Bauer, Gero
Houses, Secrets, and the Closet

Locating Masculinities from the Gothic Novel to Henry James.

This study investigates the literary production of masculinities and their relation to secrets and sexualities in English literature from the early Gothic until the turn of the twentieth century. It focusses on close readings of Gothic fiction, Sensation Novels, and tales by Horace Walpole, Ann Radcliffe, William Godwin, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Wilkie Collins, and Henry James. The study approaches these texts through the lens of domestic space, gender, knowledge, and power. This approach serves to investigate the cultural roots of the 'closet' - the male homosexual secret - which reveals a more general notion of male secrecy in modern society. The study thus contributes to a better understanding of the cultural history of masculinities and sexualities. 233 Seiten, broschiert (Lettre/transcript 2016) leichte Lagerspuren/near mint