Date of Award
2019
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Humanities
First Advisor
Wallace, Miriam
Area of Concentration
Humanities
Abstract
This thesis explores how four twentieth-century authors use writing to maintain and expand the definition of lesbian identity. Each author I analyze uses the biographical or autobiographical genre, which I argue to be crucial in expanding upon the available subjective experiences for a lesbian readership. From the early twentieth century, I read The Well of Loneliness (1928) by Radclyffe Hall and Orlando (1928) by Virginia Woolf, and from the mid-late twentieth century Rubyfruit Jungle (1973) by Rita Mae Brown and Zami: A New Spelling of my Name (1982) by Audre Lorde. Through these works, I argue that both writing and reading serve as a means for lesbian self-discovery.
Recommended Citation
Marcarelli, Gabriella, "CRAFTING THE LESBENROMAN: WRITING TWENTIETH-CENTURY LESBIANISM FROM THE WELL OF LONELINESS TO ZAMI" (2019). Theses & ETDs. 5747.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/5747