Stages of Desire
Subtitle: Theatre from a Lesbian and Gay Perspective (Gay Studies)
Publisher: Cassell; Orion Publishing Group, Limited
Published: March 1999
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 281
ISBN-13: 9780304328154
Subjects: Gay & Lesbian studies; Plays & playwrights; Theatre, drama; Modern period, c 1500 onwards; c 1000 CE to c 1500; Drama; Sexuality In Literature; Social Science; Plays / Drama; Sociology; England; English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh; Gay Studies; Theater - General; English drama; Great Britain; History and criticism; Homosexuality and literature; Lesbians in literature
Description: "This is the first book to chart the history of lesbian and gay representation on the stage from the beginnings of drama in English until the nineteenth century. Carl Miller's wide-ranging survey uncovers a hidden heritage of romantic heroines, depraved villains, noble martyrs and hysterical queens. Voices of characters unheard for centuries are brought back to life in rare, rediscovered texts, alongside bold reassessments of classic plays. Offstage, the book investigates theatrical records, memoirs, history and erotica to reconstruct what went on in the dressing rooms and bedrooms of British theatres leading players. With provocative detail and contemporary insights, Stages of Desire demonstrates that Shakespeare cannot have been heterosexual; that David Garrick's fear of outing made him betray his friends; and that touring gay agitprop began in the reign of Henry VIII. It investigates sex scandals involving Nicholas Udall, Christopher Marlowe, Charlotte Charke, Samuel Foote, Isaac Bickerstaffe, Lord Byron and Oscar Wilde. Why, this book asks, why was arse-play a feature of fourteenth-century Christian drama? How did Elizabeth I enjoy lesbian romances? What dangers were involved in criticizing the King's boyfriend on stage? Who were Georgian London's lesbian stars? Why do theatre-goers applaud homosexuals on stage, yet persecute them in the street?"--back cover.