Let’s unpack this cause this person has a good point about the actual structure in which classic literature is taught in school, but they seem to be completely misunderstanding the point of reading challenging books. Don’t even get me started on “destroys any desire…to read recreationally”
“Classic Literature is just a bunch of boring old white guys?”
First of all, how dare you! Genuinely HATE this take because it’s not even close to being true.
For Pride Month, I present to you a short list of recommended (by me!) queer classic literature.
1. The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) - Oscar Wilde
You already knew this book was going to be on this list.
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a Gothic novel about a beautiful, young man who remains forever youthful and leads a life of self-indulgence, whereas a portrait of him ages and reflects his sins. The original manuscript of the novel had 500 words deleted by the editor prior to publication including Basil's confession that he felt a "romance of feeling" towards Dorian and had never before loved a woman. So while the novel is not explicitly queer, the intention is definitely there. Also, Oscar Wilde himself was sent to prison for 2 years for "gross indecency with men". So....subtext is everything.
2. Giovanni's Room (1956) - James Baldwin
There's no subtext in Giovanni's Room. James Baldwin was an openly queer man and had relationships with both men and women. The main character in his novel does the same. David is a gay (or bi?) man who struggles with his sexual identity, outright denying it at times. He is engaged to a woman, but spends the majority of the book trying to come to terms with the fact that he is actually in love with Giovanni, a man he is having a sexual affair with. Very poignant novel about homosexuality, repression, and internalized homophobia in mid-century Paris.
3. The Well of Loneliness (1928) - Radclyffe Hall
When a book gets banned, I immediately have to read it. The Well of Loneliness was banned from publication in the UK for being "obscene" and only allowed to be published in the US after years in court. There is nothing sexually explicit in the book, but a novel about a butch lesbian written by a butch lesbian in 1928 is going to cause a little social panic. It's also a beautiful book. The main character, Stephen (a woman) falls in love with a nurse named Mary and though they start a happy relationship, they have to navigate the social rejections of their families, friends, and wider community.
4. Goodbye to Berlin (1934) - Christopher Isherwood
The inspiration to one of the greatest musicals of all time, Cabaret. And also semi-autobiographical as it was based on Isherwood's time in Berlin. Isherwood was a gay, American writer who spent much of his 20s exploring queer spaces in Berlin before the rise of the Nazi party in Germany. One of these spaces is the avant-garde, gender bending Kit Kat Club. Ultimately, Isherwood has to flee Germany when Hitler gains power, and we're left with a sad ambiguity about what happens to all of the friends he made in Germany.
you think that you're so alone in the world then you read literature from hundreds of years ago and you realize that other people have always felt this way
prguitarman
theartofmadeline
blakekathryn
tangentwithtanner
andulkaphoto
ellievsbear
janainaart
gummygunk
kianamaiart
dailybridgerton
