Looking for the First Gay American Novel: A Forgotten Book by Sarah Orne Jewett
When:
Thursday, Nov 12, 2020 5:00p -
6:00p
Thursday, Nov 12, 2020 5:00p -
6:00p
Where:
Online event
Admission:
$5-25
Categories:
History, LGBT, Lectures & Conferences, Virtual & Streaming
Event website:
https://my.historicnewengland.org/6800/novel
The popularity of James Baldwin’s "Giovanni’s Room" (1956), Armistead Maupin’s "Tales of the City" (1978-2014), and Hanya Yanagihara’s recent hit "A Little Life" (2015) indicates the profound connection people feel with LGBTQ+ fiction. But who authored the first gay American novel? Scholars have proposed origins for the tradition in Margaret Sweat's "Ethel's Love-Life" (1859) and Bayard Taylor's "Joseph and His Friend: A Tale of Pennsylvania" (1870).
However, Professor Don James McLaughlin of the University of Tulsa makes the case in this virtual talk that "A Marsh Island" (1885), a little-known novel serialized in The Atlantic by Sarah Orne Jewett (1849-1909), is significant for being the first novel to explore major, now-familiar facets of a burgeoning modern gay American consciousness.
Notes: Cosponsored by The History Project.
The link for the webinar will be sent in a separate email prior to the event. Advance tickets are required. Please call 617-994-6679 for more information.
