Hard Times and Heartaches

2000/01/01 by Heather Love · 2 citations
Arts and Humanities · Psychology · #Aesthetics #Art #Cultural History and Identity Formation #Gender studies #Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes #Identity (music) #Lesbian #Loneliness #Psychoanalysis #Psychology #Social psychology #Sociology

paper · doi:10.1300/j155v04n02_08

published in Journal of Lesbian Studies 4(2), 115-128 (Taylor & Francis)

openalex publication_date 2000/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

This paper considers recent critical responses to Rad-clyffe Hall's 1928 novel The Well of Loneliness. While Hall's portrayal of mannish invert Stephen Gordon has had a troubled reception in this century, recent work celebrating butch-femme identity and practice has gained the novel wider acceptance among lesbian critics. While these recuperations are significant in working against homophobic readings of The Well, they often overlook the real difficulties Hall described. This paper argues for the historical significance of Hall's work as a reflection of the lived experience of lesbians in a homophobic society.

Citations

• Zero Degree Deviancy: The Lesbian Novel in English
• The Mythic Mannish Lesbian: Radclyffe Hall and the New Woman
• "Women Alone Stir My Imagination": Lesbianism and the Cultural Tradition
• "Everything Is out of Place": Radclyffe Hall and the Lesbian Literary Tradition

Cited by

• Natalie Clifford Barney [wikipedia]
• The Well of Loneliness [wikipedia]