The well of loneliness by radclyffe hall is a controversial novel that was banned at the time of its publication in 1928. Radclyffehalls the well of loneliness,regarded as a classic of lesbian literature, went on trial in england on thisday in 1928. Forever entombed within the well of loneliness, sadako is a tragic figure and the embodiment of the themes of isolation, despair and emptiness that run throughout japanese horror film. Written by radclyffe hall, narrated by cecilia fage. The well of loneliness is one of those books, and by looking at the cover of the edition i read theres a clue right there as to the reasoning for the controversy. Stephen gordon is an ideal child of aristocratic parents a fencer, a horse rider and a keen scholar.
In the well of loneliness, by radclyffe hall a story of character unravels in which one female sexed person lives in a society where she feels that she is not accepted for who she is. Find out information about well of loneliness, the. The well of loneliness audiobook by radclyffe hall. Lesbian novel was danger to nation uk news the guardian. Shes described as very tall, broadshouldered, and muscular, but is also painfully selfconscious, and despite her prowess in. Essays and criticism on radclyffe halls the well of loneliness critical essays. Stephen essentially goes through male puberty minus the extra facialbody hair despite being female. Publication date 1928 topics lesbians publisher new york, covici friede. She began her literary career by writing verses, which.
Hall was educated at kings college, london, and then attended school in germany. The well of loneliness provided an open treatment of lesbianism at a time when homosexuality could not be discussed in english books or in the english press. Born marguerite radclyffehall in 1880, hall wrote eight novels, the most. In other words, she believes that female masculinity is its own marker in the gender spectrum, and those who have female masculinity. Listen to the well of loneliness by radclyffe hall available from rakuten kobo. Jan 25, 2010 quotes from the well of loneliness radclyffe hall january 25, 2010 june 27, 2018 geoff w the subtlety, the craftiness of that question which in common decency could have but one answer. My peers, lately, have found companionship through means of intoxication it makes them sociable. She is most famous today for the well of loneliness which she wrote in 1928. Radclyffe hall, the well of loneliness 1928 radclyffe hall. Published by radclyffe hall herself in 1928, it was immediately banned in britain due to its lesbian theme and was allowed in the united states only after a long court battle. The well of loneliness by radclyffe hall, paperback barnes. Stephen is an ideal child of aristocratic parentsa fencer. A portrait of the artist as a young man by james joyce full audiobook.
Written by radclyffe hall, narrated by laura kirman. Feb 24, 2016 the end of loneliness introduces jules the wundershon. Stephen gordon named by a father desperate for a son is not like other girls. In chapter ten, the tensions between lady anna and sir philip hang over the family during their christmas. The well of loneliness by radclyffe hall on free audio. New to penguin modern classics, the seminal work of gay literature that sparked an infamous legal trial for obscenity and went on to become a bestseller.
London, english writer whose novel the well of loneliness 1928 created a scandal and was banned for a time in britain for its treatment of lesbianism. The well of loneliness is a lesbian novel by british author radclyffe hall that was first published in 1928 by jonathan cape. I, however, cannot force myself to use drugs to cheat on my loneliness it is all that i have and when the drugs and alcohol dissipate, will be all that my peers have as well. The well of loneliness wordsworth classics kindle edition by hall, radclyffe, saxey, esther. The well of loneliness will just make you long for a world without this book in it. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this the well of loneliness study guide and get instant access to the. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Well of loneliness signed radclyffe hall bauman rare. Reading and reassessing the construction of gender and. This study guide consists of approximately 40 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the well of loneliness. I won the the end of loneliness written by benedict wells and translated by charlotte collins in the goodreads giveaways and was very pleased i did. Propelled into the priesthood by a family tragedy, odran yates is full of hope and ambition.
Her open treatment of lesbianism in the well of loneliness occasioned a trial for obscenity. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. The well of lonelinesss obscenity trial on august 19, 1928, less than a month after the publication of the well of loneliness, james douglas article a book that must be suppressed appeared in the sunday express, stating. Radclyffe halls the well of loneliness, a candid, semiautobiographical novel about coming to terms with a lesbian identity, brought to the forefront the question of whether or not the frank portrayal of lesbianism in a book was grounds for charges of obscenity. The well of loneliness by radclyffe hall goodreads. She finds love with mary llewellyn, whom she meets while serving as an ambulance driver in world war i, but. Guests can become better acquainted with focus on the family through a selfguided walking tour, as well as have fun with their children in the kids korner play area and whits end soda shoppe. It uses the song skinny love performed by bon iver. It stopped being banned in 1949, but by that time hall was dead.
Unlike male inversion the female kind was not officially acknowledged to exist in england. Download and keep this book for free with a 30 day trial. It has influenced how love between women is understood, for the twentieth century and beyond. The well of loneliness was banned for obscenity when published in 1928. A novel about lesbian love congenital inverts the book was suppresed both here and in the u. The well of loneliness is the thinly disguised story of radclyffe halls own life. The well of loneliness by radclyffe hall overdrive. Radclyffe hall, the pen name of marguerite radclyffehall, was born in bournemouth on august 12, 1880. Radclyffe hall born marguerite radclyffe hall on 12 august 1880 7 october 1943 was an english poet and author, best known for the novel the well of. Female masculinity and inversion in female masculinity, halberstam asserts that female masculinity is a specific gender with its own cultural history rather than simply a derivative of male masculinity. Listen to well of loneliness audiobook by radclyffe hall. Apr 02, 2020 not very far from uptononsevern between it, in fact, and the malvern hills stands the country seat of the gordons of bramley. Stephen gordon, as well as jamie, pat, dickie gentle giant. The only vaguely nonirritating part was the narrator.
The well of loneliness is a 1928 book written by radclyffe hall about homosexuality. It became an international bestseller, and for decades was the single most famous lesbian novel. It was an entertaining story looking at life philosophically, dealing with friendships, illness, death and such like and although very sad at times it was also quite uplifting. It follows the life of stephen gordon, an englishwoman from an upperclass family whose sexual inversion homosexuality is apparent from an early age. First published july 1928 in england by jonathan cape, the well was soon seized and criminalized for violating the obscene. The well of loneliness is a 1928 novel by british author radclyffe hall.
The well of loneliness is a 1928 lesbian novel by the british author radclyffe hall. Stephen grows to be a war hero, a bestselling writer and a loyal, protective lover. I read this as a translated work and thought the translator did great with the fabulous understated work by the author because i meant to only read a little and ended up devouring the book in two sittings. As a man loved a woman, that was how i lovedit was good, good, good stephen is an ideal child of aristocratic parent. A history of loneliness a history of loneliness audiobook, by john boyne. Published by radclyffe hall herself in 1928, it was immediately banned in britain due to its lesbian theme and was allowed in. Not very far from up tononsevernbetween it, in fact, and the malvern hillsstands the country seat of the gordons of bramley. Quotes about well of loneliness 32 quotes quote master. Read the well of loneliness by radclyffe hall available from rakuten kobo. The obscenity trial of miss radclyffe halls novel, the. As her blind features turn towards mai, she plaintively asks why were you the only one that was saved. The novel tells the story of stephen gordon so named because.
As she grows up amidst the stifling grandeur of morton hall, the locals begin to draw away. Quotes from the well of loneliness radclyffe hall the. Charting her romantic and professional adventures during the first world war and beyond, the novel provoked a furore on first publication in 1928 for its lesbian. How to fight loneliness and win by barbara powell and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. I would rather give a healthy boy or a healthy girl a phial of prussic acid than this novel. The well of loneliness by radclyffe hall overdrive rakuten. The song is not mine, it belongs to bon iver, and i gain no profit of this. Shockingly candid for its time, this novel was the very first to condemn homophobic society for its unfair treatment of gays and lesbians.
Imagine growing up with people judging you and condemning you because you are some notquitedefinably kind of different. All the characters in this book are purely imaginary, and if the author has used names that may suggest a reference to living persons, she has done so inadvertently. If youre in colorado springs, wed be delighted to have you visit our welcome center and bookstore. The well of loneliness tells the story of tomboyish stephen, who hunts, wears trousers and cuts her hair short and who gradually comes to realise that she is attracted to women. Start a free 30day trial today and get your first audiobook free. Homosexuality explanation of well of loneliness, the. A history of loneliness audiobook listen instantly. Among those eminent writers who came to the novels defense wasvirginia woolf, though motivated by principle rather than art. The well of loneliness is an engaging story that shows the challenges, indignities suffered and, yes, the loneliness of being gay, particularly at the time this book was written. When he arrives at clonliffe seminary in the 1970s, it is a time in ireland. The well of loneliness by radclyffe hall, paperback. Often times it is the case that if a woman does not appear feminine she is perceived as masculine.
Jan 01, 2005 lesbian novel was danger to nation david smith. Sheffield independent 17 november 1928 give us also the right to our existence at bow street in london on 16 november 1928, miss radclyffe halls novel, the well of loneliness, found itself in the dock on a charge of obscenity. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the well of loneliness wordsworth classics. Radclyffe hall, english writer whose novel the well of loneliness 1928 created a scandal and was banned for a time in britain for its treatment of lesbianism. Other articles where the well of loneliness is discussed. The well of loneliness simple english wikipedia, the. The united states allowed its publication after a long court battle. The novel is about stephen gordon, a young englishwoman who is a lesbian, in a time when acceptance of this lifestyle was nonexistent.
Oct 19, 2012 the only vaguely nonirritating part was the narrator. In radclyffe hall london, english writer whose novel the well of loneliness 1928 created a scandal and was banned for a time in britain for its treatment of lesbianism. The well of loneliness is a 1928 lesbian novel by radclyffe hall. Quotes from the well of loneliness radclyffe hall january 25, 2010 june 27, 2018 geoff w the subtlety, the craftiness of that question which. Not very far from uptononsevern between it, in fact, and the malvern hills stands the country seat of the gordons of bramley. Hall was renowned for her open homosexuality, a subject dealt with in her bestknown novel, the well of loneliness 1928, a semiautobiographical work and the only one of her eight novels to. The book was banned for violating the obscene publications act of 1857. Well of loneliness, the article about well of loneliness. Steven gordon is a wealthy english woman who is clearly not like other women, even from a young age. The well of loneliness wordsworth classics kindle edition.
Feb 23, 2011 this is my first project for my video class. It follows the life of stephen gordon, an englishwoman from an upperclass family whose sexual inversion that is, homosexuality is apparent from an early age. As a man loved a woman, that was how i lovedit was good, good. The well of loneliness is a 1928 lesbian novel by the english author radclyffe hall. The novel has become a groundbreaking work in lesbian literature. Marguerite radclyffehall, preferred to be called john. The riveting narrative of an honorable irish priest who finds the church collapsing around him at a pivotal moment in its history. She was educated at kings college, london, and later undertook further studies in germany. Through the long years of life that followed after, bringing with them their dreams and disillusions, their joys and sorrows, their fulfilments and frustrations, stephen was never to forget this summer when she fell quite simply and naturally in love, in accordance with the dictates. Aug 08, 2010 renee zellweger immersed herself in judy garland videos to portray the american icon duration. Radclyffe hall born marguerite radclyffe hall on 12 august 1880 7 october 1943 was an english poet and author, best known for the novel the well of loneliness. Sep 26, 20 radclyffe halls the well of loneliness, a candid, semiautobiographical novel about coming to terms with a lesbian identity, brought to the forefront the question of whether or not the frank portrayal of lesbianism in a book was grounds for charges of obscenity. Well of loneliness signed radclyffe hall bauman rare books. Banned upon publication due to its lesbian theme, it tells the story of stephen gordon, an upperclass englishwoman and who struggles as a lesbian with the confines of society.
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