The link between lesbianism and literature seems almost painfully obvious – after all, the
term itself derives from the island home of the Greek poetess Sappho,
whose surviving writing focused on the beauty and love of women. At the
same time, attempts to further describe this link quickly become faced
with the problem of definition: what exactly makes a literary text a
specifically lesbian one?
This project tutorial intends to
explore this question within the context of Anglo-American history and
literary tradition. We will not only explore historical and
literary texts ranging from Sappho to Shakespeare to Carmilla but also
queer and feminist approaches to sexuality and literary analysis. The
guiding principle for this exploration will be an understanding of both
literary production and reception as being shaped by social
circumstances.
The selection of texts is to be finalized in
cooperation with participants. A second tutorial in the summer of 2022
will focus on late 19th and 20th century writers.
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Clara Bettine Fiedler