Queering History
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word queer can be used to mean odd or strange, but in our modern lexicon, I'm sure more people know the word as it relates to sexual and gender identity. The intellectual investigation of queerness is referred to as queer theory and one of the main goals in this pursuit is to question the established, starkly divided, and socially accepted categories of gender and sexuality (Zavala). This is done through the confrontation of heteronormativity, which is the notion that heterosexuality is the good or normal baseline of sexual identity. Queer theory itself is also invested in considering all parts of one’s identity and experiences and integrating them into an intersectional model of study. In this way, queer theory is also concerned with socio-economic issues, race, and many other aspects of the human condition.
The double meaning of the word queer seems to align with its use in queer history, as it is used to refer to sexuality, but also the ‘strangeness’ of looking at things from a new or different perspective. The queering of history is the process of considering the biases and assumptions of historians and how they affect widely accepted 'facts' of the past (Evans). The queering of history started in the mid-to-late 20th century and did indeed focus on gay and lesbian identities and relationships, but it has come to be much more than that. Now, queering history can, and does, include the investigation of non-cis-heterosexual figures, but the most important thing about it is an “emphasis on self-reflexivity and critique of overly simplistic, often binary, analyses” (Evans) which can be applied to all fields of history.
In class, we discussed how queering is applied to literary history through the debate surrounding Emily Dickinson’s sexuality, its representation in media, and how it affects the way we read her work. In her article, “Behind the New, Gloriously Queer Emily Dickinson Movie”, Rachel Handler mentions the fact that many scholars were, and still are, strongly opposed to the notion that Dickinson had queer feelings and relationships. This opposition, to me, seems to stem from ignorance and fear. If it is acknowledged that queer people and relationships have existed throughout history, that means queerness is a normal human condition. This goes against the conservative beliefs about the ‘wrongness’ of homosexuality.
Another aspect of homophobia comes from the notion that sexuality and gender are fixed and easily categorized. As I said before, queer theorists consciously question these boundaries, which are largely a modern invention. Until 1934, the word heterosexual was defined as an “abnormal or perverted attraction to someone of the opposite sex” in medical dictionaries (Ambrosino). Dickinson lived from 1830 until 1886. In her time, there was not a distinct line between ‘straight’ and ‘gay’ in the way there is now. Of course, heterosexuality was regarded as the ‘normal’ sexuality, but it was not defined in the way it is today. In contemporary readings of Victorian works we often find depictions of friendships that are ambiguous in nature, teetering between platonic and intensely sexual or romantic. This may be due in part to the lower level of division between sexual identities and preferences.
An event which impacted the development of gay identity is the persecution of Oscar Wilde, one of Dickinson’s contemporaries. In 1895, he was convicted of gross indecency because he had sexual relationships with other men, which was illegal in England up until the 1960s (Onion et al.). When he spoke about his own sexuality, Wilde did not identify himself as homosexual. Instead, he believed that his sexual behaviors were a result of mental illness (Lee). The law which he violated also seemed to have been formulated in order to combat what was perceived as male depravity and indulgence rather than homosexuality specifically (Lee). This just demonstrates the fact that sexual identity was not something that existed at the time. There has always been sexual behavior, but the intensely personal meaning assigned to it is a recent invention
The fluidity seen in same-sex relationships in Victorian literature makes the initial goal of queering history- to uncover hidden queer stories and bring them to light- a bit more complicated. Now, we must take into account the perspectives and social norms of the time period when interpreting the works of Dickinson, Wilde, and their contemporaries. On the other hand, we have the responsibility to portray them as truly and wholly as possible. The use of the word 'queer' as an umbrella term is an excellent way to recognize their, well, queer experiences without assigning to them labels which they had never even known (Lee).
“[To queer] means to challenge or to critique assumptions about the stability of sex, gender, and sexuality, as well as the relationship between all the three.”
(Mohrman)
The double meaning of the word queer seems to align with its use in queer history, as it is used to refer to sexuality, but also the ‘strangeness’ of looking at things from a new or different perspective. The queering of history is the process of considering the biases and assumptions of historians and how they affect widely accepted 'facts' of the past (Evans). The queering of history started in the mid-to-late 20th century and did indeed focus on gay and lesbian identities and relationships, but it has come to be much more than that. Now, queering history can, and does, include the investigation of non-cis-heterosexual figures, but the most important thing about it is an “emphasis on self-reflexivity and critique of overly simplistic, often binary, analyses” (Evans) which can be applied to all fields of history.
In class, we discussed how queering is applied to literary history through the debate surrounding Emily Dickinson’s sexuality, its representation in media, and how it affects the way we read her work. In her article, “Behind the New, Gloriously Queer Emily Dickinson Movie”, Rachel Handler mentions the fact that many scholars were, and still are, strongly opposed to the notion that Dickinson had queer feelings and relationships. This opposition, to me, seems to stem from ignorance and fear. If it is acknowledged that queer people and relationships have existed throughout history, that means queerness is a normal human condition. This goes against the conservative beliefs about the ‘wrongness’ of homosexuality.
Dageurreotype of Emily Dickinson with Kate Scott Turner, who she reportedly had a passionate affair with (Handler).
An event which impacted the development of gay identity is the persecution of Oscar Wilde, one of Dickinson’s contemporaries. In 1895, he was convicted of gross indecency because he had sexual relationships with other men, which was illegal in England up until the 1960s (Onion et al.). When he spoke about his own sexuality, Wilde did not identify himself as homosexual. Instead, he believed that his sexual behaviors were a result of mental illness (Lee). The law which he violated also seemed to have been formulated in order to combat what was perceived as male depravity and indulgence rather than homosexuality specifically (Lee). This just demonstrates the fact that sexual identity was not something that existed at the time. There has always been sexual behavior, but the intensely personal meaning assigned to it is a recent invention
The fluidity seen in same-sex relationships in Victorian literature makes the initial goal of queering history- to uncover hidden queer stories and bring them to light- a bit more complicated. Now, we must take into account the perspectives and social norms of the time period when interpreting the works of Dickinson, Wilde, and their contemporaries. On the other hand, we have the responsibility to portray them as truly and wholly as possible. The use of the word 'queer' as an umbrella term is an excellent way to recognize their, well, queer experiences without assigning to them labels which they had never even known (Lee).
Works Cited
Ambrosino, Brandon. "The Invention of 'Heterosexuality'." BBC Future, 15 Mar. 2017, https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170315-the-invention-of-heterosexuality.
Evans, Jennifer. "Why Queer History?" OUP Blog, Oxford University Press, 28 Feb. 2017, https://blog.oup.com/2017/02/queering-history/.
Handler, Rachel. "Behind the New, Gloriously Queer Emily Dickinson Movie." New York Vulture, 18 Apr. 2019, https://www.vulture.com/2019/04/behind-the-new-gloriously-queer-emily-dickinson-movie.html.
Lee, Tom. "Art, Oscar Wilde, and Queer Labels." The Historian, Queen Mary University of London School of History, 1 Sept. 2017, https://projects.history.qmul.ac.uk/thehistorian/2017/09/01/art-oscar-wilde-and-queer-labels/#:~:text=Wilde%20never%20admitted%20to%20being,an%20unapologetic%20gay%20rights%20pioneer.
Mohrman, K. "Queer Theory Part II: When 'Queer' Became a Verb." Coursera, uploaded by the University of Colorado System, https://www.coursera.org/lecture/queeringidentities/queer-theory-part-ii-when-queer-became-a-verb-EAqF1.
Onion, Amanda et al. "Oscar Wilde Trial." History, 6 Dec. 2019, https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/oscar-wilde-trial.
Zavala, Melina. "Queer Theory: Background." Illinois Library, 10 Mar. 2020, https://guides.library.illinois.edu/queertheory/background.
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