all you're videos are so interesting to listen to.... Thank you for I've gained some knowledge regarding the Victorian era.... 😊😍😘✌️
I've read Fingersmith and really enjoyed it :)
I don't know the era it is set in but Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters, again, seems very good. I've read about a fourth or halfway through and I loved each moment of it.
This is SUCH a great video Katie. Hugely insightful and so interesting 😀👍🏻📚
Thank you :D
15:15 Mr Meagles even directly refers to Miss Wade's sexuality - "If it should happen that you are a woman, who, from whatever cause, has a perverted delight in making a sister-woman as wretched as she is (I am old enough to have heard of such), I warn her against you and I warn you against yourself."
I think you may have forgotten Steerforth & David Copperfield. Throughout the book Steerforth calls David, 'Daisy'. David as a character gets a lot of feminine nicknames by other characters: Doady, Trotwood (his aunt's last name), etc. And David has some internal monologue on Steerforth that draws some heavy homosexual undertones.
Would you say Mortimer Lightwood may be homosexual? He seems too close to Eugene and cares a lot about his actions (and tries in some way to dissuade him away from Lizzy)
And Lady Dedlock's maid. Maybe it's not homoeroticism, but she's too fond of her Lady's looks and rather jealous that Rosa, the housekeeper's niece(?) draws the attention of Lady Dedlock. It may stem more of the British lit trope of Foreigners/Foreign = Exotic, as the maid is Belgian and pretty wild with her mannerisms (walks shoeless in the rain, gossips conspicuously infront of others). If you want a stark example of Foreigner = Exotic look no further than Agatha Christie.
Yeah, I do sometimes think Mortimer is a bit in love with Eugene. I feel like I had this conversation with somebody else lately but I'm not sure who! And yes, David's affection for Steerforth is quite romantic in many ways. I haven't really thought of Hortense in Bleak House as being attracted to Lady Dedlock - I think it's more about a kind of revenge for Lady Dedlock not having seen her worth? I'm not sure; I'll have to think about that one!
This was such a good and interesting video! Very informative; it wasn’t too long at all!
Thanks Courtney :)
This topic reminds me of "John Halifax, Gentleman". Phineas Fletcher is very obviously deeply in love with John. The book isn't even ambiguous. When Phineas confronts John's love interest Ursula, he says he wishes he could be what John needs, but he can't, and he begs Ursula to fill that role. Phineas is also portrayed as weak, sickly, and unmanly, while the very heterosexual John is seen as strong and a paragon of masculinity. When John marries Ursula, Phineas puts less and less of his own personality and opinions into the story, and becomes a faceless narrator. He's not his own person, but a shadow to John Halifax.
I rather felt as if Lady Audley and Phoebe had more of a homoerotic connection than not. For a while, it seemed like Phoebe pined after Lady Audley and that Lady Audley herself was reluctant to let her be married to Luke. I didn't quite see where George Talboys and Robert Audley had any truly intimate relationship, though. Obviously they cared for one another, and yes, Robert's desire to find out the truth was a bit obsessive in my opinion, but aside from being "really good friends", I don't think they had any romantic inclinations towards one another. I could be wrong, but that's my interpretation. Besides, we did see how Lady Audley and Phoebe Marks interacted more than Robert and George did.
What a brilliant video! Thanks so much for sharing all this info. I definitely need to re-watch this and take notes.
Thank you :)
I'm surprised you haven't mentioned Bessy Higgins. It would be a one-sided love, but she surely loved Margaret. She seemed to love her "friend" more than a friend. But maybe I read to much into it. ^.^
I've never thought of that before, but now that you say it, I can kind of see what you mean.
Smike is Nicholas's first cousin, (he is Ralph Nickleby's son) and so of course Smike is also Kate's first cousin! Surely family fellow-feeling and instinctively felt similarities are enough to account for Smike's love.
Thank you for making such amazing videos!
This was super interesting! Thank you! :-)
Thanks!
Please become a teacher at a university. Your mind and thoughts are incredible, they must be shared and inspire others in a professional and intellectual way. ❤️
Aw thank you! I'm not sure if I'd be a good teacher - definitely I like being able to edit what I'm saying - but I appreciate your comment, thanks very much :) :)
Can you recommend any books set in the victorian era with LGBT characters?
That's what this video is! I'd also recommend Jill by Amy Dillwyn, which I hadn't read back when I made this video.
@@katiejlumsden I'm sorry but I meant contemporary books set in the victorian era with LGBT character. I'm sorry that was what I meant. 😉 thank you!
@@katiejlumsden I think I only have read Sarah Waters, Bridget Collins and Natasha Pulley. I would like to read more victorian LGBT by contemporary authors.
All your videos are quite smart, researched, intelligent. New dSubscriber ! Consider speaking a little more slowly, esp for the hard of hearing. Thanks for your analysis.
Thanks very much :) I'm afraid I physically can't speak slower - believe me, I try again and again. I'm doing my best, but I naturally speak even faster than this so it's quite tricky for me.
Hey, this was really interesting and I really appreciated hearing it, but could I make a tiny criticism? Would you mind going a bit slower? The weird jump edits and speed you speak at made it quite difficult to follow.
Apologies, this is an old video. My more recent videos should smoother editing. In terms of speaking more slowly, I try very hard to do so and find it almost physically impossible. Believe me, this is me talking slowly!
@@katiejlumsden Fair enough. I often find youtube video narration too fast, so it's my problem really. Thanks for your channel anyway. Looking forward to watching more.
How about the Squeerses? Not nice people, but very attached to each other.
Slow down
This is such an interesting topic! I haven't read a ton of Victorian literature but I think this list is exactly where I'll start!
Thanks Emma! I'd definitely recommend them :)