The Well of Loneliness Quotes Showing 1-30 of 79. I read The Well of Loneliness because of was very interested in reading novels on homosexuality. 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. Batten and Radclyffe-Hall entered into a long-term relationship. Ernst took his case a step further by comparing the language of The Well to the language of Mademoiselle de Maupin, a novel by the French author Théophile Gautier, which was taken to trial in 1922 for its depiction of a lesbian prostitute, yet was deemed appropriate — a major loss for the NYSSV. Hall proves that imagery does not have to be tedious and overwraught. 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. Preview — The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall. Hall accepted a £100 advance, but when she and Troubridge saw Kershaw act, they found her too feminine for the role of Stephen. 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. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. It follows the life of Stephen Gordon, an Englishwoman from an upper-class family whose "sexual inversion" is apparent from an early age. I don't know what to think of The Well of Loneliness. There's a sort of integrity to it. Stephen was apparently based partially on Radclyffe Hall's life, therefore accuracy can't be doubted. 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. ...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. The Well of Loneliness Questions and Answers. In later life, Radclyffe-Hall chased after a younger woman named Evguenia Souline, a White Russian refugee. The prose is simply exquisite. ”, “What a terrible thing could be freedom. 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 lea. Go inside the movement for women's workplace equality in the 1970's. 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. Radclyffe Hall did a fantastic job showing the agonizing reality of being a lesbian in the early 20th century. With the publication of The Well of Loneliness (public library), the way gender and sexual identities are formulated and articulated was forever changed. I read The Well of Loneliness because of was very interested in reading novels on homosexuality. Batte. The Question and Answer section for The Well of Loneliness is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and … November 9, 1928: The Trial of Radclyffe Hall and Virginia Woolf's Exquisite Case for Freedom of Speech Hall tried to void the contract on a technicality, but Kershaw refused to change her plans. The Well of Loneliness was banned for obscenity when published in 1928. 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. Published in 1928, The Well of Loneliness, by British author Radclyffe Hall, was a sensation at the time for its depiction of a lesbian relationship. But Stephen, the main character, was too masculine in her physical appearance and clothing preference to hide well. Hall was educated at King’s College, London, and then attended school in Germany. Stephen grows to be a war hero, a bestselling writer and a loyal, protective lover. If you are looking for cheerful and uplifting, don’t start here: the title gives it away. Orlando came out in the same year, but it doesn't deal with it as explicitly. 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 normally try to read quickly but this time I had to take it slow. Welcome back. It has influenced how love between women is understood, for the twentieth century and beyond. The novel itself repeatedly alludes to biblical stories, especially the story of Christ. 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. 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 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. Antiques Roadshow on Facebook, William Austin Burt patented the U.S.'s first "typographer” on July 23 in 1829. The play opened on 2 September 1930. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Her mother may have battered her, while her father, a playboy known as 'Rat', ignored her. I felt a hundred times while reading this novel that I had never heard such a sentiment expressed so perfectly. On November 16, 1928, Biron ruled that the novel was in fact obscene and ordered its immediate removal from circulation. Hall intended on creating a novel that would “speak on behalf of a misunderstood and misjudged minority,” and wrote a coming-of-age story about a lesbian’s journey in discovering her identity and place in society. 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. I don't know what to think of The Well of Loneliness. Ernst chose to separate the two concepts by categorizing inverts, like the character of Stephen Gordon, as “thwarted in life” or “not fully developed” as opposed to “homosexual," which he categorized as an involuntary condition rather than a choice. 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. No more than something like Twelfth Night did. But Stephen is a woman, and her lovers are women. 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. ”. A sense of loneliness … Discover the surprising ancestral stories of a variety of public figures. it was a hard one to read because i would always leave this book feeling worse about the world — that’s likely the point but it’s also exhausting. About the Author: Radclyffe Hall (12 August 1880 – 7 October 1943) was an English poet and author. I really like this book, but found it very, very depressing. Somewhat surprisingly, The Well of Loneliness fared better in the United States. Lyrics to 'The Well of Loneliness' by McCarthy. But Stephen … Marguerite Radclyffe-Hall was born on the south coast of England. Hall's Model of ‘God’ as It Relates to ‘Inversion’ (now known as 'Queerness') in ‘The Well of Loneliness’. 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. and as it was published in France and the USA, it was easy to obtain copies. 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. 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. A behind the scenes look at the controversy surrounding the publication of The Well of Loneliness. 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?' She died from cancer of the colon in October 1943. 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! Anyway, in the case of The Well... - im. Readers of The Wellcan 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 olde… 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. It has influenced how love between women is understood, for the twentieth century and beyond. 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. Throughout her childhood Stephen is shown as a girl unlike others. It follows the life of Stephen Gordon, an Englishwoman from an upper-class family whose "sexual inversion" (that is, homosexuality) is apparent from an early age. first to openly deal with homosexual or inverted desire. It is difficult for me to say that reading this novel was a struggle because it is culturally important. I needed something to relate to. Marguerite Radclyffe Hall was born on August 12, 1880, in Hampshire, England, to a wealthy family. ― Radclyffe Hall, The Well of Loneliness. Stephen is simply the sisterless, unloved, rich version of Jo. Trace the 400-year-old story of the Black church in America. #antiquesroadshow The Well of Loneliness is a lesbian novel by British author Radclyffe Hall that was first published in 1928 by Jonathan Cape. 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. Marguerite Radclyffe Hall was born on August 12, 1880, in Hampshire, England, to a wealthy family. I enjoyed it then as the third lesbian book I'd ever read (after. 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. The Well of Loneliness - Lesbian or Transgender? 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. If they didn't, they lived much as the governess in this novel as the unloved and lonely spinster. Refresh and try again. We’d love your help. Hall is the author of 1928’s “The Well of Loneliness,” the first lesbian novel published in England and the United States. They had to hide their love if they ever found anyone who returned their affection. Wilette Kershaw, an American actress who was staging banned plays in Paris, proposed a dramatization of The Well of Loneliness. Unfolding the Court Case That Banned a 1920s Lesbian Novel With Batten, Radclyffe-Hall converted to Catholicism; in the company of Una, she pursued an interst in animals and spiritualism. Hall drew much of her inspiration for The Well from the writings of the English sexologist Havelock Ellis. To learn more about Radclyffe Hall and The Well's journey towards universal publication, visit: Defending The Well of Loneliness "I know there's a lot of envious people hearing that story..." it should be MANDATORY that everyone reads this book. As her ambitions drive her, and society confines her, Stephen is forced into desperate actions. In 1907 she met a middle-aged fashionable singer, Mrs Mabel Batten, known as 'Ladye", who introduced her to influential people. 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. 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. Marguerite Radclyffe-Hall was born on the south coast of England. 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. I read this the first time around in 1988, during my first term at university, hiding it from my room mate, under the covers. 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. To see what your friends thought of this book. January 7th 2014 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. See all 5 questions about The Well of Loneliness…, 100 Best Lesbian Fiction & Memoir Books Of All Time. They had to hide their love if they ever found anyone who returned their affection. The Well of Loneliness is a 1928 lesbian novel by the English author Radclyffe Hall. First published in 1928, this timeless portrayal of lesbian love is now a classic. particularly dialogue, stephen’s speeches on her love, puddle’s (internal) acceptance, her mother’s rejection, they all broke me. 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.". Here's a sample: I read this book as a teenager and was so riveted by the story I still have my copy, yellowed pages and all. But they generally put it down to the weak heart of a father, or a cousin who is about to have twins. Orlando came out in the same year, but it doesn't deal with it as explicitly. 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. But Stephen, the main character, was too masculine in her physical appearance and clothing preference. The Well of Loneliness - Finishers, what did you think? 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. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall. The book centers around a girl whose father desperately wanted a boy and so named her Stephen. As her ambitions drive her, and society confines her, Stephen is forced into desperate actions. About The Well of Loneliness. Today The Well of Loneliness is widely regarded as an important, brave and ground-breaking work of lesbian fiction. 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. 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. "I Made Up My Mind to Get It": The American Trial of The Well of Loneliness, New York City, 1928-29 Reading this book proved incredibly difficult. 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. Ancestral stories of a the well of loneliness, a White Russian refugee nothing too `` deep about! 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