8 Novels on Obsession, Love and Secrecy in Queer History
Imagine living in a world where there are not enough words to describe who you feel you are. Where ambiguous sentences, broad phrases and terms never pinpoint your true self. However, as the compass points north, we strive towards the truth even without the right tools or means to find it. Our human voice has always been our go-to method in expressing ourselves, but when this falls short, we resort to words coated in ink to immortalise our legacy. These words become collections of stories that guide us, books that shape us. The transcendence of human nature eventually reaches us despite past censorship and judgement, taking us on a journey into a new, more loving and a world that is more open and uses kind words, in better language. The ink strokes flow in unison with time, providing a new language for self-expression. However, this does not mean that this form of expression is completely new to storytelling. Take, for example, the LGBTQ+ community; queer terms and festivals such as Pride Month are a relatively new phenomenon, but historical evidence and literature trace Queer history and expression further back than we realise. This can be explored in historical novels and stories that speak to our experiences of love regardless of sexuality and race. Explore them in 8 Novels on Obsession, Love and Secrecy in Queer History.
LGBT History
Many terms we use today to describe homosexuality only came into being in the late 20th century; Pride Month was established in 1999, the term LGBT was created in the 1980s and ‘Queer’ was only used to reference homosexuality in the late 20th century. While the establishment of these terms provided a new language for the LGBTQ+ community, this does not mean that their stories and experiences start here. Queerness goes back thousands of years, with one of the earliest archaeological discoveries coming far from outside the Western world in Egypt, dating back to 2400 BC in the tomb of Nyakh-Khnum and Khnum-Hotep, Egypt, where the two royal manicurists were uncovered embracing each other even in death. The Queer identity was never a uniquely Western phenomenon; it was commonplace in all corners of the world, including Europe, the Americas, Africa and all areas of Asia, each of which had its own ways of expressing identity. While LGBTQ+ terms may not have been present, history shows that fluidity in gender and sexuality has long been part of the human race.
Love Stories
While you may initially start with Queer History from the 20th century, we can actually travel far further back into Ancient society. We can go from the Ancient Greeks and pederasty (a same sex relationship between an adult man and a young boy) all the way to eunuchs and their roles in the Ottoman Empire; a whole new world of queer identities without labels. This is also present in cultures around the world; for example, some Native American cultures recognise gender fluidity in the form of ‘two spirit’, referring to a third gender with a social role in their communities, which contrasts with the strict Western gender binary.
Banned Books
The lack of words results in the retelling of their relationships jumping around, even ‘fogging’ their truth, utilising terms like ‘friendship’ or ‘connection’, even to the point of creating a new social category. As society progressed and censorship rose, these identities navigated the world in secrecy, which in turn led to a genre of literature that brought queer identity into writing. Modern examples of banned Queer literature include ‘Giovanni’s Room’ by James Baldwin in 1956 and ‘Women’s Barracks’ by Tereske Torres in 195o, mainly repercussions of the Cold War environment. Words were strung together in a curated and calculated manner, creating intricate, gripping and devastating novels that delivered their message while disguised in paper, ink and leather. This phenomenon continues outside the Modern period and even as far as the 16th century, presenting a surprising start in Queer literature.
‘The Great Mirror of Male Love’ by Iharu Sakai, 1687
This Japanese collection of stories about homosexuality is an important example of Queer History that goes far beyond the 19th-century struggles. It is also a strong example of how queerness is not solely a Western phenomenon but was considered a normal practice throughout history in many parts of the world. The book explores homosexual relationships between warriors, monks, and men of different ages and status. In his opinion, Sakai only references male relationships, arguing that heaven and earth are bound the same way as male lovers, and women would not be able to compare to ‘handsome youth’.
This pride and openness to male relationships are eye-opening to the world of queer history. History uncovers that homosexuality was never taboo by default; it has been part of our society for centuries. Perhaps acknowledge the variety of attitudes in our past that were actually more progressive than our society claims to be.
‘Joseph and His Friend’ by Baynard Taylor, 1870
While some may find it difficult to imagine homosexuality before our modern period, Taylor brought to life this world in a 19th-century novel. The story follows Joseph Aster, who becomes engaged to Julia Blessing in rural Pennsylvania. After getting involved in a train crash, he is met with the kind eyes of a man called Phillip Held, who cares for him and eventually describes what is called ‘a man’s perfect friendship’. While their bond remains strong through Joseph’s troubles with his wife, he eventually falls for Phillip’s sister, Madeline. Despite his strong feelings and fears for Joseph drifting from his heart, Phillip puts on a smile for their sake.
This heart-wrenching novel is described as ‘America’s first homosexual novel’ and was faced with much criticism for its themes of homosexuality. Interestingly, the novel focuses on the romantic relationship between Phillip and Joseph and does not hint towards a sexual one. Even the title explicitly references Phillip as a friend, nothing more. The term ‘homosexuality’ was only coined 20 years after the publication; therefore, this novel is a beautiful example of male relationships in the 18th century that had to avoid anything of a sexual nature to avoid punishment. The creativity of writers in queer stories resulted in work that simultaneously made themes of homosexuality both obvious and subtly hidden.
‘Carmilla’ by Joseph Feridan le Fanu, 1872
Written by Irish author Joseph Feridan le Fanu, Carmilla became a foundational work in Gothic vampire literature with a lesbian vampire trope. The book describes the relationship between Laura and Carmilla, a mysterious girl fleeing a carriage accident who Laura recognises from her childhood dreams. The two have romantic, even obsessive advances towards each other while Laura also makes unsettling discoveries about Carmilla.
The attraction between the two is clear; ‘you are mine, you shall be mine, you and I are one forever’. Despite this, Spanish censors allowed ‘Carmilla’ to be imported because they did not recognise the lesbian themes, as relationships between women were unlikely to be called out as sexual or romantic, unlike gay relationships. This contrasts with Sakai’s 16th-century attitudes towards male and female relationships, highlighting the variety in queer attitudes and practices in different parts of the world as time passed.
‘The Well of Loneliness’ by Radclyffe Hall, 1928
This Lesbian novel follows the connection between Stephen Gordon, an upperclasswoman, and Mary Llewellyn, who is an ambulance driver during the First World War. Hall describes the use of the word ‘inversion’ to describe their status, and advocates this as a natural, God-given state.
This is another example of the manipulation of language to pinpoint identity; while ‘inversion’ usually refers to the reversal of the original form, Hall takes ownership of the term and maintains its use as a trait that is originally instilled in the soul. The book received backlash for its ‘unnatural practices between women’ and ‘obscenity’, but fought its way through courts to become the Queer Classic it is today.
‘Lihaaf’ by Ismat Chughtai, 1942
If we look at Queerness as a Western phenomenon, we ultimately ignore the struggles of writers beyond. ‘Litaaf’ (The Quilt) is a short story originally written in Urdu, narrated by the niece of Begum Jaan, who suffers a depressing marriage with a Nawab who is only interested in men. Begum Jaan therefore begins a touchy relationship with her masseuse, Rabbu. The story engages in a variety of themes of sexual abuse, feudalism and lesbianism that create a vivid combination of events.
The publication was met with an obscenity trial in the Lahore Court, which Chughtai won due to the argument that there was no suggestion of sexual acts, and is simply a story told by a small girl. This shows a pattern in 19th-century Queer publications; many writers were able to defend their work on the basis that there was no reference to sexual acts. These resulted in words, events and plots that were calculated and strung together to weave the writer’s vision together without being subject to punishment.
‘Olivia’ by Dorothy Bussy, 1949
The name ‘Olivia’ was used as a pseudonym by Bussy to sign her work, a tribute to her sister who died in infancy. The novel follows an adolescent, Olivia, in a boarding school in Paris. During this period, she develops a curiosity and admiration for her headmistress, Mlle Julie. The plot simultaneously follows Mlle Julie’s romance with the head of another school, Mlle Clara. The story draws on Bussy’s experience in boarding School and her headmistress. The book offers a unique insight into the female mind and the world of girls’ boarding schools, which are periods filled with emotion, chaos and delicacy.
‘Maurice’ by E.M Forster, 1971
Despite being written around 1913-14, Forster only published ‘Maurice’ in 1971 due to his concerns about harsh public attitudes toward same-sex love. The novel follows 14-year-old Maurice, who, from the beginning, feels he does not fit in with the typical life set out for him, which inevitably leads to marriage to a woman. He eventually begins a romantic relationship with Clive Durham, but once this fails due to Clive’s declaration that he is heterosexual and is marrying a woman, he begins a sexual relationship with Alec, a gamekeeper.
The novel goes into detail about the struggle to accept oneself, with Maurice drastically trying hypnotherapy to ‘cure himself’ and societal pressure to follow a life plan that is a one-size-fits-all. The novel was, of course, met with criticism, confusion and outrage from the public, but remains a classic in Queer Literature that resonates with the struggles of the queer community today.
Set in 90s London during the AIDS epidemic, 19-year-old Johnny falls in love with a 45-year-old Jerry as they live together in Nova Scotia House, a public housing area in the East End. Johnny is struck by tragedy when Jerry dies of AIDS, and still feels the grief 25 years later. He also experiences loss in a variety of ways through old landscapes being torn apart and people changing for the worse. Despite these periods of hardship, Jerry draws on his past and, in turn, provides us with a glimpse of Queer London before and during the AIDS pandemic that encompassed activism, community and love.
Thankfully, our words are not finite, probably because words move with the times and with our needs. They go beyond the pages they inscribe and survive across time, touching the hearts of people in entirely different realities.
Writers have utilised these inked lines to define the borders of language, creating a new world united through the freedom of self-expression. While it took time, patience, and experimentation, their beliefs were masked with paper and leather to filter their way through censorship and persecution that eventually blossomed into the movements and communities we know today.
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