Between Men: English Literature and Male Homosocial Desire (Gender and Culture Series)

First published in 1985, Between Men was a decisive intervention in gender studies, a book that all but singlehandedly dislodged a tradition of literary critique that suppressed queer subjects and subjectivities. With stunning foresight and conceptual power, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's work opened not only literature but also politics, society, and culture to broader investigations of power, sex, and desire, and to new possibilities of critical agency. Illuminating with uncanny prescience Western society's evolving debates on gender and sexuality, Between Men still has much to teach us. With a new foreword by Wayne Koestenbaum emphasizing the work's ongoing relevance, Between Men engages with Shakespeare's Sonnets , Wycherley's The Country Wife , Sterne's A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy , Hogg's The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner , Tennyson's The Princess , Eliot's Adam Bede , Thackeray's The History of Henry Esmond, Esq. , and Dickens's Our Mutual Friend and The Mystery of Edwin Drood , among many other texts. Its pathbreaking analysis of homosocial desire in Western literature remains vital to the future of queer studies and to explorations of the social transformations in which it participates. At The Time Of Its First Appearance In 1985 Between Men Was Viewed As An Important Intervention Into Feminist As Well As Gay And Lesbian Studies. It Was An Important Book Because It Argued That Sexuality And Desire Were Not A Historical Phenomenon But Carefully Managed Social Constructs. This Insight (that Actually Originated With Michael Foucault) Is Often Viewed As Anti-humanist Or Post-humanist Because It Argues That Men And Women Are Simply The Products Of Patriarchal Power Relations Over Which They Have No Control. By Mobilizing Foucault's Theories Of The History Of Sexuality Sedgwick Re-fashions Feminism And Gay And Lesbian Studies To Make It Seem As Though Feminism And Gay And Lesbian Studies Are Ideally Situated To Continue Those Interventions Into The History Of Sexuality Begun By Foucault. Introduction: Homosocial Desire ; Sexual Politics And Sexual Meaning ; Sex Or History? ; What This Book Does -- Ch. 1. Gender Asymmetry And Erotic Triangles -- Ch. 2. Swan In Love: The Example Of Shakespeare's Sonnets -- Ch. 3. The Country Wife: Anatomies Of Male Homosexual Desire -- Ch. 4. A Sentimental Journey: Sexualism And The Citizen Of The World -- Ch. 5. Toward The Gothic: Terrorism And Homosexual Panic -- Ch. 6. Murder Incorporated: Confessions Of A Justified Sinner -- Ch. 7. Tennyson's Princess: One Bride For Seven Brothers -- Ch. 8. Adam Bede And Henry Esmond: Homosocial Desire And The Historicity Of The Female -- Ch. 9. Homophobia, Misogyny, And Capital: The Example Of Our Mutual Friend -- Ch. 10. Up The Postern Stair: Edwin Drood And The Homophobia Of Empire -- Coda: Toward The Twentieth Century: English Readers Of Whitman. Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick ; Foreward By Wayne Koestenbaum. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. First published in 1985, Between Men challenged old ways of reading while articulating critical byways for two emerging disciplines. Its iconoclastic approach gave queer studies and gender studies scholars further reason to crack open the canon, scrutinize its contents, and add unconventional texts on sound theoretical grounds. Striking a devastating blow to the hegemony of heteronormative critique, it opened not only literature but also politics, religion, society, and culture to broader investigations of power, desire, and sex. Between Men still has much more to tell us, and much work left to do. It has kept pace with Western society's evolving ideas of and debates on gender and sexuality and provides insight into its recent conservative and religious turns. With a new foreword by Wayne Koestenbaum emphasizing the work's ongoing importance, Between Men begins with Shakespeare's Sonnets and moves through Wycherley's The Country Wife, Sterne's A Sentimental Journey, Hogg's Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, Tennyson's The Princess, Eliot's Adam Bede, Thackeray's The History of Henry Esmond, Esq., and Dickens's Our Mutual Friend and The Mystery of Edwin Drood, among many other texts and critiques. Sedgwick's landmark book remains a key analysis of homosocial desire in Western literature for any reader curious about the subject's claim to legitimacy Hailed by the "New York Times" as "one of the most influential texts in gender studies, men's studies and gay studies," this book uncovers the homosocial desire between men, from Restoration comedies to Tennyson's "Princess." At the time of its first appearance in 1985 Between Men was viewed as an important intervention into Feminist as well as Gay and Lesbian studies. It was an important book because it argued that "sexuality" and "desire" were not a historical phenomenon but carefully managed social constructs. This insight (that actually originated with Michael Foucault) is often viewed as anti-humanist or post-humanist because it argues that men and women are simply the products of patriarchal power relations over which they have no control. By mobilizing Foucault's theories of the history of sexuality Sedgwick re-fashions Feminism and Gay and Lesbian Studies to make it seem as though Feminism and Gay and Lesbian studies are ideally situated to continue those interventions into the history of sexuality begun by Foucault. Introduction: Homosocial desire ; Sexual politics and sexual meaning ; Sex or history? ; What this book does -- -- ch. 1. Gender asymmetry and erotic triangles -- -- ch. 2. Swan in love: the example of Shakespeare's sonnets -- -- ch. 3. The country wife: anatomies of male homosocial desire -- -- ch. 4. A sentimental journey: sexualism and the citizen of the world -- -- ch. 5. Toward the Gothic: terrorism and homosexual panic -- -- ch. 6. Murder incorporated: Confessions of a justified sinner -- -- ch. 7. Tennyson's Princess: one bride for seven brothers -- -- ch. 8. Adam Bede and Henry Esmond: homosocial desire and the historicity of the female -- -- ch. 9. Homophobia, misogyny, and capital: the example of Our mutual friend -- -- ch. 10. Up the postern stair: Edwin Drood and the homophobia of empire -- -- Coda: Toward the twentieth century: English readers of Whitman.