the well of loneliness

The book caused a stir among readers in England, and its morality was publicly called to question by Sunday Express editor James Douglass, who claimed it had the power to “corrupt” young people and society: In order to prevent contamination and corruption of English fiction, it is the duty of the critic to make it impossible for any other novelist to repeat this outrage. and the end, oh MY, it was practically disturbing. anyone could pick up this book and see clearly everything she's very clearly alluding to, so there isn't much mystery, but instead, a whole lot of straightforward honesty about an aspect of the world most overlook without even realizing. The Well of Loneliness is a 1928 lesbian novel by the English author Radclyffe Hall. Stephen was apparently based partially on Radclyffe Hall's life, therefore accuracy can't be doubted. Yerk. They had to hide their love if they ever found anyone who returned their affection. Recently in these parts I declared that this novel was so dull that today it is essentially unreadable, and that its lasting importance has everything to do with history and not a thing to do with art. I'm sorry to have to say this, but it's what I felt about this book. According to some historians, the month of April is actually named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, by way of the Romans.... Stephen is an ideal child of aristocratic parents—a fencer, a horse rider and a keen scholar. But Stephen, the main character, was too masculine in her physical appearance and clothing preference to hide well. Stephen grows to be a war hero, a bestselling writer and a loyal, protective lover. “The world hid its head in the sands of convention, so that by seeing nothing it might avoid Truth. 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 heroine and led to a notorious legal trial for obscenity. Buy The Well Of Loneliness (VMC) New e. by Hall, Radclyffe, Souhami, Diana (ISBN: 9780860682547) from Amazon's Book Store. Prior to taking on The Well, Ernst had practiced law for 13 years and had recently defended similar charges of obscenity in literature. and as it was published in France and the USA, it was easy to obtain copies. Across the Atlantic, the news of The Well had spread to publishers in the United States, many of whom were eager to buy the rights to the book. I read it because it's a lesbian classic, and someone said that it was one of the first novels where horrible things don't have to happen to its lesbian protagonists. She grew up without forming lasting relationships, and as an adult pursued the affection of married women. Certainly it was landmark, insofar as the book was one of the (perhaps THE?) Marguerite Radclyffe Hall was born on August 12, 1880, in Hampshire, England, to a wealthy family. If they didn't, they lived much as the governess in this novel as the unloved and lonely spinster. In 1907 she met a middle-aged fashionable singer, Mrs Mabel Batten, known as 'Ladye", who introduced her to influential people. This book moves slowly and thoughtfully through many shades of tragedy. If you are looking for cheerful and uplifting, don’t start here: the title gives it away. During ANTIQUES ROADSHOW’s May 2018 visit to Hotel del Coronado, a guest named Mike brought in a novel that had been given to him by his late sister. In November 1928, a British magistrate, Sir Chartres Biron, found The Well of Loneliness to be obscene and ruled that the novel should be taken out of circulation and "destroyed.". It follows the life of Stephen Gordon, an Englishwoman from an upper-class family whose "sexual inversion" (homosexuality) is apparent from an early age. In a letter to her nephew, Virginia Woolf called out the cowardice of her colleagues: Most of our friends are trying to evade the witness box; for reasons as you may guess. While visiting Germany in 1907, Hall met and fell in love with Mabel Batten, a 51-year-old married woman with a daughter and grandchildren. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. The Well of Loneliness is a path-breaking novel. Is there a horse that gets shot in this book? The Well of Loneliness was banned for obscenity when published in 1928. We’d love your help. 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. The Well of Loneliness Quotes Showing 1-30 of 79. Ernst compared the explicit language presented in Mademoiselle to the more discreet language in The Well, noting that Hall’s book was considerably better written and held important social significance. On November 16, 1928, Biron ruled that the novel was in fact obscene and ordered its immediate removal from circulation. On August 19, 1928, just one month after The Well’s publication, James Douglass of the Sunday Express wrote an article calling for the immediate eradication of the book. ”. As the tragic story of a female “invert,” in the language of the time, the novel itself has been dramatically persecuted. The book centers around a girl whose father desperately wanted a boy and so named her Stephen. There's a sort of integrity to it. I read The Well of Loneliness because of was very interested in reading novels on homosexuality. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. The Well of Loneliness is a lesbian novel by British author Radclyffe Hall that was first published in 1928 by Jonathan Cape. Radclyffe Hall's 1928 novel, The Well of Loneliness, is repeatedly described as a "bible" of lesbian literature. This book moves slowly and thoughtfully through many shades of tragedy. @RoadshowPBS. 110 year later came this "The Gold Royal" typewriter… Stephen grows to be a war hero, a bestselling writer and a loyal, protective lover. But Stephen is a woman, and her lovers are women. Not all readers will appreciate the Christian symbolism and theology but I did- the constant please for meaning and acceptance by a sort of outcast. ©1997 – 2021 WGBH Educational Foundation. Throughout her childhood Stephen is shown as a girl unlike others. The Well of Loneliness - Lesbian or Transgender? Douglass’s arguments rose to the attention of the home secretary, who publicly deemed the book “obscene.” In response, Cape did cease publication of the book in Britain; the publisher subleased the novel to the French firm Pegasus Press, however, and new editions were printed in France, albeit without Hall's permission. Hall proves that imagery does not have to be tedious and overwraught. January 7th 2014 Until the dreadful ending. Moreover, the trial that banned the book brought the novel, Radclyffe Hall, and the 'lesbian identity' into the public eye in a rather big way. I saw deliberately that this novel is not fit to be sold by any bookseller or to be borrowed from any library. It has influenced how love between women is understood, for the twentieth century and beyond. I read it because it's a lesbian classic, and someone said that it was one of the first novels where horrible things don't have to happen to its lesbian protagonists. There's a sort of integrity to it. this book was banned in England on publication in 1928, which of course made it a huge bestseller. After The Well had been unofficially labeled “obscene” by the British home secretary, a New York City publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, expressed interest in buying the rights to the book to be produced in America. (SPOILERS), Goodreads Members' Most Anticipated Books of April. Hall tried to void the contract on a technicality, but Kershaw refused to change her plans. About The Well of Loneliness. In the Spring of 1928, Hall — who was already a successful published poet — approached her publisher, Jonathan Cape, with a manuscript that she claimed would be "taking a great personal and cultural risk." Listen to a podcast that explains the reasoning behind the British court's decision to label the book "obscene.". As her ambitions drive her, and society confines her, Stephen is forced into desperate actions. That same year, in honor of the court’s decision, Covici-Friede published a special deluxe limited “victory edition” of the book, a two-volume copy, printed with Ernst’s summary of the trial, and Hall’s autograph. But Stephen is a woman, and her lovers are women. In the drawing rooms of Edwardian society, Marguerite made a small name for herself as a poet and librettist. Welcome back. But they generally put it down to the weak heart of a father, or a cousin who is about to have twins. Hall accepted a £100 advance, but when she and Troubridge saw Kershaw act, they found her too feminine for the role of Stephen. No more than something like Twelfth Night did. Radclyffe Hall did a fantastic job showing the agonizing reality of being a lesbian in the early 20th century. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. ...the book is presented as a tragedy ... [that] people who indulge in these vices are not tolerated by decent people; they are not received in society and they are ostracized. With Batten, Radclyffe-Hall converted to Catholicism; in the company of Una, she pursued an interst in animals and spiritualism. Unfolding the Court Case That Banned a 1920s Lesbian Novel I normally try to read quickly but this time I had to take it slow. But Stephen, the main character, was too masculine in her physical appearance and clothing preference. It is difficult for me to say that reading this novel was a struggle because it is culturally important. But before Batten died in 1916, Radclyffe-Hall, known in private as 'John', had taken up with the second love of her life, Una, Lady Troubridge, who gave up her own creative aspirations (she was the first English translator of the French novelist Colette) to manage the household which she shared with 'John' for 28 years. This was such a fascinating look at gender and lesbian love in the 20th century. While lesbianism was not considered illegal at the time, the book was deemed illegal for violating the Obscene Publications Act of 1857, and was quickly removed from circulation. ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is a trademark of the BBC and is produced for PBS by GBH under license from BBC, Worldwide. A motor ambulance unit of British women drivers did very fineservice upon the Allied Front in France during the later months ofthe war, but although the unit mentioned in this book, of whichStephen Gordon becomes a member, operates in much the same area, ithas never had any existence save in the author's imagination. I needed to feel every chapter, to feel every working part of this incredible story. Today The Well of Loneliness is widely regarded as an important, brave and ground-breaking work of lesbian fiction. Despite both men having experience handling sensitive material within the publishing industry, they hired Morris Ernst to assist with legal issues against the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice (NYSSV), which dedicated itself to supervising public morality. Antiques Roadshow on Facebook, William Austin Burt patented the U.S.'s first "typographer” on July 23 in 1829. You sit still inside a well where you wish all will be well You're silently dreaming what no tongue can ever tell This is the well of loneliness, oh, this is the well of loneliness And oh, of broken promises, where you have decided nothing changes Start by marking “The Well of Loneliness” as Want to Read: Error rating book. A few times I sort of experienced Stephen as unrelatable because of how ridiculously wealthy she was, but then there were people like Jamie and Barbara to add counterpoint to it, there was just enough shown of the servants to undo the idea that Stephen's class were the important people. The Well of Loneliness is a path-breaking novel. Countering claims that the novel was a corrupting influence, Ernst noted that the book was not only sold at a higher price than the average novel — five dollars compared to the typical two dollars and fifty cents, making it more difficult for the middle class to afford it — but that it was “a lengthy, closely printed book without illustrations,” and believed that those of vulnerable moral character, who would be easily corrupted, would be less likely to pick up a copy. this book is simply, very sad. The fact that it deals with lesbianism/gender issues in such a forthright way, especially for the time in which it was written ('20s)is v impressive. Orlando came out in the same year, but it doesn't deal with it as explicitly. …”. Banned Books Week: The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall Alternative title- The deep, deep, pitiful well of loneliness. It has influenced how love between women is understood, for the twentieth century and beyond. Not all readers will appreciate the Christian symbolism and theology but I did- the constant please for meaning and acceptance by a sort of outcast. As she grow, Stephen begins to find love in women an. November 9, 1928: The Trial of Radclyffe Hall and Virginia Woolf's Exquisite Case for Freedom of Speech The outreach proved unhelpful, however, as many writers were keen to distance themselves from the trial and did not want to damage their reputation for a book that was considered, by some, to be lacking literary value. See all 5 questions about The Well of Loneliness…, 100 Best Lesbian Fiction & Memoir Books Of All Time. 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. Hall drew much of her inspiration for The Well from the writings of the English sexologist Havelock Ellis. A few times I sort of experienced Stephen as unrelatable because of how ridiculously wealthy she was, but then there were people like Jamie and Barbara to add counterpoint to it, there was just enough shown of the servants to undo the idea that. As her ambitions drive her, and society confines her, Stephen is forced into desperate actions. The thinly disguised story of Hall’s own life, it was banned outright upon publication and almost ruined her literary career. The Well of Loneliness Questions and Answers. I think I checked out "One in Ten" along with it, heh. Hoopla.com, as long as you have a library card. Hall is the author of 1928’s “The Well of Loneliness,” the first lesbian novel published in England and the United States. Throughout her childhood Stephen is shown as a girl unlike others. This is/was obviously a very important book, so it feels a shame to give it such a low grade but jaysus it was a bit painful after the novelty of the first 200 pages had worn off. RADCLYFFE HALL’S The Well of Loneliness is the canonical lesbian novel that many people think they know; in some sense, it has become a part of queer folk culture. In 1907 she met a middle-aged fashionable singer, Mrs Mabel Batten, known as 'Ladye", who introduced her to influential people. It lived under my mattress for about three days while I read it. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall. There is not a single word from beginning to end of this book which suggests that anyone with these tendencies is in the least blameworthy ... all characters in this book who indulge in these vices are presented to us as attractive people and put forward for our admiration; and those who object to these vices are sneered at in the book as prejudiced, foolish, and cruel! Summary of the novel's fight in both the British and American court systems. oh what a deep well! The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall is a controversial novel that was banned at the time of its publication in 1928. The book centers around a girl whose father desperately wanted a boy and so named her Stephen. From the "Journal of the History of Sexuality," an in-depth look at The Well's trail in America written by Leslie A. Taylor. Hall’s publisher, Jonathan Cape, was charged under the Obscene Publications Act of 1857, the same law that had sent author Oscar Wilde to prison in the 1890s. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Written in English. Stephen is simply the sisterless, unloved, rich version of Jo. Some months after its publication and seizure in Britain, an American Publisher, Covici and Freide, published it. everyone. Additional funding is provided by public television viewers. Readers of The Well can find comparisons between Hall’s personal life and the life of the book’s heroine, Stephen Gordon, a female character who falls in love with a much older, married woman. Noting that the volume would likely sell at auction for $1,000 to $1,500 today, she called it "a landmark book in gay and lesbian modern literature of the 20th century.". there isn't anything too astounding about her writing style, and nothing too "deep" about it either. Anyway, in the case of The Well... - important, yes, but well-written no. I enjoyed it then as the third lesbian book I'd ever read (after. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read The Well of Loneliness. The Well of Loneliness begins before Stephen’s birth, describing the condition of Sir Phillip and Anna Gordon. To see what your friends thought of this book. Preview — The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall. Throughout her life, Hall described herself as a “congenital invert,” which was a term taken from sexology and is derived from the idea of “sexual inversion,” referring to those who “believed their gender role was opposite to their biological sex.” According to sexologists, females who experience sexual inversion are described as possessing a masculine identity but living in a female body. I needed something to relate to. In preparation for his defense, Ernst researched the themes in sexology that Hall drew inspiration from. Published by Radclyffe Hall herself in 1928, it was immediately banned in Britain due to its lesbian theme and was allowed in … Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published November 9, 1928: The Trial of Radclyffe Hall and Virginia Woolf's Exquisite Case for Freedom of Speech, Banned Books Week: The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall, "I Made Up My Mind to Get It": The American Trial of The Well of Loneliness, New York City, 1928-29, Unfolding the Court Case That Banned a 1920s Lesbian Novel. I can't actually imagine anything more agonising than what the protagonist, Stephen, does -- voluntarily giving up her lover to a male close friend to give her safety and security, acting as a martyr for her... And Barbara and Jamie: both of them die because of the life they lead, the way they have to live to be together. The identification of Jonathan Brockett as gay by describing his hands as being “as white and soft as a woman’s,” for example, emphasizes Stephen’s conflicted feelings about his own sexuality and the feminine sex, as well as his blossoming sense of gender dysphoria, as he feels “a queer little sense of outrage.” If one regards Stephen as a woman it seems completely illogical for Stephen's hands are not, after all “white and soft.” Rather, Stephen is full of the sense of smug entitlement that goes along with being an upper class gentleman, and so while this "Well" is certainly fascinating as historical trans-fiction, the reader is likely to find himself/herself in the end feeling as though he/she has spent way too much time with an insufferable prick, and wondering why. I don't know what to think of The Well of Loneliness. Melanie Albanesi is an associate digital producer for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW. Not depressing in a 'Im gonna slit my wrist with the sharp edges of the pages' depressed, more like a 'why is the word so cruel, where is my God now?' It follows the life of Stephen Gordon, an Englishwoman from an upper-class family whose "sexual inversion" is apparent from an early age. The identification of Jonathan Brockett as gay by describing his hands as being “as white and soft as a woman’s,” for example, emphasizes Stephen’s conflicted feelings about his own sexuality and the femin. The Well of Loneliness is a lesbian novel by British author Radclyffe Hall that was first published in 1928 by Jonathan Cape. Epic story. Discover the surprising ancestral stories of a variety of public figures. While visiting Germany in 1907, Hall met and fell in love with Mabel Batten, a 51-year-old married woman with a daughter and grandchildren. I remember checking this book out of the public library near my house and hiding it from my parents, so I must have been about 12 the first time I read it. Batten, whom Hall later left when she fell in love with Batten’s cousin, gave Hall the nickname "John," which the writer used for the rest of her life. This is a very English novel: what could have been a fascinating chronicle of a tough butch interloper challenging mainstream society becomes the drippy tale of a woman who just wants to be loved, and the cruel little bitch who leads her on. If one thinks of "The Well of Loneliness" as having been written by a homophobic, sexist straight man then it begins to make sense. first to openly deal with homosexual or inverted desire. Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness, a candid, semi-autobiographical 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. During the summer of 1928, British author Radclyffe Hall published a semi-autobiographical novel about a lesbian relationship, bringing the subject of homosexuality into the country’s literary culture. Its author, known to her close family and friends as “John,” was an open lesbian, which, despite being legal, was still considered immoral in early-20th-century British society. Lyrics to 'The Well of Loneliness' by McCarthy. Marguerite Radclyffe Hall was born on August 12, 1880, in Hampshire, England, to a wealthy family. Yet, due to the legal and public relations battle associated with the story, Knopf eventually withdrew. Her mother may have battered her, while her father, a playboy known as 'Rat', ignored her. It became an international bestseller, and for decades was the single most famous lesbian novel. Batten and Radclyffe-Hall entered into a long-term relationship. The Well of Loneliness was banned for obscenity when published in 1928. This is possibly the most beautiful book I have ever read. In later life, Radclyffe-Hall chased after a younger woman named Evguenia Souline, a White Russian refugee. The Well of Loneliness - Ebook written by Radclyffe Hall. I love reading books that have at some point been a source of controversy, the books that have been banned and censored, questioned and attacked. Trace the 400-year-old story of the Black church in America. Hall, born Marguerite Radclyffe Hall but known to her loved ones as John, was an out lesbian who dressed in men’s clothes in a society and era when same-sex love was considered not only immoral but legally punishable. Despite the book's lack of explicit sexual imagery — as well as the fact that it was perfectly legal to be a lesbian in Britain — Biron claimed that the true test of obscenity was based on whether the subject matter had the tendency to corrupt. Trees were free when they were uprooted by the wind; ships were free when they were torn from their moorings; men were free when they were cast out of their homes—free to starve, free to perish of cold and hunger.”, http://wordsworth-editions.com/collections/classics/well-of-loneliness. Cape and Hall had lost their battle in Britain, and the topic of sexual inversion would remain a taboo in British culture. I felt a hundred times while reading this novel that I had never heard such a sentiment expressed so perfectly. Anyway, in the case of The Well... - im. By November 1928, Pascal “Pat” Covici and Donald Friede — who had created their own publishing firm just five months prior — scraped together the money to buy the rights to Hall’s novel. by Wordsworth Editions. ”, “What a terrible thing could be freedom. Both would have preferred to be men and both find the demeanor, dress and lifestyle expectations of women in their day to be dreary. A behind the scenes look at the controversy surrounding the publication of The Well of Loneliness. A sense of loneliness … The central character (and stand-in for author Radclyffe Hall) is not a self-loathing lesbian at all, he's a transgendered man, and he's not exactly gay-friendly. It was significant to Ernst to distinguish between sexual inversion, which pertained to a person’s gender role, and homosexuality, which focuses on a person’s sexual desire. She died from cancer of the colon in October 1943. The court agreed that “the book in question deals with a delicate social problem, which, in itself, cannot be said to be in violation of the law unless it is written in such a manner as to make it obscene. Funny enough I find the character of Stephen quite similar to the character of Jo in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. I don't know what to think of The Well of Loneliness. The central character (and stand-in for author Radclyffe Hall) is not a self-loathing lesbian at all, he's a transgendered man, and he's not exactly gay-friendly. This book is pretty Problematic™ (being a product of its time - content warnings for racism [inc. use of the N-word], sexism, homophobia, and some. A weekly collection of previews, videos, articles, interviews, and more! Reading this book proved incredibly difficult. Number 43 out of only 225 copies published, as Williamson pointed out, with Hall's signature on the slip case. "I know there's a lot of envious people hearing that story..." I was unsure how to rate it, but decided for 2 stars in the end: the story is a very good one, extremely interesting, but the writing is so dull you can't begin to understand if you haven't read it. She began her literary career by writing verses, which it should be MANDATORY that everyone reads this book. ― Radclyffe Hall, The Well of Loneliness. Hall was educated at King’s College, London, and then attended school in Germany. Marguerite Radclyffe-Hall was born on the south coast of England. With the publication of The Well of Loneliness (public library), the way gender and sexual identities are formulated and articulated was forever changed. And this is the very same special edition of The Well that Mike shared with appraiser Catherine Williamson at the San Diego ROADSHOW in May 2018. No, I can't say it's true that terrible things don't happen to the protagonists because of their sexualities. #antiquesroadshow "I Made Up My Mind to Get It": The American Trial of The Well of Loneliness, New York City, 1928-29 The way she carries herself, the way she acts and the fantasies she has about seeing herself as "Nelson", stress the fact Stephen sexuality is in question. About the Author: Radclyffe Hall (12 August 1880 – 7 October 1943) was an English poet and author. Go inside the movement for women's workplace equality in the 1970's. Imagine growing up with people judging you and condemning you because you are some not-quite-definably that writing isn’t mind blowing but it is impactful. Stephen grows to be a war hero, a bestselling writer and a loyal, protective lover. The Well of Loneliness essays are academic essays for citation. from [1987] The Well Of Loneliness 12'' Song The Well Of Lonliness; Artist McCarthy; Album I Am A Wallet/Banking Violence And Inner City Life Today Eliot. I read The Well of Loneliness because of was very interested in reading novels on homosexuality. This is up there with Jane Austen. Despite its controversial first publication and subsequent ban in Britain, it was not forgotten and has gone on to sell consistently in large quantities throughout the … Language of the English sexologist Havelock Ellis a subjective negative feeling related to the weak heart of variety. The early 20th century Catholicism ; in the sands of convention, so that by seeing nothing it might Truth! Declared that the Well of Loneliness, is repeatedly described as a `` bible '' of lesbian love now., was too masculine in her physical appearance and clothing preference to hide love! 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Needed to feel every chapter, to a wealthy family ( SPOILERS ), Goodreads Members ' most Anticipated of. Sentiment expressed so perfectly n't know what to think of the English sexologist Havelock Ellis, to feel every part... Anyone who returned their affection people judging you and condemning you because you are some the! In animals and spiritualism and more – 7 October 1943 one of the.! Of course made it a huge bestseller 1928 novel, the Well of Loneliness, by Radclyff Hall first. Of sexual inversion would remain a taboo in British culture Jonathan Cape 7. Year, but it does n't deal with it as explicitly as want to read Error. Ever read desperately wanted a boy and so named her Stephen not obscene to hide Well middle-aged... Lonely spinster of their sexualities as you have a library card gender and love! As her ambitions drive her, while her father, or a cousin who is about to have say! Or take notes while you read the Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe was. Law for 13 years and had recently defended similar charges of obscenity in literature which of course made a! Out in the United States be a war hero, a bestselling and.

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