#queer references in literature

[a-la-sante-du-progres]

"At the level of my bed, there are two flaming hearts, pierced by an arrow, and down "Love for life". The unlucky one didn't face a long engagement.

Beside [...]

And then again some flaming hearts, with this inscription, peculiar in a prison "I love and I adore Mathieu Danvin. JACQUES." "

From The Last Day of Condemned Man by Hugo, this proves this author didn't believe in heteronormativity that is didn't believe everyone to be straight. We don't know his opinions in detail - although I dare to say this reference is sad but casts sympathetic light on these Jacques et Mathieu. So when we read 1)Hugo is a XIX man, 2)can imagine only heterosexuality and 3)so every one of his characters is straight and 4)there is no gay subtext, at least the 2nd sentence is false, likely 3) and 4) as well.

We also should always remember that queerness being a modern trend and every person born before 1990 being homophobic or ignorant about the existence of queerness is at best queer presentism, more often homophobic propaganda which aim to paint queer themes as a fleeting modern delusion.

(Anyway this book is extremely important to read)

[heartrender6]

simon from lord of the flies is a criminally underrated queercoded character from classic literature. "my poor misguided boy, do you think you know better than I do?" what do you mean by that. "you like ralph a lot don't you?" what do you mean by that. why does he spend all his time frolicking in the forest and enjoying the beauty of nature. why is he stereotypically feminine. why does he break the heteronormative gender roles that the other boys conform to. why does he have religious trauma. why does he become "the beast" in the eyes of the other boys as they follow the growing up allegory. why does he think about ralph smiling at him for so long that he literally crashes into a tree. don't be shy william golding you can tell us

[regulusrules]

Yo, I saw your post about orientalism in relation to the "hollywood middle-east" tiktok!

How can a rando and university dropout get into and learn more about? Any literature or other content to recommend?

Hi!! Wow, you have no idea how you just pressed a button. I'll unleash 5+ years on you. And I'll even add for you open-sourced works that you can access as much as I can!

1. Videos

I often find this is the best medium nowadays to learn anything! I'll share with you some of the best that deal with the topic in different frames

• This is a video of Edward Said talking about his book, Orientalism. Said is the Palestinian- American critic who first introduced the term Orientalism, and is the father of postcolonial studies as a critical literary theory. In this book, you’ll find an in-depth analysis of the concept and a deconstruction of western stereotypes. It’s very simple and he explains everything in a very easy manner.

• How Islam Saved Western Civilization. A more than brilliant lecture by Professor Roy Casagranda. This, in my opinion, is one of the best lectures that gives credit to this great civilization, and takes you on a journey to understand where did it all start from.

• What’s better than a well-researched, general overview Crash Course about Islam by John Green? This is not necessarily on orientalism but for people to know more about the fundamental basis of Islam and its pillars. I love the whole playlist that they have done about the religion, so definitely refer to it if you're looking to understand more about the historical background! Also, I can’t possibly mention this Crash Course series without mentioning ... ↓

• The Medieval Islamicate World. Arguably my favourite CC video of all times. Hank Green gives you a great thorough depiction of the Islamic civilization when it rose. He also discusses the scientific and literary advancements that happened in that age, which most people have no clue about! And honestly, just his excitement while explaining the astrolabe. These two truly enlightened so many people with the videos they've made. Thanks, @sizzlingsandwichperfection-blog

2. Documentaries

• This is an AMAZING documentary called Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Villifies A People by the genius American media critic Jack Shaheen. He literally analysed more than 1000 movies and handpicked some to showcase the terribly false stereotypes in western depiction of Arab/Muslim cultures. It's the best way to go into the subject, because you'll find him analysing works you're familiar with like Aladdin and all sorts.

• Spain’s Islamic Legacy. I cannot let this opportunity go to waste since one of my main scopes is studying feminist Andalusian history. There are literal gems to be known about this period of time, when religious coexistence is documented to have actually existed. This documentary offers a needed break from eurocentric perspectives, a great bird-view of the Islamic civilization in Europe and its remaining legacy (that western history tries so hard to erase).

• When the Moors Ruled in Europe. This is one of the richest documentaries that covers most of the veiled history of Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain). Bettany Hughes discusses some of the prominent rulers, the brilliance of architecture in the Arab Muslim world, their originality and contributions to poetry and music, their innovative inventions and scientific development, and lastly, La Reconquista; the eventual fall and erasure of this grand civilization by western rulers.

3. Books

• Rethinking Orientalism by Reina Lewis. Lewis brilliantly breaks the prevailing stereotype of the “Harem”, yk, this stupid thought westerns projected about arab women being shut inside one room, not allowed to go anywhere from it, enslaved and without liberty, just left there for the sexual desires of the male figures, subjugated and silenced. It's a great read because it also takes the account of five different women living in the middle east.

• Nocturnal Poetics by Ferial Ghazoul. A great comparative text to understand the influence and outreach of The Thousand and One Nights. She applies a modern critical methodology to explore this classic literary masterpiece.

• The Question of Palestine by Edward Said. Since it's absolutely relevant, this is a great book if you're looking to understand more about the Palestinian situation and a great way to actually see the perspective of Palestinians themselves, not what we think they think.

• Arab-American Women's Writing and Performance by S.S. Sabry. One of my favourite feminist dealings with the idea of the orient and how western depictions demeaned arab women by objectifying them and degrading them to objects of sexual desire, like Scheherazade's characterization: how she was made into a sensual seducer, but not the literate, brilliantly smart woman of wisdom she was in the eastern retellings. The book also discusses the idea of identity and people who live on the hyphen (between two cultures), which is a very crucial aspect to understand arabs who are born/living in western countries.

• The Story of the Moors in Spain by Stanley Lane-Poole. This is a great book if you're trying to understand the influence of Islamic culture on Europe. It debunks this idea that Muslims are senseless, barbaric people who needed "civilizing" and instead showcases their brilliant civilization that was much advanced than any of Europe in the time Europe was labelled by the Dark Ages. (btw, did you know that arabic was the language of knowledge at that time? Because anyone who was looking to study advanced sciences, maths, philosophy, astronomy etc, had to know arabic because arabic-speaking countries were the center of knowledge and scientific advancements. Insane, right!)

• Convivencia and Medieval Spain. This is a collection of essays that delve further into the idea of “Convivencia”, which is what we call for religious coexistence. There's one essay in particular that's great called Were Women Part of Convivencia? which debunks all false western stereotypical images of women being less in Islamic belief. It also highlights how arab women have always been extremely cultured and literate. (They practiced medicine, studied their desired subjects, were writers of poetry and prose when women in Europe couldn't even keep their surnames when they married.)

4. Novels / Epistolaries

• Granada by Radwa Ashour. This is one of my favourite novels of all time, because Ashour brilliantly showcases Andalusian history and documents the injustices and massacres that happened to Muslims then. It covers the cultural erasure of Granada, and is also a story of human connection and beautiful family dynamics that utterly touches your soul.

• Dreams of Trespass by Fatema Mernissi. This is wonderful short read written in autobiographical form. It deconstructs the idea of the Harem in a postcolonial feminist lens of the French colonization of Morocco.

• Scheherazade Goes West by Mernissi. Mernissi brilliantly showcases the sexualisation of female figures by western depictions. It's very telling, really, and a very important reference to understand how the west often depicts middle-eastern women by boxing them into either the erotic, sensual beings or the oppressed, black-veiled beings. It helps you understand the actual real image of arab women out there (who are not just muslims btw; christian, jew, atheist, etc women do exist, and they do count).

• Letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. This is a feminist travel epistolary of a British woman which covers the misconceptions that western people, (specifically male travelers) had recorded and transmitted about the religion, traditions and treatment of women in Constantinople, Turkey. It is also a very insightful sapphic text that explores her own engagement with women there, which debunks the idea that there are no queer people in the middle east.

---------------------

With all of these, you'll get an insight about the real arab / islamic world. Not the one of fanaticism and barbarity that is often mediated, but the actual one that is based on the fundamental essences of peace, love, and acceptance.

[lanotteviene]

anyway it's funny in an interesting way how the internet turned Kafka into the sad boy with an existentialist + romantic flavour instead of the author of seminal works about alienation & the confusing, painful contrast between what society deems normal and what Isn't. how the rules that establish that divide aren't made clear, how to the marginalized they seem ever-changing, impossible to grasp, surreal to the point of despair.

if you've ever felt overwhelmed by the absurdity of a system that seems legitimately against you instead of for you, if you've had days or months or years where language or cultural barriers have made you feel wrong to your core, if you've dealt with so much stress or mental illness or abuse that you've struggled to recognize yourself in the mirror his work talks about your struggles and would probably speak to you

[wolfstargazer]

I appreciate and understand the love for Dead Poets Society in the Marauder-era fandom. The aesthetic is immaculate.

As a Brit and an older fan I would like to make a public service announcement that you're all sleeping on The History Boys. And would encourage everyone to go watch it.

[shaylogic]

DBDA Fanfic Research Refs

Hey, all. I'm looking for some research reference material to help me with writing some Dead Boy Detectives fanfiction. I want to get a better idea of the settings/backgrounds that Edwin and Charles would be coming from in their living pasts.

[I'm coming from a pretty ignorant American perspective, so please forgive me. This is why I'm requesting help with good research materials.]

If anyone could help offer up some more recommendations, or point out bad ones on my current to-read list, I'd really appreciate the help. This could become a collaborative reference post for others in the fandom looking for the same thing.

I'm particularly looking at:

British/English/UK/London?? Slang in different time periods

Edwin's Edwardian period

[Re: Edwin: I'll probably be checking out more of Wilde and Lord Byron's works, or people along those lines. . .?]

Charles' 1980's period, and the punk scene?

Partition of India > England immigration [??? I am white, so I don't really wanna tread into that foolishly, but fandom is a good opportunity to learn real life history]

LGBT (esp. gay) history in London and the greater area in their time periods

[Example pics of what resources I'm thinking about looking at under the cut, because it got long.]

Here are some books I've been looking at so far:

Here's a movie I did a history class report on a while ago, and I've been thinking of it again:

~~~~~

This is some of what I've been considering so far. Anyone have suggestions?

[queeringclassiclit]

Prince Marvel

from The Enchanted Island of Yew by L. Frank Baum

submitted by @the-blue-fairie who included the following excerpt as evidence:

"Why do you wish to become a mortal?" "To gain exciting experiences," answered the fairy. "I'm tired of being a humdrum fairy year in and year out. Of course, I do not wish to become a mortal for all time, for that would get monotonous, too; but to live a short while as the earth people do would amuse me very much." "If you want variety, you should become a boy," said Helda, with a laugh, "The life of a boy is one round of excitement." "Then make me a boy!" exclaimed the fairy eagerly. "A boy!" they all cried in consternation. And Seseley added: "Why--you're a GIRL fairy, aren't you?" "Well--yes; I suppose I am," answered the beautiful creature, smiling; "but as you are going to change me anyway, I may as well become a boy as a girl." "Better!" declared Helda, clapping her hands; "for then you can do as you please." "But would it be right?" asked Seseley, with hesitation. "Why not?" retorted the fairy. "I can see nothing wrong in being a boy. Make me a tall, slender youth, with waving brown hair and dark eyes. Then I shall be as unlike my own self as possible, and the adventure will be all the more interesting. Yes; I like the idea of being a boy very much indeed."

[elamimax]

NEXUS ALPHA

I know I've been a lot about it but that's because I'm posting a lot of free erotic mecha yuri literature online and I want people to have the chance to opt in.

So:

Do you like mecha/giant robots, dominant women and negotiated kink? Do you like the whole puppy thing AC6 had going for it? Do you like smut?

Have you ever wanted someone to force you to tell them your kink but in a hot way and then sign a form of all the things you're going to let them do to you?

But what if it's trans lesbians and giant robots?

NEXUS ALPHA is a very kinky story, heavily inspired by AC6 and Pacific Rim, about a bunch of lesbians who fight giant monsters in giant mechs and also they're fucking and the robots are too kinda. There's negotiated kink contracts. There's pupplay. There's a woman there who is basically Yujiro Hanma if she was a lesbian. It's very horny. I have brain worms.

You can go here to read a bunch of it for free:

and you can go here to read what I haven't published anywhere else on my Patreon.

finally, look at this fine-ass cover. i'm really happy with it.

That's it have a good night fuck a mech pilot if you want to they can really use it they've been working really hard.

[yuripira4e]

If I had a nickel for everytime classical literature created an intimate relationship between 2 boys at a boarding school (one who is popular and one who is introverted), who are struggling with their identity and the emotions they are feeling, but ultimately cannot express and then ending with the killing of (metaphorically or literally) the popular one, I would have 3 nickels, which is not a lot, but it is weird that it happened three times

[lux-brumalis444]

And I'm like the sun. I give and give my warmth until it is self-evident. But what do I get for it? The cold of the universe. And slowly I'm burning out. But the cold around me remains.

[jojotichakorn]

when i say maurice by em forster is a staple of queer media - this is what i mean. chadok is the clive of the story, obviously.

[loverboydotcom]

getting emails about my writing ma offer is soo funny like girl i cannot afford you!

[regulusrules]

I saw your post about orientalism and I was glad to see that I am not the only one who wanted to know more. I am eager to dive into your list, but I was wondering if there's a major/ course that focuses on orientalism? Maybe something online? Thanks!

Hi nonnie! Orientalism is actually quite common these days as a module if you're studying in majors like: Literatures in English, Arab and Islamic Studies, Comparative Literature, Cultural Studies, Gender and Queer Studies, Race Studies, Area Studies, and definitely History. Some universities even have Orientalism as a separate major on its own, which is pretty freaking dope if you ask me.

I tried looking up online courses for you, but honestly since that is not how I studied, I don't want to recommend a course and it turns out shitty or eurocentric lol

If you or anyone wants to shoot me a message asking for specific references, my DMs are open!

The list of videos/references to understand more about orientalism mentioned by nonnie

[deanncastiel]

2024 Book #118

Title: The Fractured Dark Author: Megan E. O'Keefe Genre: Sci-fi, LGBTQIA+ Series: The Devoured Worlds, Book 2

Naira and Tarquin have escaped vicious counter-revolutionaries, misprinted monsters, and the pull of a dying planet. Now, bound together to find the truth behind the blight that has been killing habitable planets, they need to hunt out the Mercator family secrets. But, when the head of Mercator disappears, taking the universe’s remaining supply of starship fuel with him, chaos breaks loose between the ruling families. Naira’s revolution must be put aside for the sake of humanity’s immediate survival. 

Rating: 4.5 ⭐

Quick thoughts: love tarq and naira. honestly ashamed of how much i liked fletcher 🤷🤷🤷. practically the whole book felt like one long gaslight, you wanna talk about unreliable narrators. liked the first book better bc i feel like this one, the overall plot got a bit TOO expansive and a bit too free and loose. very excited for the final book next month.

[thereadingmoon]

the best plot twists of the locked tomb are when it unapologetically fucks genre over and over again—it’s a fantasy story in a sci-fi setting, it’s a whodunnit meets battle royale, it’s a coming-of-age romance at the forefront of a colonial imperialist dystopia, it’s a psychological thriller and a ghost story bubbling in a stew of homosexuality and queerness, it’s a ball of literature references wrapped around memes and pop culture, it’s a slice of life in a cake of political intrigue, and turns out it’s ultimately a climate fiction horror story on steroids

[contact-guy]

“#I read so many gay Victorian love letters and books to get the tone right lol #Plato‘s symposium reference was THE way to signal you liked men in the late 19th century“ would you mind sharing some of your sources? 👀 I also want to write gay Victorian fanfiction am just naturally curious about the victorians

Omg 1000%, let me cite my sources:

Strangers: Homosexual Love in the Nineteeth Century by Graham Robb - this book is a treasure trove of well researched information. A lot of queer history focuses on men and I really appreciate all the stories about women in this one. It’s 20 years old and by (as far as I can tell) a straight author, so there’s some limitations - a total lack of awareness of bisexuality and trans identity - but I really enjoyed it regardless. There’s also like four pages where he discusses Sherlock Holmes as an iconic gay protagonist that changed my brain.

Fanny and Stella by Neil McKenna - a heavily researched story of two trans femmes in Victorian England, the crossdressing trial that scandalized London, their sisterhood and surrounding community, and the love triangle they were involved in. It’s written in a VERY fun and gossipy way, with a ton of primary sources, and is such a compelling story! This author also wrote a book about Wilde I haven’t read yet.

Gay History and Literature by Ricor Norton - it’s a website, not a book (I can’t find his books except at really high prices!) but it’s an obsessively compiled list of…basically…what it says on the tin. There’s a collection of gay love letters and newspaper clippings that are fascinating to read!

The Portrait of Mr. W. H. by Oscar Wilde, heard of him? This is my favorite Wilde story! It’s about the theory that Shakespeare’s sonnets were written to a young man, and how the desire for proof drives a man to death, and the frustrations and joys of looking for yourself in long-dead writing.

Before Queer Theory: Victorian Aestheticism and the Self by Dustin Friedman - reading this book felt like making my brain lift weights, but it was really interesting - it’s about the Aesthetic movement and how modern queer identity began in the nineteeth century.

Maurice by E. M. Forster (not technically Victorian but close) is a story written in 1913 about gay love (published in 1971 and dedicated to “a happier time” 🥲). It gave me some ideas about how a confession could play out. Plato’s Symposium is used as a pickup line, of course.