Monstrous Lesbians and Sapphic Rituals: England c. 1900-1930

Tonight’s speaker explores the image of “The Lesbian” – ‎monstrous, tragic or exoticised, in English literature of the 1910s and 20s.‎

Using illustrations and quotations, she will set this within the context of earlier cultural history, the fin-de-siècle fascination with “deadly and dangerous females”, and the literary/artistic desire for lesbians, aesthetic and decadent men. But alongside these projections, she will look at real-life lesbian women who engaged with an idea of the Sapphic Priestess of Aphrodite as an inspiration in their literary practice. Lindsay River’s MA dissertation (London Metropolitan) examined early 20th-century constructions of lesbianism. She now works professionally on ageism, queer rights and queer pagan perspectives. A retired astrologer, she wrote (with Sally Gillespie) The Knot of Time: Astrology and Female Experience (1987).

Register to tell a friend about this lecture.

Comments

If you would like to comment about this lecture, please register here.

©2003-2006 Niminim Limited. Created by

Any ad revenue is entirely reinvested into the Lecture List's operating fund