Reviews for Fashioning Sapphism

The average rating for Fashioning Sapphism based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-06-17 00:00:00 Frank Estes III Wonderful. Doan’s monograph is centred around the obscenity trial of Radclyffe Hall’s The Well of Loneliness in 1928. This is not a straightforward narrative, however, but rather an intensely scholarly myth-breaking exercise. Among other things, Doan argues that one could not assert that, prior to the trial, opinion about the book was overwhelmingly negative and virulently homophobic. On the contrary, until the book was reviewed by a hack sensationalist in the Sunday Express, it was received quite well — Hall’s attempt to aim for an upmarket audience had worked, initially. Moreover, there wasn’t a clear idea of ‘lesbian’ in the popular imagination, so reactions were diverse; even negative commentators concerned about ‘deviance’ did not have a monolithic, singular ‘lesbian’ social identity in mind, but rather diffuse images and perceptions. Doan argues that Hall partly created this image and lent her style to the future formation of ‘lesbian’ identity. Indeed, style is one of the great subjects of the book. The prominence of masculine styles in 1920s women’s fashion amply demonstrates that Hall’s image was not unique in the media; she was, conversely, a close follower of the latest trends. There is also a wonderful chapter about sexology and its dissemination among people like Hall. Doan gives a very convincing argument that The Well is not, as many historians have portrayed, a mere reiteration of sexological ideas (particularly those of Havelock Ellis); rather, the book shows diverse influence from figures rarely mentioned in relation to Hall, such as Edward Carpenter. In short, Hall was negotiating sexological ideas in relation to herself and others, not just regurgitating them. Although this book is very serious and straightforward, its erudition is astonishing; it is packed full with fascinating examples and makes a strong case for a more nuanced, contextualised appreciation of sexuality and gender in history.

Review # 2 was written on 2015-07-15 00:00:00 Marc Meertens Would rate higher, but certain parts are repetitive, as if the author needed to pad out the text. Makes good points about how contemporary envisioning of past lesbian coding were affected by the public "outing" of Radclyffe Hall in the controversy over the publication of Well of Loneliness, that what we see as inextricably lesbian was actually part of a larger continuum exploring masculine expressions of femininity in the 1920s.