The Lesbian Menace

Ideology, Identity, and the Representation of Lesbian Life

Author: Sherrie A. Inness
ISBN: 9781558490918

Electroshock. Hysterectomy. Lobotomy. These are only three of the many "cures" to which lesbians have been subjected in this century. How does a society develop such a profound aversion to a particular minority? In what ways do images in the popular media perpetuate cultural stereotypes about lesbians, and to what extent have lesbians been able to subvert and revise those images? This book addresses these and other questions by examining how lesbianism has been represented in American popular culture in the twentieth century and how conflicting ideologies have shaped lesbian experiences and identity.In the first section, "Inventing the Lesbian," Sherrie A. Inness explores depictions of lesbians in popular texts aimed primarily at heterosexual consumers. She moves from novels of the 1920s to books about life at women's colleges and boarding schools, to such contemporary women's magazines as Cosmopolitan, Glamour, and Vogue.In the next section, "Forms of Resistance," Inness probes the wa

Publisher: Univ of Massachusetts Press
Publish Date: 1997

Subjects: Literary Criticism / LGBT, Social Science / LGBT Studies / Lesbian Studies

This book is available in the following Community Centers: Cross-Cultural Center (Location: LGBT+/Queer (LGBT))