|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 9:44 pm
This is a longer version of a reply I posted elsewhere on here, but I thought it deserved its own subject.
Last week I read a book about homosexuality in the 1960's, a time when it was still illegal in many places (in England, in particular.) Writers at the time, when talking about gay subjects, would often present two male lovers as being "brothers" and explain away any acts of physical affection as being "brotherly" in order to avoid shocking the censors. Joe Orton, one of my favorite playwrites, actually wrote a radio play about two "brothers" who were actually lovers.
I don't know if this was on purpose or not, but JK Rowling HAS to have come across this kind of situation before. As a Brit obsessed with literature, she must have at least read about this popular plot device. The more I look at it, the more I think that, consciously or not, she really did put something in to the whole Sirius/Remus thing.
Suddenly, that "brotherly" hug looks much less so.
Anyway, the book was called "Because We're Queers" and is about the life/death of Joe Orton and his boyfriend, Kenneth Halliwell. Written by Simon Shepherd, it goes into great detail about the old "homosexuality disguised under brotherly/platonic language" literary style.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 4:07 pm
I'm now trying to get the radio play by Orton; seems it would be a good read.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 4:57 pm
This is really interesting. I love reading about the history of sexuality in any culture, so this is right up my alley. Time to see if my library has this book. Thank you for mentioning it!
I definitely think J K Rowling was implying something with the "brotherly" hug between Sirius and Remus, even if it was only subconciously. Does anyone even know Rowling's opinion on homosexuality? I'd love to interview her. I'd probably scare her right out of the room, though. emo
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 9:01 pm
Thanks! I am glad someone finally responded to my post! Good luck finding that book at your library. I had to order mine from Amazon.com, but I got it pretty cheap.
I don't know what JK Rowling thinks about homosexuality, but I do think there's something to the Sirius/Remus pairing. Maybe it was unconscious, but a careful reading of the books yields many clues. The whole "brotherly love being a cover for homosexuality as a literary device" is but one of them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 9:57 pm
Thank you for wishing me luck! The site that lets me order books from any library in the state finally started working again, so now the book will be sent to me from...wherever it is. Although they're probably already a little upset that I've had Forbidden Friendships out for so long, whch is another book on homosexuality, this one on Renaissance Italy. The poor librarians are probably think I'm dangerously corrupted.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 12:47 pm
Calliope Della Corte This is really interesting. I love reading about the history of sexuality in any culture, so this is right up my alley. Time to see if my library has this book. Thank you for mentioning it!
I definitely think J K Rowling was implying something with the "brotherly" hug between Sirius and Remus, even if it was only subconciously. Does anyone even know Rowling's opinion on homosexuality? I'd love to interview her. I'd probably scare her right out of the room, though. emo lol ur not the only one that would scare her out of the room wit questions! i read this icon and relized how true it was. it said : in the perfect harry potter world everyone would be gay. its quite true! lol
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
