Lesbian Subjects: A Feminist Studies Reader

by Martha Vicinus

Book Overview

Provides an overview of the field of lesbian studies. This work includes essays drawn primarily from Feminist Studies from 1980 to 1993 and traces lesbian studies from its beginnings, examining the difficulties of defining a lesbian perspective.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0253210380
• ISBN13: 9780253210388
• Release Date: June 1996
• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Length: 284 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Anthology of essays from 1980 to 1993

I bought this book to read the essay by Tee A. Corinne "Artist's Statement: On Sexual Art". It provided wonderful insight and was entertaining - as a bonus the editor included 6 pages of the author's work (4 of the pieces I had not seen before). Excellent introduction by the editor. This is a Keeper! From the publisher's website - An overview of the field of lesbian studies, tracing its history and providing a summation of current work. ". . . offer[s] a wealth of information on lesbian and women's history while providing a comprehensive look at a field of scholarship that is certain to continue to grow in influence." --Sojourner: The Women's Forum The lesbian is now an accepted subject for scrutiny--she exists, but how do we define her history, whom do we include, and when did it begin? These essays, primarily drawn from Feminist Studies from 1980 to 1993, trace lesbian studies from its beginnings, examining the difficulties of defining a lesbian perspective and a lesbian past--a culture, social milieux, state of mind. Essays range from studies of such well-known figures as the Harlem Renaissance poet Alice Dunbar-Nelson, to studies of specific historical moments, such as the regulation of sexuality in the Women's Army Corp during WWII. Other essays treat well-known authors such as Virginia Woolf and Gertrude Stein, lesser-known writers from the early nineteenth century to the present, Postmodern definitions of the Lesbian "Queer Theory", and Lesbian invisibility. MARTHA VICINUS is Eliza M. Mosher Distinguished University Professor of English, Women's Studies, and History and Chair of the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan. She is author of The Industrial Muse and Independent Women, and editor Suffer and Be Still and A Widening Sphere.