I'm currently reading Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall. Jaimie posted a great review, so I won't rehash the basic plot. It was published in 1928, and the first half has been Stephen's (yes a female) experience not knowing "what" she is, but sensing that she is something very different from other girls. The scene after her mother discovers what is going on with Stephen and Angela is so very sad, but ultimately a "scene" that continues to play out in the households of many LGBT youth 90 years after the book's publication.
I have also gotten the impression, at least from the beginning of the novel, that Stephen might not just be a lesbian, but perhaps transgendered. It's not that she simply is different, and likes boyish things, but it is mentioned again and again that she wants to be a boy. Is that a common experience among gay youth?
The book is slow going, but I'm enjoying so far, and looking forward to the rest.
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I don't know if it's a common experience among gay youth but it's certainly an acknowledged element in the gay community, hence the acronym LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgendered). In Hall's time such feelings were interpreted as belonging to a "third sex", not entirely male or female, and she definitely ascribed to the notion. I think she mentioned it on her dedication page or something? (I forget.)
I'm glad you're enjoying it. I had a great time when I read it earlier this year.
Thanks for inviting me to blog here. The outmoded authors I've read lately are:
Outmoded Authors (no #) (9/1/07 - 2/28/08) signed up 12/1/07
1. Edna, His Wife - Margaret Ayers Barnes (9/07)
2. Gulliver’s Travels - Jonathan Swift (9/07)
3. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray (10/07)
4. Kettle of Fire - Harold L. Davis (10/07)
Jan (in Edmonds)
http://jottingsfromjan.blogspot.com
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