The lesbian menace
Subtitle: ideology, identity, and the representation of lesbian life
By: Sherrie A. Inness.
Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press; Univ of Massachusetts Pr
Published: 1997
Place of publication: Amherst, Mass
Language: eng
Number of pages: 256
Subjects: American literature -- 20th century -- History and criticism; Lesbians in literature; Lesbians -- United States -- Identity; Popular culture -- United States; Gays in popular culture; Literature and society -- United States -- History -- 20th century
Description: Electroshock. Hysterectomy. Lobotomy. These are only three of the many "cures" to which lesbians have been subjected in this century. How does a society develop such a profound aversion to a particular minority? In what ways do images in the popular media perpetuate cultural stereotypes about lesbians, and to what extent have lesbians been able to subvert and revise those images?

This book addresses these and other questions by examining how lesbianism has been represented in American popular culture in the twentieth century and how conflicting ideologies have shaped lesbian experiences and identity.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 225-245) and index.