Feeling Backward: Loss and the Politics of Queer History Loss and the Politics of Queer History

"Feeling Backward weighs the costs of the contemporary move to the mainstream in lesbian and gay culture. While the widening tolerance for same-sex marriage and for gay-themed media brings clear benefits, gay assimilation entails other losses--losses that have been hard to identify or mourn, since many aspects of historical gay culture are so closely associated with the pain and shame of the closet. Feeling Backward makes an effort to value aspects of historical gay experience that now threaten to disappear, branded as embarrassing evidence of the bad old days before Stonewall. It looks at early-twentieth-century queer novels often dismissed as "too depressing" and asks how we might value and reclaim the dark feelings that they represent. Heather Love argues that instead of moving on, we need to look backward and consider how this history continues to affect us in the present. Through elegant readings of Walter Pater, Willa Cather, Radclyffe Hall, and Sylvia Townsend Warner, and through stimulating engagement with a range of critical sources, Feeling Backward argues for a form of politics attentive to social exclusion and its effects."-- Publisher's description

Feeling Backward weighs the costs of the contemporary move to the mainstream in lesbian and gay culture. While the widening tolerance for same-sex marriage and for gay-themed media brings clear benefits, gay assimilation entails other losses—losses that have been hard to identify or mourn, since many aspects of historical gay culture are so closely associated with the pain and shame of the closet.

Feeling Backward makes an effort to value aspects of historical gay experience that now threaten to disappear, branded as embarrassing evidence of the bad old days before Stonewall. It looks at early-twentieth-century queer novels often dismissed as too depressing and asks how we might value and reclaim the dark feelings that they represent. Heather Love argues that instead of moving on, we need to look backward and consider how this history continues to affect us in the present.

Through elegant readings of Walter Pater, Willa Cather, Radclyffe Hall, and Sylvia Townsend Warner, and through stimulating engagement with a range of critical sources, Feeling Backward argues for a form of politics attentive to social exclusion and its effects.

Rick Taylor - Feminist Review

Feeling Backward is a brilliant book that attempts the impossible and succeeds. Using Michel Foucault and Eve Sedgwick as theoretical touchstones, and incorporating Raymond Williams's structures of feeling, Heather Love feels backward to reimagine and connect with aspects of a queer past that had been rendered invisible. In doing so--in risking (as she puts it) the fate of Lot's wife in turning back to revisit a painful past--she embraces the ruins, the fugitive dead, the loneliness and failures and all the negative affect that need to be reclaimed as part of that history...Love moves bravely backwards to that murky time, the queer life before Stonewall, and then crosses the modernist line backwards to feel what has been lost. In doing so she has made a profoundly imaginative and powerful contribution to queer history.

Feeling Backward Weighs The Costs Of The Contemporary Move To The Mainstream In Lesbian And Gay Culture. While The Widening Tolerance For Same-sex Marriage And For Gay-themed Media Brings Dear Benefits, Gay Assimilation Entails Other Losses - Losses That Have Been Hard To Identify Or Mourn, Since Many Aspects Of Historical Gay Culture Are So Closely Associated With The Pain And Shame Of The Closet. Feeling Backward Makes An Effort To Value Aspects Of Historical Gay Experience That Now Threaten To Disappear, Branded As Embarrassing Evidence Of The Bad Old Days Before Stonewall. It Looks At Early Twentieth-century Queer Novels Often Dismissed As Too Depressing And Asks How We Might Value And Reclaim The Dark Feelings That They Represent. Heather Love Argues That Instead Of Moving On, We Need To Look Backward And Consider How This History Continues To Affect Us In The Present. Through Readings Of Walter Pater, Willa Gather, Radclyffe Hall, And Sylvia Townsend Warner, And Through Stimulating Engagement With A Range Of Critical Sources, Feeling Backward Argues For A Form Of Politics Attentive To Social Exclusion And Its Effects.--jacket. Introduction -- Emotional Rescue -- Permanent Exile : Walter Pater's Queer Modernism -- The End Of Friendship : Willa Cather's Sad Kindred -- Unwanted Being : Stephen Gordon's Spoiled Identity -- Impossible Objects : Sylvia Townsend Warner And The Longing For Revolution -- Epilogue: The Politics Of Refusal. Heather Love. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Introduction Emotional rescue : the demands of queer history Force exile : Walter Pater's backward modernism The end of friendship : Willa Cather's sad kindred Spoiled identity : Radclyffe Hall's unwanted being Impossible objects : Sylvia Townsend Warner and the longing for revolution Epilogue: The politics of refusal.