BELOVED PILGRIM Author Nan Hawthorne on "Gay People in Historical Novels"

"Unwilling to settle for the passive life of a noblewoman, Elisabeth dons her late twin brother's armor and sets out for the Holy Land. On the journey she learns many things, not the least of which is that she can pass for a young man because, as she says, "People see what they expect to see." Her lessons also include that honor is not always where you expect to find it, and that true love can come in the form... of another woman". 

Please welcome the lovely author Nan Hawthorne to Historically Obsessed! Thank you Nan for coming and sharing with us some of the realities of gay releationships in historical fiction novels today. I am proud to have Nan here today to discuss this very relevant topic in historical fiction.With out further delay take it away Nan.

Gay People in Historical Novels 

With a widely accepted estimate that ten percent of men and women prefer their own sex for love and lovemaking and most likely always have, it can be difficult to find gay and lesbian characters in historical novels. This issue is important to me as the author of Beloved Pilgrim whose protagonist is a lesbian. Besides caring that a group of people who have almost no written history should at least be represented in historical fiction, I also worried whether there would be some barrier to my own novel’s acceptance by readers. I wondered about the instances of other gay characters and did some canvassing to find them in well-known novels.

Both my own novels have gay characters. Besides several, both women and men, in my just released Crusades-era novel, Beloved Pilgrim, there is both a villain and a heroic characters in An Involuntary King: A Tale of Anglo Saxon England(2008). I like to write about and read about gay people in history, plus with the prevalence of gay people in my extended family, I feel it is important to include that population in any effort to be inclusive. Some people may think that there were no practicing homosexuals in the past, such as the woman who was critical in her review of Brandy Purdy’s The Boleyn Wife who said that if there were so many gay people in the Tudor court they would all be executed. I don’t accept this for several reasons, not the least of which is common sense. But more on that another time. It is simply both important to me and to my liking to have gay people in my books.

I thought over some of the books I have read and also considered the portrayals of these gay characters. Candace Robb’s Owen Archer series starts with THE APOTHECARY ROSE with its predatory Summoner who murders his former lover, and I have wondered if a negative response to the characterization led to her development of the spy Martin Werther and his lover, the musician Ambrose, who are both complex and appealing and gain more support from Owen and Lucy than I even would have expected. Other historical mysteries include gay characters, such as Priscilla Royal’s Prioress Eleanor mysteries with the gay Brother Thomas, and I understand Jeri Westerson has a new gay character coming up in her Medieval Noirs.

Priscilla Royal, by the way, told me that she thinks the prevalence of romances in historical fiction may be the reason there are not so many gay characters in our novels. She points to Diane Galbadom’s novels and says, “For non-romance readers, however, gay characters are often welcome because they add a dimension to life in the era which isn't discussed much.”

There are of course historical figures who are believed to have been gay, perhaps most prominently Edward II of England and his lover, Piers Gaveston, about whom several novels have been written, including Purdy’s The Confession of Piers Gaveston , Susan Higginbotham’s The Traitor's Wife, and others. Richard the Lionhearted is portrayed as gay in novels like Norah Loft’s The Lute Player: A Novel of Richard the Lionhearted and Shield of Three Lions: A Novel by Pamela Kaufman, though Sharon Kay Penman has her well-reasoned doubts, but at least two novels about William Rufus, Valerie Anand’s King of the Wood and Parke Godwin’s Robin and the King portray that earlier king of England as gay. Philippa Gregory’s Earthly Joys has the horticulturalist John Tradescant in love with George Villiers who was himself generally believed to be in sexual relationships with James I and Charles I. Historical figures portrayed as gay also include Christopher Marlow, William Shakespeare, Byron and, of course, Oscar Wilde.

There are some societies that we know had a greater acceptance of sexual diversity, in particular the Ancient Greeks and Romans. Mary Renault’s Alexander the Great is only one of the novels that tell a gay love story. This is also where you will find lesbian characters, most notably the original Lesbian, Sappho, in Sappho Sings by Peggy Jay Ullman and others. There seem to be many fewer lesbians in other historical novels. Gregory’s The Wise Woman has the title character courted by the mistress of the house in which she lives. The web site Bosom Friends http://bosomfriends.wordpress.com, which I edit, has a list of lesbian historical novels.

The average reader is probably not aware of the whole industry of gay male or “M/M” novels, mostly romances. You can find more on this at Speak Its name http://www.speakitsname.com and The Macaronis http://historicromance.wordpress.com/. There are several such novels that take place in the Age of Sail, most prominent of which are books by Alex Beecraft, M. Kei and one by Mel Keegan. What might surprise you is that many of the male-named authors, like Alex, are actually women. There are lots of women readers of them as well. I plan my own M/M Civil War era novel for the near future. But there does not appear to be as much in the way of what one could call F/F historical fiction, though it is on the rise. I am currently reading The Warrior’s Path by Catherine M. Wilson and long ago read Isabel Miller’s Patience & Sarah about a couple who travel into the wilderness in America to carve out lives for themselves.

There are so many topics we could explore with this subject, such as why there is so little documentation of gays and lesbians in history, what life would have been like for people who sought their own gender for love, and, in another vein, why readers might or might not want to see gay characters in novels. If this last is a possibility, then I worry that the readers, like the woman who said “I’m not a lesbian, so I don’t read lesbian romance", will avoid a book like mine. Gay people don’t generally take that tack with straight novels but read for the story, and I would hope that straight readers would do so as well. As I said to the woman who doesn’t read lesbian romance, I’m not a lesbian and I wrote one! There is also the strong possibility that mainstream publishers would be chary of novels with strong gay themes. I hope to have the opportunity to explore these in other essays.

Stereotypes do come out in literature, including historical novels. I have found that people with disabilities and people who are fat are more likely to be negatively represented, and I would tend to assume the same might be true for gay and lesbian characters. One I have run into is tied to another, that gay characters were the victims of child sexual abuse or that gay men in particular seek out underage boys for sex.

I am making no pronouncements here but hoping to engender discussion. What gay and lesbian historical novels have you read? And what did you think of the portrayals both of the characters and their societies?

Nan Hawthorne is the author of Beloved Pilgrim, a novel about a woman who chooses to live and fight as a man in the doomed Crusade of 1101. It is available at Amazon and Smashwords, and should be on Kindle and Amazon.co.uk shortly.

Bio on Nan Hawthorn


Nan Hawthorne is a historical novelist who lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and doted-upon cats. She has been in love with history and historical fiction since, at four, she discovered the Richard Greene “The Adventures of Robin Hood” television series. She wrote her first short story at seven, then launched into the letters and stories with a teen friend that ultimately became her first novel, AN INVOLUNTARY KING: A TALE OF ANGLE SAXON ENGLAND (2008). The author of one nonfiction work on women and body image, she now concentrates primarily on historical novels set in the Middle Ages. Her latest novel, BELOVED PILGRIM, looks at gender identity and self-realization during the chaotic and doomed Crusade of 1101. She writes several blogs on historical themes, owns the medieval-novels.com catalog and also Internet radio station, Radio Dé Danann.

Amazon

~Lizzy~

Mailbox Mondays

A Civil Contract, Georgette Heyer ~paperbackswap.com wish granted

"When his father, the Viscount Lynton, dies unexpectedly, Adam Deveril abandons soldiering to return to his ancestral home—only to find the estate plagued by debt and the abundant land wilted with neglect. He must either sell everything and leave his family impoverished…or find a wealthy bride.
Raised in privilege, Jenny Chawleigh is the only daughter of a doting, self-made financier who's determined to elevate his daughter's status in society. But to do that Jenny must marry into nobility…. And the new Viscount Lynton seems quite suitable.
But while society politely applauds the fortuitous marriage, Adam is still possessed by the thought of another woman—the one he couldn't marry…"


Lady of Quality, Georgette Heyer ~paperbackswap.com wish granted

"Miss Annis Wychwood, at twenty-nine, has long been on the shelf, but this bothers her not at all. She is rich and still beautiful and she enjoys living independently in Bath, except for the tiresome female cousin, who her very proper brother insists must live with her.

When Annis offers sanctuary to the very young runaway heiress Miss Lucilla Carleton, no one at all thinks this is a good idea. With the exception of Miss Carleton's overbearing guardian, Mr. Oliver Carleton, whose reputation as the rudest man in London precedes him. Outrageous as he is, the charming Annis ends up finding him absolutely irresistible".

English Children's Books 1600-1900, Percy Muir ~My Local Library Sale

"In this book, Percy Muir, a leading authority on English children's books, has written a scholarly and entertaining account of the works published for children during a period of three centuries. Mr. Muir passes over the books written solely to instruct or to improve and concentrates on those whose aim is entertainment. He discusses at some length, and with an endearing enthusiasm, the important children's writers and their books in the years preceding 1900. He provides lists- invaluable to the collector-of the most important children's books during each period, and he refers to the most useful works on the subject by earlier writers.

John Newbery is generally held to have originated children's books in 1740. Mr. Muir successfully challenges this assumption. He also satisfactorily fills in a number of gaps left by previous historians of the subject. The interesting and important publishing histories of the most famous children's books, here given for the first time, are especially valuable guides to this most ephemeral branch of the literature.

There are more than 100 illustrations: color plates, photographs and facsimile reproductions in "line". In themselves a most attractive collection, they will be of great value to the student of children's books. To the collector and librarian, the book will be a necessary work of reference; to the much wider public who loved children's books when young and who love them still it will be a delightful possession".

Claude Monet 1840-1926: A Feast for the Eyes, ~Karin Sagner-Duchting My Local Library Sale

"Claude Monet (1840-1926) was both the most typical and the most individual painter of Impressionism. His long life and extraordinary work capacity - coupled with a sometimes furious perfectionism - he dedicated to a pictorial exploration of the sensations which reality, in particular landscape, offer the human eye".



But while Monet the painter was faithful and persevering in the pursuit of his motifs, his personal life - characterized by frequent travels and changes of location - followed a more restless course. Parisian by birth, he discovered plein-air painting as a youth in the provinces and sought to defy his family's insistence upon an academic painter's training. For over half his life the artist was plagued by financial worries, which in part precipitated the frequent moves made by his expanding household.
Two of his homes stand out above the rest. The first, Argenteuil, has come to represent the artistic flowering and official establishment of Impressionism as a movement, with Monet as its creative leader.

But it was also Monet who, in his endeavor to capture the ever-changing face of reality, went beyond Impressionism and thereby beyond the confines of the self-contained panel painting. This step he took in the village of Giverny: here he painted the Poplars, Grain Stacks and Rouen Cathedral series in which he addressed one motif in constantly new variations. Here, too, Monet laid out the famous garden with its water lily pond which he was to paint on huge canvases well into the 1920s. He thereby sought to render not reality as objectively experienced, but rather that which takes place "between the motif and the artist". In their open, no longer more than tenuously representational structure and impressive scale, his water lily paintings - created long before the currents of contemporary avant-garde - point the way forward to the developments of the future".

The Huntington: Library, Art Gallery, Botanical Gardens, ~Elizabeth Pomeroy My Local Library Sale

"The life of an institution may be greater than the sum of its parts. At the Huntington, a pre-eminent library, a distinguished art collection, and a bounty of gardens make a combination unmatched anywhere".

For more on this institution 'The Huntington" in San Marino, CA
~Lizzy~

April Movie Release: The Princess of Montpensier English Subtitles?

Released on April 15th 2011 "The Princess of Montpensier". I heard that this is to be a limited release in the US and that it more than likely is in subtitles. But I think it will be more than worth it once it hits DVD so then I can buy it watch it all the time. I want to watch this one so bad the Princess of Montpensier  is very very pretty no wonder they are all fighting over her.

"La princesse de Montpensier (original title)
Bertrand Tavernier is in top form with this gripping, superbly mounted drama set against the savage Catholic/Protestant wars that ripped France apart in the 16th century. Based on a novella by the celebrated Madame de Lafayette, the action centers on the love of Marie de Mezières for her dashing cousin Henri de Guise, thwarted when her father's political ambitions force her into marriage with the well-connected Philippe de Montpensier, who she has never met. When Philippe is called away to fight, she is left in the care of Count Chabannes, an aging nobleman with a disdain for warfare, and soon becomes exposed to the sexual and political intrigues of court". Written by Palm Springs Internation Film Festival
~Lizzy~

Summer Release: The Borgias by Jean Plaidy

I happened to come across this on in my web browsing and I am super excited to see what the cover will look like. It says on Amazon that it is two novels combined into one which can only refer to Light on Lucrezia: A Novel of the Borgias and Madonna of the Seven Hills: A Novel of the Borgias. Both are books that I have been dying to get at but have not had the chance to read yet.

Here is the Amazon link to it but there is no cover art yet: The Borgias: Two Novels in One Volume

"The most beautiful woman in Rome, Lucrezia Borgia, was born into a family—and a destiny—she could not hope to escape . . .
Fifteenth-century Rome: The Borgia family is on the rise. Lucrezia’s father, Pope Alexander VI, places his illegitimate daughter and her only brothers, Cesare, Giovanni, and Goffredo, in the jeweled splendor—and scandal—of his court. From the Pope’s affairs with adolescent girls to Cesare’s dangerous jealousy of anyone who inspires Lucrezia’s affections to the ominous birth of a child conceived in secret, no Borgia can elude infamy.

Young Lucrezia gradually accepts her fate as she comes to terms with the delicate nature of her relationships with her father and brothers. The unbreakable bond she shares with them both exhilarates and terrifies her as her innocence begins to fade. Soon she will understand that her family’s love pales next to their quest for power and that she herself is the greatest tool in their political arsenal.

From the inimitable pen of Jean Plaidy, this family’s epic legend is replete
with passion, intrigue, and murder—and it’s only the beginning".


"Some said she was an elegant seductress. Others swore she was an incestuous murderess. It didn’t matter what they called her. She was the most dangerous and sought-after woman in all of Rome. She was Lucrezia Borgia.

Born into Rome’s notorious Borgia family, young Lucrezia led a life colored by violence and betrayal. Now, married for the second time at just eighteen, she hopes for happiness with her handsome husband, Alfonso. But faced with brutal murder, she’s soon torn between her love for her husband and her devotion to her brother Cesare . . . And in the days when the Borgias ruled Italy, no one was safe from the long arm of their power. Even Lucrezia.

In this compelling story of a beautiful woman caught up in a tortuous web of fear and love, Jean Plaidy sheds light on the much maligned Lucrezia and vividly brings her to life".

Amazon
Light on Lucrezia: A Novel of the Borgias
Madonna of the Seven Hills: A Novel of the Borgias
For a Queen's Love: The Stories of the Royal Wives of Philip II (A Novel of the Tudors)
Katharine of Aragon: The Wives of Henry VIII
The Queen's Secret: A Novel (A Queens of England Novel)
~Lizzy~

Mailbox Mondays

Queen By Right: A Novel Anne Easter Smith

"From the award-winning author of A Rose for the Crown, Daughter of York, and The King’s Grace comes another masterful historical novel—the story of Cecily of York, mother of two kings and the heroine of one of history’s greatest love stories. Anne Easter Smith’s novels are beloved by readers for their ability “to grab you, sweep you along with the story, and make you fall in love with the characters.” * In Cecily Neville, duchess of York and ancestor of every English monarch to the present day, she has found her most engrossing character yet.History remembers Cecily of York standing on the steps of the Market Cross at Ludlow, facing an attacking army while holding the hands of her two young sons. Queen by Right reveals how she came to step into her destiny, beginning with her marriage to Richard, duke of York, whom she meets when she is nine and he is thirteen. Raised together in her father’s household, they become a true love match and together face personal tragedies, pivotal events of history, and deadly political intrigue. All of England knows that Richard has a clear claim to the throne, and when King Henry VI becomes unfit to rule, Cecily must put aside her hopes and fears and help her husband decide what is right for their family and their country. Queen by Right marks Anne Easter Smith’s greatest achievement, a book that every fan of sweeping, exquisitely detailed historical fiction will devour".

Three Maids for a Crown: A Novel of the Grey Sisters, Ella March Chase

"In the second novel from Ella March Chase, we meet sixteen-year-old Jane Grey, a quiet and obedient young lady destined to become the shortest reigning English monarch. Her beautiful middle sister Katherine Grey charms all the right people--until loyalties shift. And finally Lady Mary Grey, a dwarf with a twisted spine whose goal is simply to protect people she loves--but at a terrible cost.

In an age in which begetting sons was all that mattered and queens rose and fell on the sex of their child, these three girls with royal Tudor blood lived under the dangerous whims of parents with a passion for gambling. The stakes they would wager: their daughters' lives against rampant ambition".

False Colours by Georgette Heyer

"Reading Georgette Heyer is the next best thing to reading Jane Austen."- Publishers Weekly

"A missing twin ...

Something is very wrong, and the Honourable Christopher Kit Fancot can sense it. Kit returns to London on leave from the diplomatic service to find that his twin brother Evelyn has disappeared and his extravagant mother's debts have mounted alarmingly.

A quick-minded heiress ...

The Fancot family's fortunes are riding on Evelyn s marriage to the self-possessed Cressy Stavely, and her formidable grandmother's approval of the match. If Evelyn fails to meet the Dowager Lady Stavely in a few days as planned, the betrothal could be off.

A fortune in the balance ...

When the incorrigible Lady Fancot persuades her son to impersonate his twin (just for one night, she promises) the masquerade sets off a tangled sequence of events that engage Kit s heart far more deeply than he d ever anticipated with his brother s fiancée who might know much more about what s going on than she cares to reveal..."

Venetia, Georgette Heyer

"Determined to woo and win the lovely Venetia, a twenty-five-year-old hopeless romantic, Lord Damerel, an infamous rake, pursues her with passionate abandon, but Venetia will only marry for love".


~Lizzy~