CEU eTD Collection The Queer Whispers of the Body inSarah oftheBody The QueerWhispers Waters’s In partial fulfilment of the Masters of Arts Gender Studies of ArtsGender oftheMasters In partialfulfilment Tipping theVelvet Department of Gender Studies Second Reader: Eszter Timar Central European University European Central Supervisor: AnnaSupervisor: Loutfi Budapest, Hungary Alexa Athelstan Submitted to Submitted 2009 By i and Affinity CEU eTD Collection Body Winterson, Jeanette brail.’ feel like letters the that worked heavily is so palimpsest the places In there. gather lifetime of a accumulations the lights, visible incertain only code is asecret body the on ‘Written (1992), p.89. ii Written onthe CEU eTD Collection Velvet isdesire dealt herbestsellingwithin with picaresquebildungsroman, lesbian on taboo inwhich cultural the way the analyses It therefore Waters. Sarah lesbianwriter Welsh contemporary of novels itself the the with concerns This thesis contemporary contemporary (mid tolate 1990’s) Britain. of context the within existence, and lesbian desire of acceptance cultural for the strategy lesbianof visibility, aswell through heras writing and thus arguably fighting they may be seen tobe challenging the cultural taboo lesbianon desire through a how and Waters Sarah by novels Victorian Neo these of politics lesbian contemporary Finally,prohibitions thesisitself which encounter.with concerns the they this may they an through sothat language theoblique circumscribe of tongue, the explicit articulating language than body,the through rather theira surreptitious of desires lesbian of by on subjects novels andexistence,her this desire subvert taboo cultural moreover inlanguage Itdealswith the semiotics. lesbian way whichthe bodily and verbal oblique through and level interpersonal an on be transmitted to Waters explores how the cultural taboo on lesbian desire is shown within the novels of Sarah (1998), and her (1998), gothic fantastic novel, Abstract iii Affinity (1999).Thus, this thesis Tipping the CEU eTD Collection crafted these wonderfully rich novels, which have been a true pleasure to work with. pleasure work have been to a true novels, which rich wonderfully these crafted myFinally, profound does gratitude of course go toSarahWaters herselfhaving for them. for is this all, above Therefore, academic. an as abilities my in confidence development mysupport during wasinvaluable the writingof this BA my to and society. My thanksin go particular Sarahto Gamble and Liz Herbert McAvoy, whose providing excellent mewith traininggender inissuespertaining toin culture and for Society) and Culture in Gender for Centre (the GENCAS and Swansea Wales, indebted to BAinthe withEnglish Literature Gender program at The University of Prayer moment. upliftingmood song at exactly right the exactly right upload the CEU dorms. Particularlycontinent, alsoas well to allowingasour the in nothouse so vast DJ distanceAndrago tofacebook.com for keepingme sane isolatingthe during hours of by writing and meof herthe Fifthtouncanny speak freely meproviding ofmy with aspace the about to progress Thanks, writing. districtconnect ability of Budapest to intensemonth of withthesis herencouragingwriting and positive attitude by to theto my me thisTereli Askwith whomy heartfeltparticularsupported throughout thank goto friendsCWWNWriting Bodies / Reading Conference Bodies atOxford University. In over for forthcomingthe submit abstract PG me an for encouraging to Adele Jones the vastof my confidence development distancethe in role a crucial played all have who Jed, and Liza Sharamel, Lottie, over Andy, the Frances, Particularly years UK. the in family and ofmy friends to go also Thanks andthe have justEuropean been my of asapotential and support academic. abilities encouragement ongoing pastoral wonderful peoplewith the to topic know. and myselfTo provoking debates.To my supervisors, AnnaLoutfi for Timar,and engaging Eszter as a writer in a fruitfulStudies. gender Tothe kids for theirgoinggood company on and their thought manner. To Jasmina of Department Gender the yearof at study intensely rewarding yet challenging Lukic for her Firstly, I would like to thank the CEU community for providing me with a byBon Jovi wasindeed the Acknowledgements hit of the month. Finally, I am, of course, deeply iv Living ona CEU eTD Collection ilorpy...... 97 ...... Bibliography Once 92 More through the Looking ...... Glass and Back Again 92 ...... Conclusion The Contemporary Lesbian Politics of Sarah Waters’s 61 Neo Victorian Novels...... 61 Chapter III...... Tipping theVelvet Tipping The 29 Queer Whispers of the Body ...... in Sarah Waters’s 29 Chapter II...... the 10 Expressive Language of the Body...... Theorising the Oblique Cultural Taboo on and the Prohibition of Lesbian Desire 10 and ...... Chapter I 1 then stop.”...... “Begin Beginning”the at said King the “and of Hearts until go you come tothe end: 1 Introduction...... Contents ocuin...... 90 ...... Conclusion Imagine the Change, Be 83 the Change: the Utopian Politics ...... of Possibility The 73 Politics of Lesbian Life...... The ‘Good’, the ‘Bad’ and the Politics 69 of Representation...... Writing for 66 Tolerance, Fighting ...... for Visibility Beneath the Wolfskins 61 and the Togas, Deeper ...... than Disguise 59 ...... Conclusion The Oblique Articulation in of The ObliqueArticulation Desire The Oblique Prohibition of Lesbian Desire in theVelvet Tipping theVelvet Tipping (1998)and and 40 the Oblique Articulation ...... of Desir and The 32 Oblique Prohibition ...... of Lesbian Desire Affinity 19)...... 29 ...... (1999) Affinity v ...... 54 ...... Affinity ...... 48 ...... CEU eTD Collection bildungsroman love for the dazzling music hall performer Kitty Butler and journeys towards a space journeys Kitty Butler towards music and hallperformer love dazzling forthe for Lesbianand GayFiction (2000)for Velvet British culture. of in contemporary context the celebrities lesbian circuit, alongside Jeanette Winterson. Indeed,it also makes her one of the most visible literary British the on women lesbian writers celebrated widely and well mostread novels, these of Three Betty Task Award (1999) for (1999) Betty Task Award Waters has won furthermore numerous well renowned literary awards including the for BoxTV. BBCand the screenby the beenadapted very havesuccessfully (2008), (1999), written five highly acclaimed novels including novels acclaimed highly five written upinlesbian whogrew Wales contemporary inLondon.Shehas writer and lives is Waters a Sarah Waters. Sarah novels of the with itself This concerns thesis Dickens’s sorts with their society.intheir lives, whicheffectively If educatesone this protagonist, thinks who thenjourneys towards a reintegration ofof novelsthe old ways that they have lived,such or the morals asof theirSarahsociety, through aquasi Waters’s crisisprotagonist or a turning ofa point trajectory the describes which novel a as be described also may as bildungsroman the theyHowever, travel towards greater2 journey.’ ona [sic.] hero resourceful and self ofalively adventure awareness, throughPress, 2000)p.788. Here the term picaresque is defined as ‘episodic novels (…)whichdescribe the a journey in which1 they break with Ibid,p.100. Here bildungsromanthe is defined asanovelof the (inwidest‘education sense).’ Margaret Drabble, (ed.), “Begin at“Begin the said of Beginning” the King Heartsgo untilyou “and come tothe and her second novel second her and Fingersmith Great Expectations The novels that this thesis will engage with are her first novel first her are with engage will thesis this that novels The 2 novel, which follows the story of Nan Astley as she discovers her discovers she as Astley Nan of story the follows which novel, (2002), The OxfordCompanion English to Literature Tipping theVelvet , this definition applies quite explicitly. The NightWatch Tipping theVelvet Tipping Affinity end: then stop.” Introduction . Affinity Tipping the Velvet 1 (2002), (2006)and . This therefore makes her one of the of herone makes . This therefore and the Somerset Maugham Award Maugham Somerset andthe Tipping theVelvet Tipping Fingersmith The LittleStranger Tipping the Velvet (1998) is(1998) a picaresque (Oxford: Oxford University (2005)and (1998), Tipping the and Charles and Affinity (2009). Affinity 1 CEU eTD Collection p.41. She Stopped Writing About the Victorian Era’ in 4 lesbian desire, will be delineated in depthmore within ChapterII. a selfbecome and gaze external this internalises to prisoner the coerces policingwhich space disciplinary a is this that argues of course Foucault surveillance. under be may always prisoners the subject. which from tower, central by its characterised is prison panopticon Benthaimian The panopticon. the of model This Benthamian the dynamic,of prison The p.81. and the relevance of it for a discussion of the censorship of looking more specifically at the way in which the novels of Sarah Waters show how show Waters Sarah of novels the which in way the at specifically more looking circumnavigated andbylesbian Within subjects. overcomefocus this be I will furthermoreIt system. legal the through homosexuality female of prohibition explicit the to prior concerns itselfinterpersonal and lesbian prohibition andsubjectivity, which of desire arguably exists with thefocus main into concernsdivided two first focuses. itself The cultural oblique with the way in which isfurthermore topic lesbianThis central on sexuality. taboo cultural the with engage these cultural prohibitions in which conceptlesbianismthe of supposedly didnot exist.’ are of various‘finding engage ways to with intheirsexuality Victorian acultureEngland, in aprocess are who ‘lesbianprotagonists’ concerning narrative trajectory centralise a they because similar’ ‘ostensibly are Abigail Denis, to according novels,both their novels and are therefore engaged in a process of (re)writing the Victorians. And written by contemporary fiction, asa maybe historical genre of defined This women writers. contemporary by fiction womenVictorian Neo of writers,tradition a to belong thus and Britain whoVictorian use the Victorian in areset of novels Both these another. for one era affinity sexual and emotional as a settingspiritual, their discover they as Selina and for Margaret of story the follows which novel, like space of Milbank Prison, her second novel her second Milbank Prison, like spaceof of belongingself awarenessandsocial Setwithin subject. asalesbian the panopticon 3 Abigail Dennis, ‘“Ladies in Peril:” Sarah Waters On Neo-Victorian Narrative Celebrations and Why and Celebrations Narrative OnNeo-Victorian Waters Sarah Peril:” in ‘“Ladies Dennis, Abigail Michel Foucault, The central topic of this thesis is the way in which the novels of Sarah Waters Discipline andPunish: TheBirththe of Prison Affinity is basedona real Victorianprison called Milbank, whichis structured on Neo-Victorian Studies, 2 Affinity (1999)is fantastic agothic (London: Penguin (London: Books, 1977) 4 vol. 1., No.vol.1 (Autumn1., 2008) 3 CEU eTD Collection shown shown to be transmitted on an interpersonal level through oblique verbal language and isexistence? How thecultural rather theprohibition on or lesbiantaboo desireof are lesbian placed that navigate the prohibitions desire and upon her characters cultural onlesbian desiresurface Waterstaboo the and within novelsofSarah howdo society. British publiceyeof contemporary the into issues out these get to function thus novels her of politics the how and novels, her within arise which existence, lesbian of issues of sorts the with itself concerns also therefore It discussing the issues of lesbian existence within for licence acertain Waters gives thegenre NeoVictorian the athow looks also context of contemporary Britain. It oflesbianlife. issues the contemporary for discussing era asatrope Victorian the use Waters Sarah novels of the athow looks therefore It lesbian subjects. lives of the has this on of taboo visible effects sorts the andexistencelesbian by desire rendering on this taboo challenging of inapolitics Waters areengaged novels of the Sarah their own ends. The second focus of this thesis concerns mechanisms of prohibition are usedtocensor that by them, these appropriating to itself with the way in which oblique very the subvert effectively thus they how and desires, their articulate subjects verbal Watersof novels of useoblique languageSarah and the bodily to way thelesbian in the which at I willbe looking Therefore, desire. this articulating mechanism for prohibiting lesbian butitdesire, can also actasapowerful means of at the verbal bodilyway inwhich language andoblique no actdoes only asa also functions toprohibitlesbian desire and subjectivity.Finally, focus this also looks and way the through bodylanguage,that which is ultimately unspoken, or oblique istaboo, ultimately asbeingsomethingthat lesbian desire render which references, lesbianislocalised on desire level,a interpersonal verbal and through oblique The following research questions therefore guide this project. How does Howdoes the this project. guide therefore The followingquestions research 3 CEU eTD Collection true feelings of feelingsa person’. of true protagonists,Barbara is which Korte according to ‘non-verbal behaviour revealing the ‘unconscious.’ ‘communicative,’ ‘intentional’ and ‘conscious’ and ‘intentional’ ‘communicative,’ and behaviour,’ eye expressions, gestures 11 10 9 8 7 6 at ‘spatial and touching behaviour;’ postures,’ calls ‘the signifying system’ of ‘body calls ‘the system’ ‘body signifying of semiotics.’ Korte whatBarbara of analysis narrative a performs this thesis language. Therefore, variousin ways lesbian which prohibition the of desirebodilythrough arearticulated, the well as as lesbian desires, their articulate to hernovels use of characters the language that analysis body the of that is of a narrative therefore of this methodology part The core Waters. Sarah of of novels the analysis narrative engaged theoretically lesbian existence? of lesbian visibility and byher writing and fightingthus for cultural the acceptance of strategy lesbiana on desire through challengestaboo thecultural that political project engagedin Waters novels Andfinally, howare the Sarah a covert of encounter? as tocircumscribe so oblique prohibitionslanguage whichthey tongue, the of the novels articulate her of subjects lesbian the do How novels? her of theircontext the within semiotics bodily desires through a language of the body, rather than through a 5 Ibid, p.12. Ibid, p.26. Ibid, p.37. Ibid, p.6. Barbara Korte, Barbara Ibid, p.35. Ibid, p.27. The methodological framework that this thesis deploys is one of a 7 and ‘quality voice,laughter, of sobbing, coughing andsilence.’ Body Language in Literature 10 And, most importantly I analyse the ‘non-verbal leakages’ of these of leakages’ ‘non-verbal the Ianalyse importantly most And, 11 I do so, so as to try to establish the ‘finest nuances’ of 9 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1997), Ibid, p.4. as well as whether the body language is 4 6 as well as ‘body movements’ and ‘body or 5 This involves the analysis of ‘facial ‘expressive,’ ‘spontaneous’ and 8 Ialso look CEU eTD Collection Tipping the VelvetTipping the ‘thoroughly distinct’ ‘identical twins.’ Sarahnevertheless yetWaters quoted related’ ‘Sarah in Waters ‘intimately like on being as the them BBC adaptation describes and of adaptations these with content is 18 17 16 ‘power relations’ and the circumstances, the and relations’ ‘power cues of voice, posture, gesture andeye gesture contact’ cues ofvoice, posture, meaning(s), isand ‘subtle signifyingthe within present always thus body whichthe ‘unworded data’ of the body. languageanalysis body ‘captureadensity becausethey regardingof of evidence’ the narrative a for useful be may Sipe, Dan to according films, because primarily is This novels. her of adaptations film the with engage also will I Waters, Sarah by novels theories, so as to establish what they can tell us about lesbian existence. As well as the queer and feminist lesbian, through interpreted then are semiotics bodily These ‘attractions’ ‘repulsions,’ and ‘attractions’ 111617063697&SORT=author_id&TAG=&CID=&PGE=&LANG=EN (eds.) 15 14 13 12 body language. thesis, where these closely resemble the novels, and thus allowfor adeeper reading of interpretation. 2009) p.1. implicit and an oblique or cultural taboo on and the prohibition femaleof homosexual on anan desire, operates unspoken level, whichthe therefore cultural exists to someEpstein, Friedman, Jeffrey Gopinath Gyatari and Michele as todiscussFoucault, so extenttaboo on lesbianchapter, desire. which It thereforeengages theoriseswith theorists the way in suchwhich asthe Judith Butler, Terry Castle, Rob I have no qualms about employing the screen adaptations of her novels because Sarah Waters herself Waters Sarah because novels her of adaptations screen the employing about qualms no have I Ibid Ibid, p.384. Dan Sipe, “The Future of Ibid, p.27. Oral History and Moving Ibid, pp.18 & 6. Images” in Perks, Ibid. Robert and Alistair Thomson The Oral History Reader . This thesis is divided into three chapters. The first chapter ischapter atheoretical The first chapters. into three is divided This thesis 17 18 ’ Therefore, I use selective clips from these films throughout this http://www.virago.co.uk/author_results.asp?SF1=data&ST1=feature &REF=e 2006 (London: Routledge, 1998) p.386. 12 15 ‘emotions’ and ‘interpersonal relationships,’ Therefore, because film is an embodied medium, embodied an is film because Therefore, 14 within which these affects are encountered. within affects are which these 5 16 are thus always open to a visual (Accessed: 29 (Accessed: th of March 13 and the and CEU eTD Collection both both singular andlinear, thus allowingit to escape phallogocentric logic. isby language that verbal economy whichis language, an characterised explicitly of masculine Lacanian the exceeds therefore It verbal. extra or verbal non and verbal féminine on a this bemay that as languageof body expressive whichthe one is regarded operating with the French feminist theories engages this Finally,chapter duringinterpersonal bysubjects relations. interpreted of Luce Irigaray and Hélèn body expressive whichas an and is communicative language, beingCixous, continuously so as to argue delineate atheory the of so asto Giddens,Sedgewick,Merleau-Ponty, and Deniz draws also on chapter this Furthermore, theorists communicative. nevertheless yet and oblique ultimately are which semiotics, of bodily through thesis, this the of focus particular be the will body such as on transmitted levelan interpersonal linguisticelliptical through references and,as Goffman,is homosexuality female on taboo the that argues therefore It Elizabethunperformable. Grosz,itisisprohibitions andbeing whatknows taboo, that thus rendered unspeakable or Eve Kosofky directly in language,prohibitive such a way subject the isthat who receiving these taboo being within inscribed implicitand ellipticallanguage, than rather explicitand rendered being is that thing the through occurs which level, verbal anon on extent a certain to and indirect an on functioning is homosexuality female of prohibition oblique inscribedlanguage within and thelaw, asisthemalehomosexuality.with case toexplicitlyprior language, rather prohibitive itthan being explicit or and direct, féminine cultural cultural lesbianprohibition of andmeandesire existence how thisI therefore economy of bodily language is characterised by a polyvocality that is both is that polyvocality a by characterised is language bodily of economy economy of language. economy concludes Ittherefore this by arguing that of 6 By the CEU eTD Collection communicated on communicated an interpersonal level obliquethrough verbal and bodily language, lesbianis which on indesiretaboo (1999), cultural the way analysesthe which theoretically engaged narrative analysis of analysis narrative engaged theoretically a performs therefore language chapter Thissecond tongue. explicitthe the through of than body, rather the language of clandestine the through is articulated lesbian desire way in the which which to pertains essentially partof chapter, this very the core symbolise to intended is therefore title this language, a communicative and expressive body asan ideaof the body this and the with combined arethus terms When these inaudible to those subjects who are outside of this covert mode of communication. and to whoare beingis whispered subject(s) the audible both to that somethingbeing is intended to denote, because term whispers the what is lesbian also desire of articulation of nature the clandestine it symbolises a certainbeing if spoken, even in only avery clandestine manner. encoded and This sense of already issecrecy, always, it that sense this also but unspeakable, ultimately seemingly asonly well as it not is desire lesbian that idea the symbolises therefore it Indeed, Britain. Victorian lesbian very of fashion,obliqueness desireinthecontext that surroundedsense of this aware in a playfully also embodies, It strangeness. or asenseof oddness denotes theterm occurbecause queeralso allows inmeaningto forslippages therefore It Britain. Victorian of context the in subjectivity and desire lesbian with associated were often words that with other free a association for lesbian, allows term the more sothan term queer, because the way, in Derridean andquasi term very a playful this using I am also lesbian andsubjectivity. denote desire it deploys to Sarah Waters Sarah Waters’s Sarah name of thesisthe itself;it being thus entitled ‘The Queer Whispers of Body the in The second chapter, which is also the central chapter of this thesis, carries the thesis,carries of this chapter which central isalsothe The secondchapter, Tipping theVelvet Tipping and Affinity 7 Tipping the Velvet Tipping .’ I am here using the word queer as (1998)and Affinity CEU eTD Collection the late nineteen sixties and the early nineteen nineties, because the context within thecontext because nineties, nineteen nineteen early late the and sixties the growing upin Walesrural and the university towns asalesbian,of England between (1998) and writing was Waters Sarah which in time the to referring primarily I am society British contemporary By society. British of contemporary context the to of which are relevance cityscape) the within lesbian subcultures place of novels (such theissue as of growing upgay in countryside the and the marginalised her inscribedwithin life lesbian are that someillustrates of it issues the of but also lesbian fightfor thecultural of visibility desire andsubjectivity,and the acceptance deals not onlyin with herinlesbian which waysthe novelsareengaged a politics of British society,in albeit a rather veiled manner. anddisplaced this Therefore, chapter contemporary of context the within novels these writing was she that time the at and those very issues that effectedlesbian subject within contemporary Britain, allowsthus which speak her about to lesbian subjects arguesat thatthe her novels employtime the Victorian that era as a kind of tropeshe for the placewas of the growing up of herof novels emerge within female of desire. same sex powerful affects these articulated already andis only consciouslyrealised andarticulated linguistically body the after has subjects these of bodies the through arises awareness self lesbian a which in way the subjects and how internalisation isthis inscribed upon their bodies. And,it discusses lesbian these by internalised is desire lesbian of prohibition the which in way the illustrates also It tongue. the of language explicit an through directly them verbalising languageinbody, than a of rather oblique byinscribingdesires the prohibitions their these circumscribe novels these of characters lesbian the which in way the as well as The third of chapter this thesis deals how the contemporary with lesbian politics Affinity (1999). I am she timeto the which (1999). Iam was during also referring Tipping the Velvet Tipping 8 (1998) and (1998) Affinity (1999). Ittherefore Tipping theVelvet CEU eTD Collection 73. novels through a specifically lesbian theoretical lens. a lesbian theoretical specifically novels through specific content, so as to highlight the sorts of issues that arise when we look at these in lesbian Waters of analysis terms of theirof novels of pathways the our Sarah is therefore the intention of this thesis to contribute towards the widening out of the foregroundin her scholarly theIt of them. lesbian specificities readings of writing our doing’ Iam forefront of what at lesbian issuesare the whom for a writer ‘also and lesbian’ I am call in the sense ‘it whoismakes writer that a writer to me that sense a lesbian because Sarah Waters very much embraces the label lesbianof author (she says that Therefore, of her texts. in lesbian specificities centralise the Waters such a way to as Sarah on scholarship existing the to contribute to is therefore thesis this of intention Victorian genre as a woman writer and a lesbian authorWaters has Neo to the relationship that and the (Palmer Kohlke); and authorship (Llewellyn and Kohlke). The performativity and lesbian subjectivity and(Jeremiah King);lesbian writing practices practicesKing), lesbian spiritualism of and desire andKing); (Doblas gender and (Llewellyn of criminality between discourses as the intersections topics such has beguntruly flourish. These to criticisms have successfully engaged with pertinent British isles, today. of the the context relevance, within arestill lesbian life of issuesof these what extent to reflect upon to reader the invites which Britain, contemporary words the my useof within occur slippage to of asort for allowing consciously very am also existence. I inevitably lesbian sheportrays thelivedwhicheffect way that she willrather and Writing Practices in the Fiction of Sarah Waters’, in Waters’, of Sarah Fiction the in Practices Writing and 19 Paullina Palmer, ‘“She began to show me the words she had written, one by one:” Lesbian Reading Lesbian by one:” one written, had she words the me show to began ‘“She Palmer, Paullina 19 Over the last few years, scholarly engagement with the novels of Waters Sarah novels with of the fewengagement Over thelast years,scholarly ) I thus believe that it makes sense to claim Waters as a lesbian writer and to 9 Women: A Cultural Review, vol. 19, no. 1, p. CEU eTD Collection engage with theories of the body as an expressive vehicle and with the theories of theories the with and vehicle expressive an as body the of theories with engage finalpart of will obliquelesbian of, chapter expression this the therefore desires, how the body can desires within language verbal oblique andbodily In semiotics? totalkorder about act as a languageAndhow do finally,lesbian navigate thesesubjects prohibitions byinscribing their for the articulationinterpersonal level through oblique prohibitive verballanguage and bodily semiotics? of the taboo on, and the homosexuality is not directly by the law? the by directly not is homosexuality following. islesbianwithin desire How taboo rendered cultures female where and subversion for thus the prohibition.of My questions therefore pertain the to forlesbian language may verbal a space articulation the desires provide of prohibited oblique language and semiotics. bodily focus My isother how obliquebodily on and through level interpersonal an on transmitted is homosexuality female on taboo My discourse. focusown is particular forms on oblique of prohibitions and howthe implicit level,and anunspoken explicit which to exists prior byjuridicalprohibition is itself lesbian tosay cultural that the manifests on taboo on an desire obliquely, Adrienne Friedman, and Rich, Rob Epstein Jeffrey soastodiscuss in way the which Castle, Terry Foucault, Michele Butler, Judith of theories the deal with will therefore chapter this of part first The be circumscribed. to continue and been have existence will be some inwhich lesbian ways the suggesting these cultural of prohibitions of I and desire homosexual female of taboo cultural the on theories queer and feminist be delineating therefore will I Waters. Sarah of novels the of my analysis throughout employing be will I that framework theoretical the establish to serve will chapter This Theorising theOblique Cultural Taboo onand the Prohibition ofLesbian Desire and the and the Expressive Languageofthe Body Chapter I 10 How is lesbian desire rendered taboo on an on isrenderedtaboo desire lesbian How CEU eTD Collection in Routledge, 1997)p.312. And, throughout, JudithButler, ‘Implicit Censorship andDiscursive Agency’ because they operate on what Judith Butler terms the level of ‘the unspeakable.’ language itself. some to basis an andwhichnormative exists to on the extentprior existing of operate and the law, but rather through covert, implicitand informal forms of prohibition, andovert official,inscribedjuridical forms are that of prohibition, language within and subjectivity, not thatoppression Judith Butlerdoes posits happenexplicit, through very much a partof and influential in. an factor Waters, as I will go on to argue in my Sarah of novels the later that ferment is adiscursive this Indeed, century. twentieth the chapter on the politics of end the at emerging was ofwhich herhomosexuality, novel, female of status marginalised and was of her creative works, but chests treasure the creative unlocks that key thereaderwith a theoretical they provide they are also paradigmatic of notonly because are absolutely for novels crucial do these adeeperunderstanding of a discursive fermentthe Velvet on the waswriting Waters the time that at precisely were circulating that subjectivity intended as an introduction to the theories of the cultural taboo on lesbian desire and complex and nuanced issue that needs beto treated carefully. This chapter is therefore Cixous regarding feminine. taboo onlesbian écriture Thecultural isahighly desire Luce Irigaray regarding parler féminine or speaking féminine or parler Luce regarding Irigaray censorship operates by the fact that it‘rules out inunspoken ways what will remainunspeakable.’ levelof the speakable levelof thou shalt not, asexplicit censorship tends towards doing, implicit Performative 21 Nicholson(ed.) 20 Judith Butler, Judith ‘Implicit Censorship andDiscursive Agency’ in This is dealtwithboth Judith within Butler, ‘Imitations Genderand Insubordination’ Lindain Excitable Speech: PoliticsA of the Performative When it comes to the cultural taboo on and the prohibition of lesbian desire (1998)and (New York: Routledge,Here1997) p.130. Butlerwrites that operating rather than on the The Second Wave Reader. AReader in Feminist Theory 20 Onemay call thus implicitand these obliqueforms of prohibition, Affinity (1999). I therefore strongly believe that these theories these that believe strongly I therefore (1999). 11 (New York: Routledge, 1997) pp. 300- 315. (as) Excitable Speech: APolitics ofthe woman, as well as Hélèn (New York London: and Tipping 21 CEU eTD Collection Performative 24 sexuality, as well as the difficulties of lesbian life. writing, thus indicating the emergence of a debate on the issue of the cultural taboo onlesbian 23 Cassel, 1996)p.25. Britain which Waters was writing about within her novels her within about writing was Waters which Britain of lateVictorian aswellwithin nineties, nineteen incontext the within midto the 22 will goon todiscuss in detailmore later on within thischapter. causingThus, atype and oflinguistic existential ‘foreclosure’ (p.138&139), which isadynamic that I cultural taboo lesbian on sexuality. This surfaces particularly in theidea that, as Terry of the nature call,like oblique the to whatI would or, rules, of nature these unspoken inon What chapter. this I thus focuswant to on for thepresenttime beingis the vulnerability vulnerability beingprecisely through more readilylegible’ a certain forms areexposed to of Butler,because ‘explicit censorship according to harmful than explicit forms of prohibition, it in fact makes them ‘more efficacious’ prohibitions on operate an implicit obliquelevel and not makedoes them any less these that fact the Butler, Judith and Rosenbloom both Rachel to Indeed, according Britain in illegal been never has sex male gay to opposed as sex lesbian Indeed, UK. the of context the within law the by officially never was homosexuality, to male asopposed operating becausefemalehomosexuality, precisely Affinity to the taboo on lesbianto thetaboo on sexuality: UK. Rachel Thus, - writingRosenbloom in 1996 -points out therulesthat pertaining largely female taboo on unspoken homosexuality did exist within contextof the the Judith Butler, Judith ‘Implicit Censorship andDiscursive Agency’ in Ibid, p. xiv. Bearing in mind this book was written around about the time that Waters herself was Rachel Rosenbloom (ed.), , one may see these oblique prohibitions of lesbian, onemay desireandsubjectivity obliqueprohibitions of see these Within the contexts of contemporary Britain which Sarah Waters waswriting Waters Sarah which Britain of contemporary contexts Within the (New York: Routledge, 1997) p.130. resist the abuses that lesbians experience.’ lesbians that abuses the resist document,makes itharderto or respond to, prohibitionof it any less powerful, itonly surrounding lesbianism does the not make silence official the and real, very are they ‘may be unwritten - or even Unspoken Rules: Sexual Orientation andLesbian Human Rights 12 unspoken -but 23 Excitable Speech: APolitics ofthe 24 , as will be discussed later , aswill be discussed Tipping theVelvet 22 and yet a (London: and CEU eTD Collection italics. note the oblique ellipticaland references to lesbiansex within this quote, whichare highlighted in 29 Reader. A Reader in Feminist Theory 28 Performative 27 forestalled, by this idea of the unspeakability of lesbian sexuality and subjectivity. lesbiansubject position, which inthe case of the lesbiansubject is arguably complicated and established here by Butler, between being the correlation speakability direct a see We thus of lesbianexist?’ subjectivity not does lesbian thethe and which act in of assumingcontext a political a in lesbian goes on to ask,the imaginable, that gridthat, of cultural intelligently that regulates the nameable.’given Moreover, Butler then according to Butler,this this is primarily because lesbianism ‘hasforeclosure not even made its way into the thinkable, of unthinkability and unnameability.’of adomain Therefore, production whilstthe ‘lesbianismthrough worked is ofnot explicitly‘oppression subject prohibited,’ lesbian the to languagecomes it when that writes and identity,Reader. A Reader in Feminist Theory how is it 26 then possible ‘to be a lesbian sex and lesbian sexuality that allude to it being something which isbeing it regarded lesbian which something lesbian sex sexuality alludethat to and to oblique,the being elliptical references The second realmsdiscourse. of speakable lesbian desire through eliminationthe lesbianof sex andlesbian from sexuality the of prohibition oblique the being first The Waters. Sarah of novels the of analysis later my to relevance of are that homosexuality female of prohibition the and on taboo wantto focus onwithin are levels quote this two of obliqueforms of cultural the lesbian sex],mightspread such they mentioning of act very the by that afraid were ‘they because precisely women’ between indecency” “gross of ‘acts called, so include, to homosexuality, male Amendment not toalterdecided TheCriminalAct of Law1885, which criminalised Apparitional Lesbian her thecontext of UK.operating within the within Terry Castle, Indeed, book suffice to highlight how these oblique forms of cultural prohibition may be seen to be ‘unthinkability’ Judith Butler terms the level of Judith level Butler ‘unnameability,’ terms the of many words Castle lesbianism highlights, isrendered not taboo within culture andby culture ‘ 25 Terry Castle, JudithButler, ‘Imitations and Gender Insubordination’ inNicholson Linda (ed.) Butler, Judith ‘Implicit Censorship andDiscursive Agency’ in JudithButler, ‘Imitations and Gender Insubordination’ inNicholson Linda (ed.) Terry Castle, (New York: Routledge, 1997) p.130. As has beenpreviously discussed. .’ The Apparitional Lesbian The Apparitional Lesbian 25 28 Rather the prohibition of female homosexuality operates on femalehomosexuality of on what Rather theprohibition operates The following short example that Terry Castle provides us with will (1993), highlights the fact that The House of in Lords thefact Houseof The 1921 (1993),highlights that (New York and London: Routledge, 1997), p.312. (New London: and York Routledge,p.312. 1997), (New York: Columbian University Press, 1993), p. 6. (New York: Columbian University Press, 1993),p.6. Please unspeakable “filthiness” 13 26 ‘unspeakability’ Excitable Speech: APolitics ofthe even further.’ even The Second Wave The Second Wave 27 and thus and Here Butler Here 29 WhatI it in so in [sic. The CEU eTD Collection of left isof better assomething unsayable the which unsaid and through inscriptionthe existence works is beingof what obliquelyinto level the Withinfind this dynamicwetherefore oblique that the prohibition lesbian desire of as abhorrent, dirty, sinful, pathological, orsimply undesirable, and essentially taboo. lesbian desire and subjectivity. and desire lesbian discourseone ought not to ‘want’ talk about lesbian desire and existence,is and that placing this into explicit the worst31 them. within encoded are which thing thatTipping the Velvet Affinity and within itand istherefore emerging references importantone to implicit highlight such precisely precisely find we thosebecause meanings discourse, their within couldimplied possibly30 do, so strong is the oblique cultural taboo on precisely because these forms of oblique prohibition are performative speech acts, speech are performative prohibition of forms oblique these because precisely thus confining it silence, to may therefore act as a powerful way of policing this taboo and a taboo about talk to not agreeing prohibition, the to consenting Nevertheless, homosexual by subjects. whichcanbe principles right codes, decoded of communicating based is very these andrenderedtaboo, thatobliquely same which on ultimately oblique, can alsofunction as a powerful way of articulating and and elliptical, allusive, language or and, Iwouldlanguage, ague, body which is is This acted upon. because doesemerge however whereresistance of apoint oblique, mind never about, be spoken to not is this that know therefore and homosexuality oblique prohibitionsdecode willbeable encodedthe to femaletaboo on these receiving person the that idea the through functions furthermore homosexuality female of prohibition oblique The discourse. explicit into placing never whilst taboo, taboo withinlanguage thesilences hints and elliptical of language atthis within that inscribeunsayable the thus Theseprohibitions obliqueandelliptical rendered taboo. beingyet very is being censorial anindirect that also allusion and which thing to of oblique language to censor lesbian desire therefore involves both a silence on what it The inreferring negative renders mannertaboo. ituse to adamningly that obliquely Therefore, inscribed within thisidea that some things are betterleft unsaid is the implicit threat that The reason why I am listing these rather powerful adjectives is to tease out the meanings of what is 14 31 and furthermore by andfurthermore 30 CEU eTD Collection non normative and alternative forms of speech, by drawing on, repeating and thus and repeating on, drawing by speech, of forms alternative and normative non ‘silence’ as effectively to so individual, of the the speech ‘deauthorise’ to function of invoke normative power andthe the a littlespeech actswhich out bit, performative this broaden to or, acts, hate and speech, hate of violence the through is transmitted and is articulated female homosexuality of and prohibition on taboo the the way that providing womenwith a viable lesbian subject position. her novels effectively do, isto help to stop this foreclosure of lesbiansubjectivity from happening, by 36 35 Reader. A Reader in Feminist Theory 34 Performative 33 maintained,yet,is and, alreadyalways, to subversiveopen failures. which manifest a prohibitive silence, that needs to be repeated in order for it to be and Ryan (eds.), which isdelineated throughoutButler, Judith ‘Performative Acts andGender Constitution’,Rivkin in 32 become a lesbian ‘in a political context in which the lesbian does not exist?’ doesnot in thelesbian which lesbian ‘in a political context become a position and provokes the Butlerian question of how is one to “be” or rather to which certain subjectivities become ultimately ‘unperformable.’ in positions, subject and of possible of subject, the ‘foreclosure’ callsthe what Butler manifesting of effect powerful the have also unspeakable’ remain will what ways Judith theseButler writes, forms ‘implicit’ of which ‘ruleprohibition outin unspoken nameable,’ imaginable,grid that of cultural intelligibility that regulates the real and the the ‘the of eveninto make thethinkable, realm speakable, not the itlesbianism does unviable(unsubjects).’ of constitution anda domain of constitution corollary the viablethrough subjects of desire, sexandsexuality, andsubjectivity existence are ‘covertly’ ‘through the Ibid. This will be of importance particularly when I discuss the politics of her novels, because what because novels, ofher politics the I discuss when particularly be ofimportance will This Ibid. Ibid. JudithButler, ‘Imitations and Gender Insubordination’ inNicholson Linda (ed.) Butler, Judith ‘Implicit Censorship andDiscursive Agency’ in Here my theoretical language isobviously Butler’s ondrawing theory of performativity,gender 35 (New York: Routledge, 1997) p.138. therefore forecloses the possibility of women assuming a lesbian subject Literary Theory: An Anthology, ( 34 Thus, the oblique prohibition idea Thus, prohibition of lesbianism that andthe the oblique (New York and London: Routledge, 1997) p.312. Oxford: Blackwell, 2004)pp.900-911. 15 Excitable Speech: APolitics ofthe 33 Therefore, lesbian 32 The Second Wave Moreover, as 36 A final CEU eTD Collection (New York: Vintage Books, 1990),p. 92. reaffirming the normative. the reaffirming 41 40 39 38 Performative 37 andpositionsviable subject toemerge. speech to occur, which may by pass the censorial gaze and allows for lesbian desires ellipses andIwould arguethe oblique languageof body the for coded also allow is there fora room withinforms subversion theseoblique because of prohibition these form of interpersonal communications. However, as I will also explore in chapter two, well as languagethe through of body,the since this is effectively mostthe oblique themselves elliptical the through indirectly and within gaps language,prohibitive as arguablytherefore makes sense tolook athow oblique forms of manifestprohibition it level, oblique largely a on and anunofficial on operates therefore existence lesbianand prohibition on desire of andthis Giventaboo that obliquecultural power. of forms discursive juridical as themselves manifest or laws, governmental exist not yet asofficial do they and normative, of the discursivepower the upon network of unofficial ‘force relations.’ speech’ of thefreedom of other deprive each to power the subject.’ on by a is ‘exerted a subject notes therefore as Butler‘power’ and existence, lesbian on andWhen comesdesire oblique itof cultural taboo tothe prohibition thus is presupposed.’ institutional somepower centralised institution, although or other subject’ who according to Butler is now said ‘to wield such power, and not the state Michel Foucault, (1979) Ibid. Ibid. Ibid. Judith Butler,Judith ‘Implicit Censorship andDiscursive Agency’ in 40 It thus operates on an interpersonal level and through a subtle Foucauldian (New York: Routledge, 1997), p.137. The History ofSexuality: Volume I:AnIntroduction, 37 Here, according to Butler, it is thus ‘citizens’ who ‘wield who isitButler, thus‘citizens’ to according Here, 41 16 These therefore rely oblique prohibitions Excitable Speech: APolitics ofthe 38 and moreover it is ‘the (trans.) Robert Hurley, 39 CEU eTD Collection period. positive ‘discursive explosion’ on the subject of sex and sexuality within the Victorian wasa there from discourse, eradicated and repressed farbeingfrom that writes the verythe is that thing being,happening within both of Itistheses contexts. therefore silence a discursive on levels of the operates effectively which existence, and desire lesbian and on taboo of seethis prohibition obliquethe of therefore cultural paradigm of this paradigm. of masturbatingthe child andthe sodomite or malethe homosexual, whichfell outside that as such sexuality, of forms other pathologies and criminalise to functioned which it fermentwas moreover a discursive Indeed, heterosexuality. bourgeois reproductive In context. this in within were operation perspective may befor sheddinglighton use formsthe of oblique prohibition of that of female homosexuality within the context of Victorian Britain a Foucauldian local governments. teaching of lesbian and gay issueswithinschools and the closing downof LGBT support groups by relationship.’ (Section28 of Local the Government Act,1988). effect Ithadthe the ofprohibiting teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family homosexuality orpublish material with the intentionof promoting homosexuality’ or‘promote the rest of the UK inNovember 2003. It stated that the local authorities ‘shall not intentionally promote 44 43 42 time the waswriting at Waters Sarah that operation in still was organisations, governmental local and schools within homosexuality of tolerance the promote that materials of circulation the which and a law in in in1988and across wasonlyrepealed waspassed that Britain UK the 2003 was which 28, Section that noteworthy nevertheless is it own, our to historically a era the Victorian of comparing trap the into falling Without sexualities. normative called, a homosexuality noisethatfunctioneddiscursive regulate, within emerges so to This law came into existence in Britainin 1988 and was repealed inScotland inJune 2000 and in Ibid, the p.38. Ibid, p.17. 42 In order to harness this theory of the oblique cultural taboo on and on taboo prohibition ofcultural oblique toharness thistheory the In order However,arguably this discursive ferment thesurrounded regulation of 43 Therefore, one mightargue that obliquethe female prohibition of Tipping the Velvet Tipping 17 The HistorySexuality of (1998)and Affinity (1984)Foucault (1999). 44 We CEU eTD Collection the performative nature of silence of nature this discursive performativethe troubles thus unspeakableand speaks the essentially of speech that an insurgent act is Judith this Butler silence by embodied (which woulda Derridean ‘break’with call what through either bemay subverted silence, a discursive of performative repetition directforms of prohibition,being both forms of prohibition which rely on the subversion andforms resistance.Iwould obliquethat positof prohibition, aswell prohibition, direct and forms indeed of prohibition, do allow alittle room for body as an languageexpressive is and fact that the both that oblique of forms level. verbal, homosexuality happenson interpersonal,well an obliquely as verbalornon as an female on and prohibition look atthe waysin cultural of which the oblique this taboo thatwe theory queer and studies lesbian gay and for importance arguably of a critical Publishers, 1992), pp.124 & 125 (her emphasis). 46 Performative 45 always, already, entirely, ‘ ‘remaining’, whilst silence, discursive this to (re)submission quasi a ‘mimicking’ Irigarian the pathwaycensorial thatdisrupts silencelesbian of desireby ‘playfully’ always, already, entirely, elsewhere, of the power of this discourse, byexpressing discourse, of this power the of entirely, elsewhere, already,always, remaining whilst silence, verbal this mimicking by desire, homosexual female of would subject herself playfullyand resubmit cultural on tothe taboo prohibition the lesbian moments; strategically Irigarian elsethe itdisruptive at or incur, articulate may they prohibitions what matter no desires lesbian their verbalise explicitly would and homosexuality female on silence discursive this with break would subject lesbian Luce Irigaray quotedMargaret in Whitford, (ed.), Butler, Judith ‘Implicit Censorship andDiscursive Agency’ in One final thing requires to be noted before I move onto the theories of the (New York: Routledge, 1997), p.142. elsewhere .’ 46 Thus, whereas a Butlerian or aDerridean or Thus,whereasaButlerian 18 TheIrigaray Reader 45 ); or else through a subtle and subtle a through else or ); Excitable Speech: APolitics ofthe (Oxford: Blackwell CEU eTD Collection engaged with. (Gopinath, meanings queer the out seek to spectator queer and the allow therefore subjects readings resistant These (re)focusing. this of the text, so as to createhegemonic meaning of the find queerslippages subtexts,text, to the and which emergethus through their own queer creationstory of resistant or unexpected readings,out which embodyof a ‘wilfulwhichever turning away from’ the Duke University Press,2005),pp. 94 text & 96. These queerviewing strategies therefore operate via the they are 49 Columbia TriStar, 1996), min:59.00. of their scripts. lines the between subtexts homosexual inscribing to took directors Hollywood lesbian ban homosexual imagery from withinbeing produced media, American the gay and by was introduced Haise try Code(1939) The Production of Legion to Decency, to in note thus Friedman Jeffrey and Epstein Rob precisely intended tobreak up this community. Indeed, as one director notes with both was that something is through established that of community butthesense acts, remarkable here is notwithin only the amount the of power text, that was reclaimedas an actthrough of these resistance to being wiped out of culture. What is which effectively function to ‘translate the codes’ the ‘translate to function effectively which strategies,’ viewing call, ‘queer Gopinath Gyatari would by what interpret using, subtexts within the scripts of theirfilms -which their audiences thus learnt to read and queer byinscribing form of prohibition this direct circumscribed therefore directors The CelluloidCloset Freidman’s Jeffrey and Epstein Rob within emerging homosexuality on taboo the of subversion find of Irigarian We type languagethis explicitthe tongue. the arguably of queer verbal throughtheoblique subtexts or languageof than body,the rather through indeedmightlanguage,be through of calledtheelsewhere their what desires through 48 47 legible,’ made readily being vulnerability a certain through precisely to censorship areexposed contrast to implicit and oblique forms of prohibition, overt and ‘explicitforms of Gaytari Gopinath, Rob JeffreyEpstein and Friedman (dir.), Ibid, p. 130. 47 because they thus become open to direct attack or covert subversion 48 Without saying a word about what they were doing, Hollywood Impossible Desires: Queer Diasporas and SouthAsian Public Cultures (1996), which (1996), Butler’s illustrate also serves into argument that Impossible Desires Impossible The Celluloid Closet , 2005,, pp. 94 & 95.) 19 The Celluloid ClosetThe 49 of are of queer desireinscribed that (Hollywood, Los Angeles, California: (1996), when (1996), The (London: . As CEU eTD Collection Publishers, 1992), pp. 52 perpetual spirals of powerand pleasure.’ but (Foucault, T becrossed, to not boundaries not sexes, and bodies around traced have incitements circular these showing off, scandalising,be invade or resisting.that kindles at having pleasure to the evade thispower,hand, other fleethe by fromon it,foolAnd it, ortravesty light. to it. The brings power that lets palpates, itself the out, Capturesearches spies, watches, monitors, pleasure and seduction.directly, Iamreferring to (…) his notion Foucault of quote ‘the To pleasure itthat comesThese circumscription. ofexercisingand apowerprohibition that questions, seek, is and game of hide attractions,certain a with and pursuing.relations these evasions, 51 And oppositeColumbia TriStar, 1996), min:1.03.00 it, power asserting itself in the pleasure of playful Irigarian ‘mimicry,’ Irigarian playful of form a assuming merely is silence verbal if this prohibition, overt of regimes under show it howverbal does be usedas tool silence can liberating representation enacts, a Although mustus fromthis notdetract harm the directprohibition that speech of and and Foucauldian gamebecomecapture queer of evasion within context. arather this and pleasure of the prohibition did and circumscribing therefore subverting indeed comes pleasurethe that The from power of power. evading andprohibition reclaiming and style subversive of asense both with and carefully more so do to them provoked gay from directors homosexualityportraying Americanon the movie screen, only thus as body is indicated a carrier prohibition far of Direct these from subtexts. prohibiting therefore become a medium of communication under explicit prohibitionSubtexts body. and the the of whispers queer the on chapter my throughout exploring communicating and queersubtexts navigating evading or prohibition, which beI will with alook between towrite how ‘you and lines, a sensedidlearn the pride, of power 50 as will thenovels because subversion, in be discussed three, themselves, chapter to discuss. I would thereforeentirely, elsewhere, in the language of the bodyposit for example, as chapter two will go on that already, Sarahalways, remains, speech of subject same this Waterswhilst silence, verbal and is engaged with both forms of Luce Irigaray quotedMargaret in Whitford, (ed.), Here Iam referring to Foucault’s ofnotion pleasure assomething which isdeeply tied upwith power Rob JeffreyEpstein and Friedman, or something,’or 124 & 125. 50 52 which indicates to me the role that the body may play in play may body the that role me the to indicates which through which the subject merely mimes subordination mimes merely subject the which through The Celluloid Closet 20 he History of Sexuality, TheIrigaray Reader (Hollywood, Los Angeles, California: Angeles, Los (Hollywood, 1978, p.45). (Oxford: Blackwell you’d doit 51 CEU eTD Collection posit that, despite the fact that informationcan be lost inthe translationof bodily communications, translation from one body to another,readable as oristranslatable, easily arguablyand whichis transparent not is the body casethe forthat her. idea the Indeed, the same Groszembodies highlights it with because that verbal much problematic can finds beshe lostwhich in body, language. However, I would Indiana University &10.HerePress), pp.9 Grosz isdelineating thetraditional Cartesian model ofthe rendering public and communicable what is what rendering publicandcommunicable essentially private.’ medium’ as‘adescribes ‘amode of signifying or andexpression’ as‘avehicle of so, thebody whatdo thusbe as Elizabeth will pertaining posited essentially to Grosz were. To asit of capable queer recognition, those andsemiotics, these signs decode on the surface of arewritten signs and andsemiotics body’s gestural the through queer shame emerge the body, and how by inscribing their desires in bodilyoblique expressions. How affectsthe of thesedesire and are readableprohibitions, orare actively fighting contesting against, else or circumscribing them, by those and taboos these internalised have they whothat bodies, their through aredisplay, able to itself isbody.lesbian bethe And through expressed Iwill athow looking subjects lesbian desire is expressed through bodily signs and signals, aswell desireas how articulation of affects. I will therefore be looking at both how the prohibition on bethus employing atheoretical model of body the as an vehicleforexpressive the Waters, oblique Iwill novelsof the expression desirewithin this prohibited of Sarah articulation of the taboo on and the prohibition of lesbian desire, and elliptical verbal as language, well as non verbal body language. as well as for thegazes which and prohibitions by they encounter inscribing their desireswithin oblique insubtle amore and Irigarian, subversive, process of by passing the various censorial novels are engaged of her characters the whereas fictional discourse, realm into the of break with discursivethe silence onlesbian desire and existenceby lesbianism putting 53 Elizabeth Grosz Elizabeth In order to talk about how the body may act as a language for both the both for language a as act may body the how about talk to order In , Volatile Bodies: Toward ACorporeal Feminism 21 (BloomingtonIndianapolis: and 53 Therefore, within CEU eTD Collection the body can seem to be transmitting a normative message, whilst in fact transmitting in fact message,whilst normative a be transmitting seemto body can the normativity, becauseit can very inits be also act of pretending towards transgressive be showing will I as However, speech. of mode in the is always it silence, of capable never is it yet impressions, other conveying from refrain to and information, certain convey to isobliged body the because normative fundamentally as posits Goffman that he or she can receive, code, and translate the inputs of the ‘external’ world.’ ‘external’ of inputs the the and translate code, she hecan receive, or that body the is ‘it through toGrosz, furthermore, according and, his orherinteriority,’ express can subject the that body the is through ‘it body the of model theoretical this Embodied Issues ( 56 pp.49 – 50). inand turn decode affective others social and bodily meanings, fromthe world that it inhabits. (Ibid, meanings affective transmit to how itself, hold and carry to how behave, and act to how itself, engender bothof whom argue that the body is socially and historically situated and that it therefore learns how backto to theory the of Brodieu on the bodily and‘habitus’ that of Marcel Mausson‘body techniques,’ Themes, Embodied Issues( 55 54 being constantly are which interpreted by signals, subjects.bodily upon based are relations interpersonal our of much how of understanding an to coming in and bodies to read learning in value certain a is nevertheless there action. of intention and states affective belonging, social subjectivity, their regarding clues pick soasto for bodily each upon gestural semiotics, ‘scan’ andbe‘scanned’ others both can persons thus and information, receiving and transmitting constantly are interactions, people social of within body. context the and That, situated expressive also be drawing on the theory of Goffman and the idea of the socially and culturally large, of society, emotions and thus also of affective bodily sings and signals. ‘available’ topeople understandings’humanities through ‘shared of at world the and meanings, which and are social situated culturally and thusbecome historically Ponty posits as ‘carnal intersubjectivity’ or the idea that the body transmits affective be be Iwill more on ideabody’ precise, drawing the of Merleau- ‘lived the and what Goffmanquoted inGillian Bendelow and SimonJ. Williams, Merleau-Ponty quotedGillianin Bendelow Simonand J. Williams, Ibid, p. 9. 56 A crucial part of this theory is thus the idea of the ‘body idiom’ which idiom’ ‘body the of idea the isthus theory this of part Acrucial London: New York: Routledge,1998), p. 57. London: NewLondon: Routledge,York: 1998), pp.53–54.This obviously refers 22 The Lived Body: Sociological Themes, The Lived Body: Sociological 55 I will I 54 To CEU eTD Collection ‘emotions’ are essentially ‘communicative’ and ‘ and ‘communicative’ essentially are ‘emotions’ expressive body bodily sign. bodily acts of ‘bodily betrayal’ of ‘bodily acts may away ofasubjectalso hiddenemotions the give what through, calls, Goffman of asa always, thiselsewhere masquerade lesbian already subject. femininity that Kitty femininityin Butler isengaged Kitty within that subvert. to which the mimetic orglossedinplayfully bodymay pretend, and,doing so, and convey, to isforced body the that semiotics bodily normative very the subverting of a powerful way may with ourselves find we then performance), subvertthis as to prescripted performance, whilstremaining always,already, entirely,so ‘elsewhere,’ with Irigaray’s theory of ‘playful mimicry’ than it is and thus ‘unserious,’ finally, and, idea (the ‘overplay of gloss’ rendering a bodilysignallarger affective precisely so as to for staring example can be notes scanning), another, that through Goffman replaced detract from the seriousness‘circumspect gloss’ (the strategic ofdisplacement it), of one affective bodily sign onto information as tothetheir subjectivity, emotions andintentions hidden),and render certain to bodily gestures certain deploy can subject the idea that (the gloss’ of‘body theory his if combines thus one message.Indeed, subversive an alternative, 57 lesbian desires and emerging subjectivity. her betraying of effect the has therefore this demonstrate, will body ofthe whispers queer Waters’s Sarah others think of them. This bodilywhat for betrayal concern isone their and that we emergingfind ‘embarrassment’ onor repeated occasions of‘nervousness’ sense within apersons reveals critically which is not a bodily display60 which can59 be performedEmbodied Issues ( or else stopped,58 Publishers, 1992), pp. as well as it being a bodily betrayal Ibid.Here Goffmandiscusses how is ‘blushing’ factin a‘bodily betrayal, parexcellence’ because it Ibid, p.59. Goffmanquoted inGillian Bendelow and SimonJ. Williams, Luce Irigaray quotedMargaret in Whitford, (ed.), 58 This is thus a particularly useful theoretical model for the masquerade of masquerade the for model theoretical useful particularly a thus is This 60 Tipping theVelvet, Finally, I will of course be drawing on the idea of the ‘ London: New York: Routledge,1998), p. 58. ,’ as posited by theorists such as Deniz and Giddens, who argue that whoGiddens, Deniz suchand as by posited theorists ,’ as 124 & 125. 59 such as blushing, such a controllable is which as affective not and when Nan discovers her desire forKitty. As my laterchapter on the 23 57 (the idea of resubmitting oneself to a TheIrigaray Reader Tipping theVelvet embodied The Lived Body: Sociological Themes, existential modes of However, the body (Oxford: Blackwell because is she because emotionally CEU eTD Collection do I say is a the only possible subject position, according to Lacan, is masculine. However,Irigaray posits that there1992, p.3). This linguistic symbolic system may be posited asaphallogocentric system,within which assumed in language withina particularsymbolic system’ (Irigaray Whitford, The Irigarayin Reader, Irigaray speaking 66 woman, it is spoken, but not in metalanguage’ (Whiford, Luce Irigaray, 1991,p.39.) noted that Irigaray herself said that ‘there is simply no way I can give you an account of speaking (as) that subjects upa that take who 65 64 63 University Press,2003), pp. 36& 37. Irigaray’s concept of “ of concept Irigaray’s Luce on draw to wish I women, other to and between among, communicating women female homosexuality and, of course, their desire for such relations. written all over the faces of these the realitiesblushing. Therefore, oflesbianis within existence society, a homophobic subjects, as is their internalisation intense through and,of course, bodily heat through shame, risingof the as aswell of the taboo on Affinity attaches itself to and sharpens the sense of what one is.’ This for Sedgwick,affect, is associated with ‘the question identity’ of since ‘shame blush.’ the extent a lesser ‘to and eyes the of aversion the head, the of hanging the Sociological Themes, Embodied Issues ( 62 queer desires and subjectivities of central of protagonists of central subjectivities and queer desires form the context and the backdrop for chapter two, where I will be exploring how the this. realises “is”before one one what reveal cases crucially Sedgwick, embodied within and communicated through ‘thefallen face.’ through within and communicated Sedgwick, embodied being’ 61 Why do I say Before I go on to try to define what Irigaray Ibid. calls Ibid. Eve Kosofsky Sedgewick, Deniz andGiddens quotedGillian in Bendelow J.SimonWilliams,and féminine 61 féminine , are, interestingly enough, articulated both through a display of the affect of affect of the adisplay through both articulated enough, interestingly , are, To be more specific, when talking about how the body functions as a means of The powerful affect of shame, for example, is therefore, according to symbolic order, which does not necessarily have to be embodied only by women. Why women. by only embodied be to have necessarily not does which order, symbolic instead of feminine? Because the former for me embodies the French feminist version feminist French the embodies me for former the Because of feminine? instead (as) féminine woman ‘is not a questionof biologically determined speech, but of identity rather than female language? Because as Margaret Whitford notes, for notes, Whitford Margaret as Because language? female than rather paler féminine” Touching Feeling: Affect, Pedagogy,Performativity féminine London: New York: Routledge,1998), p.138. 66 position languagespeak within or “ 24 speaking speaking woman.”(as) paler fémininepaler or 64 Indeed, shame can in some speaking Tipping theVelvet thus will theories These (as) 65 This is the idea the is This woman it must be The Lived Body: (Durham: Duke Other 62 Through wise to and 63 CEU eTD Collection 70 entrappedare within phallogocentric discourses, as spoken yet notspeaking subjects. and women (as) other each to speak to unable are they when women between occur can that divisions Irigaray:Luce Philosophy intheFeminine Whitford, (Irigaray: way.’ cruel rather a (…) in themselves manifest women between of or passions of words gestures, or ofexchange interval that Without other. each to speak can who women between moment the at possible only is chance any in love This them. between belove to there for order in women among be created to a symbolism for is necessary ‘It lines, following the in language shared available to her.’ She language ofown.’furthermore their because that thinks she ‘woman isconstructed by butlanguage language is not goes on to explain 69 why this it is so important68 for women(London: Taylor& toFrancis, 1991), p. 23. have a 67 f(é)mininity colonising theirfemale bodieswith apatriarchal versionof femininity, because is theirs a subversive the [ masquerade deciphered is in the gestural bodies.’ inisdeciphered of the gestural code women’s [sic.it ‘place where that posits therefore body.the She Irigaray writes, if eyeanother. and of body Indeed,as one such asblushing proximity or the to contact well as through affective oral signals like sighs and laughter, and bodily semiotics language, butalso grammatical as gapswithinsignsof the words, andthe through with not itself language only andcommunicates others articulates through which to say, ‘since [the is an asubjectspeaker or withinobject extent exists beyond language and erases distinctions of identity, so that neither embodies a ‘nearness’ or ‘proximity’ between its between ‘proximity’ or ‘nearness’ a embodies which asyntax is It furthermore some extent. to logic, phallogocentric escapes desires through a non verbal a non through desires speech’ of ‘plurality a in exists thus and multilayered or polyvocal is dispersed, that syntax language.Speaking phallogocentric subordinated and yeta subversive such assuming indeed are novels her within characters the Because Waters? Sarah with connection heteropatriarchalso called, the, signifies latter the whereas sex, to connected directly not is which version gender, of of gender, which follows directly on from sex. Why do I use this concept in Ibid, p. 137. Ibid, p. 24. Luce Irigaray Margaretquoted in Whitford (ed.), Ibid,p. 136. féminine 67 that must be ‘listen with another ear.’ , which mimes and yet subverts this patriarchal idea of heterosexual / female / femininity. to emerge from the subject position(s) that the lesbianwomen are assuming, rather than sic. This iselaborated uponby Irigaray whenshe posits the need forwomen to have ‘a the masquerade of patriarchal and heterosexual femininity], in masquerade the femininity], heterosexual effect patriarchal and of parler féminine (masculine) féminine féminine subject’s] gestures are often paralysed, or part of subject’s]or partof the paralysed, areoften gestures is to occur anywhere, it is on the gestural levels of positionwithin language throughtheir articulations of their and bodilyand (as) , 1991,, pp.43 &She is 44). therefore highlighting the woman is defined by Irigaray as a 25 féminine (féminine) Luce Irigaray: Philosophy the in Feminine 68 féminine It is therefore a language that language. manner. Therefore, I am allowing for allowing am I Therefore, manner. 70 parler However, as Irigaray goes on subjects, which to some féminine 69 Moreover, this is a this Moreover, ] could best bebest ] could féminine CEU eTD Collection woman woman is heard.’ When writes women themselves,‘something Irigaray speakingare amongof (as) among - women that is still speaking (as) man, but that may also be the place man, may a bethat where place the (as) also but is speaking still amongthat -women say that this powerful that women do not dare to speak to dare do not women that powerful (London: Taylor& Francis, 1991), p.137. the to comes it when medium embodied woman who takes up a 77 76 75 speaking.’ deny ‘she doesnot her drives’ and intractable ‘the and impassioned partthey have in because herbody.’with precisely it shesignifies whatsheisthinking, materializes logic her‘vitallythe supports subject of Herbody speaks true.’ speech. voice trembling bodyforward, they are often difficult to ‘read.’ to difficult are often they 73 72 71 féminine ear. / gaze phallogocentric féminine the of words’ body ‘passionate the and body’ poetic ‘the about talks she when Cixous regards totheembodiedsubject femininewithinthe languageof writings of the Hélèn themselves.’ among are they when in the (dis)play of affectsindeedin beheard excessesof the language thatand ‘resist’ exist‘beyond’ language, on the body, and within what women ‘dare - do or say - 74 Luce Irigaray Margaretquoted in Whitford (ed.), Ibid. Ibid. Hélèn Cixous, “The Laugh of the Medusa” in Ibid. Ibid. Ibid, p. 881 (my emphasis). .’ 74 Indeed, according to Cixous, it is thus ‘with her body’ that the that body’ her ‘with is thus it Cixous, to according Indeed, subject position does not“speak” purely in words, but rather ‘ subject, which are both ‘inaudible’ and yet ‘thundering’ enunciations to the to enunciations ‘thundering’ yet and ‘inaudible’ both are which subject, 76 Thus, language for both Luce andIrigaray HélènCixous isprimarily an féminine 77 Indeed,furthermore‘there says may she that be aspeaking - language is intensified arewhen women “among themselves.” féminine she lets go of herself, she flies, all flies, herself, go she shelets of 73 According to Hélèn Cixous, the woman who takes up a takes who woman Hélèn Cixous,the According to 71 subject position, according to Cixous, ‘physically Nevertheless, thevoice of the (as) 72 We find a similar assertion being made being with assertion finda similar We Here Irigaray claims that dominant ‘the language isso woman outside the context ofnon-integration context the outside woman Signs féminine 26 , vol. 1., No. 4(Summer, 1976), p.886. Luce Irigaray: Philosophy the in Feminine Indeed, Irigaray subject. onto goes of her passesof into her féminine she throws her 75 And so, the so, And subject may féminine .’ CEU eTD Collection women among themselves may also use the above discussed above the use also may themselves among women whilst womenamong womenmay use phallogocentric language to communicate, Irigaray posits that protagonists of Waters’s of Sarah protagonists central the by appropriated when therefore, body, the of language expressive and the phallogocentriclogic. arguewithin will two, asthisthesis chapter Thus, is verballanguage explicitly both linear, that and singular it thus allowing escape to is language masculine byan characterised that exceeds theLacanian economy of therefore which verbal, extra or verbal non and verbal both is that polyvocality either through eithera Butlerian through aDerrideanor breakagewith silencethe thatsurrounds subversion of explicitimplicitthe and lesbian cultural on taboo may desire occur prohibitive semiotics. languageandbodily Ithas arguedthat furthermore the level moreoverand elliptical through primarily an obliquelesbian desireoccurs on of cultural andthe on prohibition the taboo Conclusively, hasarguedthat chapter this language. exist body articulationsnot asarecognisedandindeedrecognisable of do the these logic, where within phallogocentric isa that entrapped society heteropatriarchal a to inaudible and invisible entirely already, is always, that indeed body, the is languagethat of Irigarian elsewhere the within inscribed are because theirdesires variousthe censorial gazes andcultural prohibitions of theirhomophobic society, by butalsoto pass for oneanother, lesbianexpress desires not only women, theirto sentences only, whereas speaking whereas only, sentences language. being a This thus a on be asoperating posited indeed may body the therefore theexpressive languageof Cixous into account, theories byLuceIrigaray and Hélèn speaking (as) woman may dare to express itself.’ express to may (as)woman dare speaking 78 By speaking (as) man she means phallogocentric language, which is contained in words and linear and words in contained is which language, phallogocentric means she man féminine (as) woman is more dispersed andpolyvocal, discussed as above. So, Tipping theVelvet Tipping economy of language that is characterised bya is language that characterised economy of 27 féminine and 78 Taking these French feminist French these Taking Affinity syntax with more freedom. , permits these lesbian these permits , féminine economy of economy féminine CEU eTD Collection within an explicitand amasculine language of tongue. the their desires within an andindeedoblique a by inscribing atthem, directed that are prohibitions oblique circumscribe various the will be arguing lesbian protagonists that of Tipping the the Velvetand Affinity, chaptergroundings Whispersmy subsequent on I Body,the for The Queer of where theoretical and context significance, the hasestablished chapter this economy. Thus, more precisely as isa language that may onwhatoperating be as posited a féminine indeedbody may and beregardedas andasa an communicative language expressive within language subtextual the of body.the Finally, has chapter this argued the that found be thus may and language of is elsewhere that expression an in articulation the inscribing already always, whilst silence, towards feigns which mimicry Irigarian viaplayful a quasi of or speech, insurgent act an lesbian desirethrough 28 féminine language of the body, rather than rather body, the of language CEU eTD Collection lesbian desire, whilst simultaneously subvertingthisby silencing these encoding desire. will of waysin Waters portrays thediscursive the explore silencing I which prohibition lesbian of as desire, well as asite subversive for the articulation this of language tongue. the of desires through desires through a their articulate lesbian gaze,precisely thisbecause discursive protagonists these lesbianfind body, escapes which spaceswealso a within However, dissident these homosexuality. female on taboo cultural oblique and implicit the of because words, in express renderingand tied tongue them therefore their desires to unable perpetually have is appear to spaces.This a liberating internalised, gaze which protagonists theses strangely also yet and theseenclosing permeates that gaze discursive prohibitive the of within the familial home and the theatrical halls of intensely surfacingWe particularly not speakitsname. findthis paradigm dare that love Wilde the Oscar called what of namely that paradigm, queerrepeated a rather Throughout Sarah Waters’s Sarah Throughout Affinity. This chapter will therefore explore how the body acts as a site for the Within spaceswethus findthese alesbianis body beneath that entrapped The Queer Whispers oftheBodyinSarah Waters’s féminine Tipping the Velvet the Tipping (1999), p.128. of body Waters,the (…).’ Sarah nothing. Thiswas alanguage not oftongue butthe knew crowd the ofwhich exchange delicate endless, an we held which in language private a as there flowers, and canes and coins with business of bits our steps, our songs, our beyond it: thinks ‘A double act is always twice the act the audience language of the body, rather than through an a an through than rather body, the of language Tipping theVelvet Tipping Chapter II Chapter (1998)and 29 and TippingVelvet the Affinity Tipping Affinity , as well as the prison cells (1999) we find the emergence of masculine CEU eTD Collection assuming, inassuming, and words, thoughts express the desires that they are experiencing, to able as welltherefore and of as the aware subjectivity properly becomes only who that and they affects, are embodied these interpreting and feeling are who subjects, these to sex same the of member through the arises body. awareness self lesbian quasi a how with itself Byconcern also will It thisdesires. I mean the way thatexpress their in to them,order navigate to andtrying rejecting else areactively or the body articulateshave appear to lesbian these these prohibitions, receivedandinternalised protagonists its desirehow at look furthermore forwill It Britain. Victorian a of context the within desire lesbian of position the about more precisely indicate body thus the of displays affective these signals, suchaslaughter, looks. frowningIt will and disgusted analysetherefore what references to the taboo on female homosexuality, as well as through oblique bodily and overt oblique through theprotagonists, lesbian of desires the are placed on that bodily language.various Therefore, willanalysethe forms this chapter of prohibition primarily lesbianwith way the that desire is through obliqueprohibited verbaland itself concern thus will It Waters. Sarah by novels these of both within find we which of obliqueverbalprohibitionsthe and the queerbodily lesbian articulations of desire, ofWaters. of novels Sarah the lesbian readership for contemporary body havingavery socalledlesbian as relevance real the home, Victorian construct familial as the theprison, aswell spaceof enclosing andthe theatre the space of liberating of the that spaces, these of dynamics the I willarguethat Furthermore, incircumscribe gaze sodoing, panoptic spaces. and, enclosing these of the undermine to protagonists these allows thus which body, the of language in a desires unorthodox This chapter will therefore perform a theoretically engaged narrative analysis narrative engaged a theoretically perform will therefore This chapter after the body has already articulated them through 30 CEU eTD Collection Sarah Waters’s Sarah dynamics will by aboveThis chapter begin delineated the within therefore analysing oblique language of body,the rather than thecoarselanguagewithin of tongue.the hidden lesbian within of displays desire, which are encoded the clandestine and by become these queered, indeed, subverted, spaces and,thus howthese navigated, or be lookinglesbian desire, and atthus either enclosehow or else liberate either else expression forforbidof the allow or gazes,that prohibitive discursive the lesbianthis subject. And, I will gaze various like way spaces,with in as which spaces function these panopticon isthe analyse to as so chapter, this eitherthroughout cell, prison the and hall music theatrical internalised,Velvet Finally, I willor be circumscribedsituating verbalmeans. explicit moreand openly articulate their through perhaps to desires these embodied, they were more specifically, atthem be andwould directed moredesire generally desiring lesbian andlesbian are directedagainst that circumscribevarious prohibitions the they to are able subjects thus of fact that these lesbian protagonists inscribe their desirein a language of the body ,that argue itis that precisely the than through soasto tongue, the a languageof through rather body, the of language a through desires their articulate protagonists lesbian these inwhich way the analyse will this chapter Furthermore, occasions. several blushing,affective hot or suchgrowing andbodily which Nan doeson signals, as which thus allows for adeeper analysis of bodily semiotics. an is medium, of course embodied literature, more sothan film, because novels, these of my readings supplement to language, body of analysis narrative a closer for allow they where novels, these of adaptations screen the on draw also will it Waters, within Affinity and Affinity . Whilst this chapter will concentrate primarily on the novels of Sarah of novels the on primarily concentrate will chapter this Whilst . Tipping theVelvet Tipping within the panopticon like spaces of the familial home, the home, familial the of spaces like panopticon the within , before moving onto illustrating how they arise they how illustrating onto moving before , 31 Tipping the CEU eTD Collection sister’s sister’s ‘twitching’ her of signs bodily the within inscribed isfurthermore It permissible. not is Kitty subtlyintended inform to Nan that queer this laughter arguably is both symptomatic of the fact that lesbianism is not taken not lesbianism is that fact symptomaticboth is of the arguably laughter family, who ridicule her recurring visits to gaze longingly at Kitty Butler, because this lesbianbe into desire powerfully her theand teasingpresent yetobliquely laughterof obsessive enthusiasm for Kitty Butler. Indeed, we moreover find the cultural taboo on discourse discourse emergingintensely most herwithin novels, this find We texts. her of storylines the permeating homosexuality female on taboo Waters cultural wefindthe of ThroughoutSarah thenovelsof a discourse arguably Velvet the Tipping 80 79 ‘ coercive powerfully yet and ‘mild’ her and ‘frown’ perform, her through bodily semiotics, obliquelyprohibitive her communicative Kitty watch to theatre the visits to recurring for Nan’s herdisproval expresses who Mother, her of face the over all written arguably is therefore desire lesbian on verbal their setting Thus,within of language. thecultural home this familial the taboo of implications homophobic as the well as family, her of semiotics bodily oblique the within inscribed implicitly is it rather but manner, prohibitive overtly or obvious in an and explicitly, articulated much so not is homosexuality female on taboo the Whitstable, of town fishing small in the home family rural her of context this her queer desires for the music hall artiste and male impersonator Kitty Butler. Within we findspace that within familial within enclosing rather the strongly arguablyemergesparticularly discourse both of which dealwith unspeakabilitythe lesbian This desireof throughout. Ibid, p.18. SarahWaters, (1998) and The Oblique Prohibition of Lesbian Desire 80 Tipping TheVelvet Tipping lips, which arguably signifies herwith discomfort Nan’s Tipping theVelvet Tipping (London: Virago, 2003), p.16 (heremphasis). 32 , where Nan Astley gradually discovers obsession which Nan is developing for developing is Nan which obsession Tipping the Velvet Tipping tut-tut ,’ 79 which is arguably and Affinity , CEU eTD Collection 82 women. between sex visualize’ to ‘refusal culture, within by seriously illustrating taken nor how these are recognised, regarded neither as ‘impossible’ are withinsubjectivity and homophobicdesire sex, societies, lesbian due to that their argues Castle 83 threat that lesbian desire is perceived to amountto. to islesbian perceived desire that threat diffuse any to possible it functions arguably also and hastheorised, as Terry Castle seriously heteropatriarchal society as mode of within a valid sexuality and existence, 81 masher!,’ Kitty Butler,’ before adding the followingline, ‘Imagine(…) being that, mashed on a ‘that on, a crush got has she that means he which by out,’ ‘mashed is she that Nan, Davysays to Thus, herbrother her. at of arefond members spouting male family her prohibitive verballanguage in thevarious harmfully teasing lines,which particularly language, these jeeringsmanifestcensorial also themselves through obliquely granting either any credit,plays implicitly atthese exclusively heterosexual notandemotions thus worth or any sense of sensitivity,are not real romantic and sexual emotions, but rather that they are theatrical to.and trivial As emotions wellhomosexual male and female that asparadigm throughhomophobic the of a repetition bodily find we Therefore, insignificant. and comic them rendering by emotions real very her enough’ for her ‘anymore,’ good ‘not is thing’ real ‘the whether her ask to on he goes Furthermore, phenomenon. itis but concept, also adeeply aridiculous unimaginable therefore and impossible as women between love erotic and romantic regards only not culture heteropatriarchal - or as it- or Judith Butler heterosexual woulda “copy”and of put the biologically the a“fake” her forKitty aresomehow Butler queerdesires that andalso erotic attention, and romantic any her showing be to not therefore ought Nan that and male biological SarahWaters, (1998) Ibid. Terry Castle, Terry 82 which implicitly inscribes in it the idea that, as Terry Castle has theorised, has Castle as Terry that, idea the it in inscribes implicitly which The Apparitional Lesbian Tipping TheVelvet Tipping 83 which thus implies both implies thus which (New ColumbianYork: University Press, 1993),p.11.Here (London: Virago, 2003), p.19 33 81 Indeed,itfurthermore trivialises that Kitty is not a real CEU eTD Collection as being ‘far away’ and ‘dire’ precisely because these cultures ‘never expect’ to find the lesbian subject lesbian the find to expect’ ‘never cultures these because precisely ‘dire’ and away’ ‘far being as subjectivityand positedis therefore by asbeingCastle something which homophobic cultures desire regards Lesbian society. this by be abjected fully can not it because precisely society heteronormative haunts which spectre, (in)visible aquasi existence lesbian render therefore and it derealise thus they existence lesbian recognise to refusing by because effect, ghost cultural quasi a subjectivity and desire lesbian renders periodically society and culture heteropatriarchal that argues Castle Terry Here 90 1981), p.4 89 Essays in Gay Literature andCultural Theory 88 family and home heterosexual supposedly the subject. renders itharmlessly always, already, ‘far away’ from the, so called, heteronormative her emerginglesbian desires and subjectivity, which arguably ‘derealises’ andthis subjectivity therefore performs, what Terry Castle would call, a type of ‘ghosting’ of heterosexual.’ ‘compulsory of doctrine the sexuality is and asubjectivity inline has what Adrienne that with Rich as theorised male and, of course, masculine “real.” 87 at Kitty Butlerjust gazes as powerfully these bedirecting to as werenot ought she she to that know be her strucklets which by a strong imaginary, voltage. heterosexual compulsory enact atype of aversiontherapy ordoes redirection and nevertheless reorientationfather her - of her homosexual gaze,heterosexuality into withindesire his homosexual reorintate to photography and shock electric used which therapies, aversion these with case the was - as Butler Kitty towards directs strapping Nanand toachair giving electricher shock therapy lingering the cure gazesto that she homosexuals towards heterosexuality. Whereas herfamily in aversion therapies that were deployed by Britishmodern psychiatry the in1960’s, so called, to reorientate the, with connection in Edelman Lee by theorised being here is gaze homosexual male the Essays inGayLiterature and Cultural Theory 86 85 existence. and of sexuality mode natural, the and real the as copies regarded are ofthe heterosexual modelrelationships, sex of desire same as subjectivity,and well as which establishes subjectivities, and itself as the original, sexualities gay and lesbian societies, Throughout article Butler this Judithargues within that homophobic discourses heterosexist and Reader. A Reader in Feminist Theory 84 heterosexuality,’ Monique Wittig calls, ‘the mind’straight for whom ‘homosexuality is nothing but a suitably through, what by malesubject, desiresof heraffects her queer reading onto got her eye on,’ she’s what pit orchestra the in chap young a there’s ‘I think that, says who father her Terry Castle, Terry Adrienne Rich, Monique in ofGender’ Face Other the and Laura Homosexual: the ‘Imagining LeeEdelman, SarahWaters, (1998) JudithButler, ‘Imitations and Gender Insubordination’ inNicholson Linda (ed.) Lee Edelman, ‘Imagining the Homosexual: Laura and the Other Face of Gender’ in ofGender’ Face Other the and Laura Homosexual: the ‘Imagining Lee Edelman, Wittig, The ApparitionalLesbian 85 Compulsory Heterosexuality andLesbian Existence The Straight Mind and Other Essays 87 and who, in so doing, therefore imaginatively ‘redirects’ imaginatively therefore doing, in so who, and so as to ‘reorientate’ Tipping TheVelvet Tipping (London: Virago, 2003), p.19. (New and York London: Routledge, 1997)pp.300-315. (New ColumbianYork: University Press,1993) pp.2 - 6. 84 (New York: Routledge,1994) p. 198. (New Routledge,189.York: redirection 1994)p. The of These teasings are moreover elaborated on by on elaborated moreover are Theseteasings 34 88 her emerging queer subjectivity into a into subjectivity queer emerging her 89 His refusal to see her emerging queer (Boston: BeaconPress, 1992) p.28. Tipping the Velvet 90 This process of Castilian of process This (London: Onlywomen Press, Onlywomen (London: The Second Wave is not actively Homographesis: Homographesis: 86 the gaze the CEU eTD Collection which Nan describes beingas ‘a ofmingled look shock, and nervousness, and face, sister’s her on look disapproving the and room the permeates that ‘silence’ and as cunningher ‘unguarded mouth’ hadmuch’ ‘saidtoo and shethat ‘should have been as dumb with her’ sisterthat desires, her of queer have spoken’ she ‘shouldn’t that Nan realises weep atonce,’ ‘as withsmile and to her ‘want making aswell as her theareaof chest, around feel ‘sore’ her the rest’ of her of her feelingsfor inKitty ratheroblique andbodily saying terms, Kitty that makes family, reactions tohearing Nan describe her emotions forKitty. Indeed, after Nan tells Alice bodily and verbal her within intensely most arises desire lesbian of prohibition subsequent emerging This of prohibition queerdesires. these dynamic obliquethe of wefindthat the expression herof homophobic defence andagainst thus her language, andyetpowerfully herlanguage, through aswell body oblique as affective andwritten verbal useof her prohibitive through is onceagain itKitty Here Butler. for desires emerging her of prohibitive vehemently most is the who Alice sister her withinprovoke, emergingthe queersubject. isolation, which such thoughtless andyetnevertheless obliquely prohibitive jokes can sheer indeed the and torment theaffective aswell as ofshame, sense powerful the herfamily, of illustrates from thus gaze painfuljeerings away censorial and the the yet solitary room of her own. she androom, living family that toacomfortably distraught the outof private storms Her embodied trajectory within family areportrayed of BBCadaptation the towards a space of her of her teasings the harmful through encounters Nan therefore that ‘derealization’ own, Lesbian, ‘amongst the midst of things, as familiar and crucial as anold friends’ (Castle, Within this space enclosing of familyhomethe find wefurthermore thatitis 1993, p.6) - or, as is the case with Sarah Waters’s 35 Tipping the Velvet the Tipping Tipping as leaving as so utterly Nan , as sister.a from sudden the The Apparitional CEU eTD Collection censor the emergence of her sister’s queer desires for Kitty Butler. To begin begin To with, Butler. Kitty for queerdesires her of sister’s the emergence censor verbal languageher semiotics,bodily obliquely and whichfunctionprohibitive to find numerous homophobic arisingher discourses through explicitly prohibitive 94 93 (London: Silver Spring, 2004), min: 10.00. “ stewing in the silence of herqueer affects, in of own stewing silence the leavingitsymbolically talkpositively Nan anymore,’don’t thus, want rather to about by it‘I andshort saying that cuts engage conversation to inthe before sheceases stern lipsgaze, her tight finally herrighteous and and disapproving looking face, lives.’ embarrassment or shame.’ embarrassment 92 91 like ‘not us.’ are like that’ Alice, ‘people to according because, get‘tooshouldkeen’not onKitty Nan notsee Butler,ought andthat Kitty to again Velvet into explicit public discourse. embodying, communicatingandnot reifying) thus tobe spoken of inscribedand thus Alice isunwittingly rather which on female homosexuality, obliquetaboo cultural the to “ought” (according love Kitty andher growing for realises queerdesires that inscribedmingled within andyet her disapproving clearly facial expressions, that Nan displaysherhomophobic of female defence against homosexuality, is which arguably abjected queer“ abjected us Ibid. Ibid. Sarah Waters, Sarah SarahWaters, (1998) ” thatsheis embodying, and which“ 93 , whereAlice prohibitsher sisters’ desires byinstructingqueer Nan she that This intensifieddynamic isarguably within the BBCadaptation of This is a claim which Alice moreover punctuates with her direct hardand This punctuates moreover is Alice a claim which Tipping TheVelvet they Tipping TheVelvet Tipping ,” which “ ,” which are these ambiguous 91 It is therefore precisely through her affective bodily (1998) Adapted for the BBC by Head AndrewSally and Davis (London: Virago, 2003), p.20. they 36 ” are thus other to, ‘do not leadnatural ‘donot otherto, thus ” are by herself people . 94 Within this scene we thus ,” who are “ 92 Indeed, because the because Indeed, not like Tipping the ” the ” CEU eTD Collection connectionto somethingexclude or reject to subject the of inability by the characterised primarily is abjection that argues whichregardthey which something exclude or as reject to able not is yet not and reject to theytries belonging subject a where dynamic to regardtheir Leonsubjectivity. S.Roudiez (New York: Columbia University Pres, 1982) p.64. Kristevaas theorises abjection Therefore, as the other Kristeva to is drawingthemselves. on Georges Battaile who The reason that I am using the concept in 96 not acknowledge need she so that to contingencyother, and instability ahomosexual as Nan of her own exclude to heterosexuality. tries arguably which abjection, of mode radical However,when she does find out about Nanbelonging to the abjected them, Alice tries to enact a morebring herinto the fold of the heterosexual to tries Alice family,where Alice, whereas and KittyNan between is lost to occurring her asan absolute of redemption other. anact find wetherefore Indeed, other to herself and themselves, she is not able to do the same withNan due to theirfamilial bond. sisters and thus this dynamic of abjection of course are Alice is intensified and Nan because, because whilstsecondly AliceAnd, is ablesubject. to reject Kitty heterosexual as monolithically supposedly a itself is always, already in the backyard of heteronormative society and always, already a componentself and heteronormative of society,whilst failing to do so because the homosexual and homosexuality homosexuality and the homosexual subject,homophobic and heterosexual reactionas a to homosexuality,so calledwhich tries to castout orother exclude which is functioningnot ona twopart levels. Firstly,of this dynamicthe is functioningheterosexual on the level of the stereotypically within her desire to reject Kitty and her inability to reject Nan. This is dynamic of abjectionis arguably there is a discourse of othering and, indeed, of ‘abjection’ 95 the “natural” heterosexual “ the and “us,” heterosexual “natural” the becomes “like” Kitty becomes “like” Kitty muchButler, which isvery dynamic the wefindthat in final the she if “they” homosexual “unnatural” an as rejected and family heteronormative implies the idea that Nan furthermore embody. This Alice andherfamily that “us” apparently heterosexual will be cast out “natural” of the to belong thus thisand “like” be longer no will she “natural”then embodies, heterosexual “us”Kitty “they” that if abjected is, else “like”the becomes, or that either Nan rejection, of the of implicitthreat beingsecond the “us.” The heterosexual tothe close threateningly be to admit that the, supposedly,far away homosexual “they” are, in fact, because this would be gay, might sisterNan imagine her possiblythat Alice cannot life. Therefore, heteronormative” “normal” “I” and heterosexual “natural” the Castle, ‘far thus and away’ of entirely, elsewhere is already always, “other” homosexual female called, ‘dire’ so the, that theidea being Thefirst subtexts. homophobic very leasttwo common at arguably are discourse “us” “natural” called,like.”heterosexual is, “not supposedly, Implicitwithin this Terry Julia Kristeva,‘From Filth to Defilement’ in Castle, Tipping the Velvet The Apparitional Lesbian is because Alice is very muchembodying this dynamic of abjection (New York: Columbian University Press, 1993), p.6. un 37 PowersHorror: of AnEssay on Abjection 96 natural” homosexual “they,” which the, so from,appropriate to the words of Terry 95 being establishedbetween , (trans.) , CEU eTD Collection We moreover find that Alice feels such ‘shame’ intense find feelssuch an We Alice that moreover younger sister’s ‘ her of her disapproval severe find wethereforeAlice expressing letter Within this Butler. Kitty for affections queer her confesses she which after receives Nan letter Nan confessing her love affair with Kitty shehas burned Kitty herprevious her,that herlove with to affair Nan confessing desire arising once again within Waters’s desire againwithin once Sarah arising andclose friends. sisters whispers between discursive secret realm the of private the enter even not can it that taboo linguistically and culturally utterly so is interchange between these two women therefore embodies the idea that lesbian desire Therefore,her she queerdesires. silencesNanandInsodoing, effectively the for and affects unexplainable inexplicablyintenseKitty admiration of queer Butler. Kitty. Indeed, Alice cutsNan off hermidway through passionate descriptions ofher is “us,”listen Nanspeaknor forherheterosexual sheto willing of to queerdesires and “natural” from implicitly the makes “them” so different are,which “people” implicitly queer ambiguously and andyet unnameable whatprecisely these articulate sexuality subjectivity andor not oughtnotcan tobe spoken, because neither canAlice Kitty Butler. is herWithinempts when herher she of told queerrelationship laterrejection sister, with of this sceneby herself, we moreover in a silentherleaving her language and bodily Nan through oblique furthermoreAlice signifies findand isolated the idea queer her relationship thatroom with Kitty. Indeed, is this arguablyanimplicit of threat rejection that of lesbianher own. Her desirebody and for feelings her confesses from Alice,when she Nan letter receives that rejection therefore and pre- 98 97 Ibid. SarahWaters, (1998) We arguably find a similar dynamic pertaining to the unspeakability of lesbian theWe findasimilar dynamic pertaining to unspeakability of arguably wrong Tipping TheVelvet Tipping and queer ’ 97 (London: Virago, 2003), p.134. relationship with Kitty, in no uncertain terms. uncertain in no Kitty, with relationship 38 Tipping theVelvet 98 on behalf of her sister in rejection the CEU eTD Collection likewise’ andconfessional letter hopes Nan that ‘will have senseburn enough to this one, 102 101 100 99 Kitty ‘is really Right.’ really ‘is Kitty shethat herself istreading ask ifqueer and relationshipthatsheispursuingwith this path the and herself to look must she that but longer, any secret’ ‘shameful her with them.’ and the rest of their family, and she instructsevennot speak queer of this relationship, which Nanhas with Kitty, totheir parents Nan that she ‘must never speak of it to from thinking of Kittywhen Nan and Kitty asare sharing abed with oneanything another as friends, Nan censors herself but a very close friends, she therefore thinks to such an intense degree that she does not only refuse to speak to she doesnotonly refuse intense such an degreethat anyone.’ to desire hot strange, new my of nothing said had I my passion. about her to more nothing ‘I hadsaid that says Aliceshe with conversation this after because internalises subsequently Nan arearguablyoneswhich lesbian desire againstprohibitions remain. of must it These evidence nodiscursive that and under any circumstance, discourse, written nor spoken, neither into put be to not ought it that taboo, culturally and shameful utterly so is desire lesbian that implies also it Moreover, henceforth. itdesiresbut render and her also subjectivity,family, serves to from her anexile her queer of silence function unguardedexpressions the only doesnot to therefore letter This lesbian Kitty are concerned. with subjectivity and heremerging Butler block on absolute all asfar desires asherqueer forcommunications and relationship family but she also censors herself from family herself censors from speaking also but she Ibid, p.133. Ibid, p. 41. Ibid. Ibid, p. 134. 100 Furthermore, Alice ends theletter telling Nan that she must not‘burden’ her 99 Indeed, this shame that she feels for her sister is so intenseisshe dare that sister her so forshe feels that shame Indeed,this 102 Indeed, these arearguablyinternalisedby Nan prohibitions to 101 Within this letter we therefore find Alice placing a total find we Withintherefore letter Aliceplacingatotal and this 39 to Kitty of her love for her. Thus, of her desires to her CEU eTD Collection identified as the ‘great silence’ tenants of what theorists sexuality subjectivity.and sense of This such as Adrienne stifling because herown emerging she queer self isineffect provokes, prohibition Rich, Mary Daly and Terryherself, whichthese have prohibitions catalysed,alsobut the bodily this that torment Castle have OnlywomenPress, 1981), p.12. oblique prohibition of lesbian desire is concerned, the theatre is asamore thetheatre describes lesbianis concerned, desire obliqueof prohibition Whereas the family home is arguably posited as a rather enclosing space as far as the Velvet the Tipping a much more subtle tone, as the rest of this chapter will go on to show. and takeson obliqueindirect prohibitions of contestation thesubversion whereas and andrejected, contested indeedbe directly may prohibitions because explicit infact, oblique prohibitions are less any harmful than explicitprohibitions, quite theopposite prohibited by similar oblique means.However, this isbynomeans tosay thesethat be only may therefore and invisible, and visible both extent some to are they queer desires areonly via verbal language oblique expressed andbodily semiotics, beingopen to prohibited viaexplicit whereasand prohibitions, direct when these visible intoexplicitlanguage,queer desires bybeing are rendered are they placed when ideathat asanexample the also serves 1980’s. and of It Movement 1970’s the tothe LesbianLiberation and Gay prior history and culture and within existence then I must stifle them.’ head and my heart, and the hot, squirmingherself that‘Imustswallowlusts learn inconvenient (…)and ifto my queer and my centre of me, cried out at the shame of it, 104 103 Mary Daly quoted inAdrienne Rich, Ibid, p. 78. and the Oblique Articulation of Desire 103 We therefore not only witness the willingness to censor to willingness witness only the not We therefore 104 Compulsory Heterosexuality andLesbian Existence which existed around lesbian subjectivity whichexisted around desire, 40 dynamic therefore very much echoes the echoes much very therefore dynamic (London: CEU eTD Collection 106 feels ‘restless’ and thus has leaveto the room grabto a breath freshof air. she that such risebody inherto an extent gaze’ makestheheat her ‘elegant them with ‘fix’ to exit her after stage the to returning Kitty of thought the when bodily explicitly more become Kitty for these desires Indeed, expression. facial her and every gestures herbodily hair, herlips, her eyes, her costumes, her theatrical appearance, physical her to attention intense an with makes Kitty that move every following are which her eyes, body,within her particularly surface of inscribed on very the Kitty clearly Thus, is for when watchingNan Kitty the firstfindperform for time, we herdesires becomeperform upon herand inscribed which therefore in body a very way. readable Kitty watches she when body her within arise that affects the through subjectivity occur. to subjectivity lesbian desireand of articulation forthe allows body, which the spaces of theatrical the within precisely is therefore thrive. It positively allowed to they are also which within butsurface acertain to to only degree, permitted arenot subjectivities as being aspace resistance,subversion which of or through queer sexualitiesand liberating space in terms of the expression of lesbian desire. Indeed, itis quasi posited 105 ‘flush[ing] with pleasure.’ Kitty kisses her naked fingers and calls Nan a mermaid for the first time, she reacts by particularly whenis in when her company, more even she so Kitty. does she to Indeed, reference they are in thealso privacy inscribed of her dressing onroom, her for body example quite when clearly in the sense that she blushes at every Ibid, p.33. Sarah Waters, (1998) Within this space Nan therefore becomes aware of and herof lesbian sexuality becomes Nanaware space Within therefore this Tipping theVelvet Tipping Tipping The Velvet 106 that we find the emergence of of find language a subversive of that we emergence the This is therefore a moment where her body isengages body her where moment a is therefore This (London: Virago,2003), pp.14 & 15. 41 105 They are CEU eTD Collection you is! howvery ityet, ordinary: queer - and ‘how inherself secret, to bodilydesiringNan is language, that articulate able thecrucial to line confessionary a thousand timesit thewords is And, hassaid herbody only already after them linguistically. articulate to her and herhave isabletorecognise through body arisen cognitively and Nan that these to anyone whostates queeraffective these after is only It therefore her chest. ribcage of the against is both willing and able to read her makes her feel makes her ‘sore’ metaphors. bodily Thus, oblique these is through others to and herself when to them communicating of trying to articulatequeer affectsher are that herfeelings body is communicating to her and the only towaythese what know thatquite not she does Aliceif she as hasis almost It phrases. bodily distinctly using she says that Kitty find that when she is Butlerthis through uncontrollable affective bodily sign ofblushing. We moreover trying to describe her queer affections for Kitty she does so conscious and thoughts explicitwords. she is experiencing, as as subjectivity well the assume, shethat isbeginning in to that desires express the to able isthus of and aware becomes she that consciousness, her to queeraffects these articulated already has herbody after only significantly her and sheis Moreover,because bodily feelingandinterpretingis these itaffects. indeed, arising through her body, because herbody is itsarticulating lesbian desires to in, what Goffman would describe as, the ‘betrayal’ of my onchapter thepolitics of writing.her context the within discussion under come will which novels her within feature arecurring is tolerance ordinariness of lesbian desire, so as to provoke a sense of tolerance from her readers. This bid towards 109 108 Embodied Issues ( 107 Ibid, SarahWaters, (1998) p. 33 (her Goffman quoted in Gillian Bendelow and Simonitalics.) J. Williams, Here we find Waters making a gesture towards the normality and .’ 109 I would therefore argue that in Iwould arguethatmany herlesbian therefore selfawareness is,ways London: New York: Routledge, 1998), p.59. Tipping TheVelvet Tipping 108 around the area of her breast bone, where her heart beats her bone, heart where breast theareaof her around (London: Virago, 2003), p.20. 42 107 of her hidden emotions for Kitty The Lived Body: Sociological Themes, I am in love withI aminlove CEU eTD Collection private space, within which nothing else seems to existtheir except nothing embodied seems to space,private else within which a andtheir create intensely eyes audible becomes anxiousyet breathing excited and courtship are further intensified courtship filmversion arefurther the within of nothing.’ if at ‘smilingas leaves thetheatre therefore she againand blushing once face bow.’ littleme made a and one, certain more herown gazewith myflustered ‘held Kitty courts Nan with the help of her songs and a red rose, Nan therefore describes how Theory: An Anthology, ( of scenes central the oneof within Thus, musichall. theatrical is the that space public of centre the at the right intimacy island of Sapphic secret a creates which effectively thus eyecontact, flirtatious within their arguably encoded are for oneanother desires queer their Therefore, going audience. theatre gaze of the expressthey thus whilst forareunder another, prohibitive the queer desires one their large manifestingbodily language,their itself through oblique through which they is byand of lesbian that courtship in act a surreptitious Kitty partake andtherefore 112 111 prohibited in real life. called, ‘transgressive’ of form sex, gender andsexuality, which ispermitted on the theatrical stage, but to the performative act of transvestism here, Ibelieve that hertheory is just asapplicable to any, so what Judith Butler would describe as the reassurance that ‘this is just an act,’ isjust ‘this that reassurance asthe describe would Butler Judith what performance that Kitty Butler enacts, and which arguably provides their audience with drag male heterosexual the of theatricality by hyperbolic asthey are mode.the Veiled as a twowomen,forspace of onavery these which againtakes courtship bodily functions also theatre the space of liberating Kitty, for the heraffects bodily through 110 Ibid, p. 27. SarahWaters, (1998) JudithButler, ‘Performative Acts andGenderConstitution’, inRivkin and Ryan (eds.), 111 As well as itbeing a space which allows for Nan’s lesbian sexuality to emerge This thus has the effect of setting her heart pounding against her chest, her her chest, against pounding her heart setting of effect has the Thisthus 112 Indeed, the powerfully bodily affects within this scene of Indeed, bodilylesbian affects of the this powerfully within scene Oxford: Blackwell,pp.900-911. 2004) Though Butleris referring specifically Tipping TheVelvet Tipping (London: Virago, 2003), p.26. 43 Tipping Tipping becauseNan’s , where Kitty 110 Literary Nan CEU eTD Collection 116 115 isrepresentable. it yet and unrepresentable is it it, within present nevertheless yet and hegemonic ofthe outside just is that inaspace existing is it offbecause space queer a such creates contact eye their that argue might one Therefore, unrepresentable. the and representable and ‘against lines’ the grain’the of hegemonic ‘between exists discourse. which Itis also defined as ‘inferable’ thatbut which oscillates between ‘unrepresentable’ is which the that as off’ ‘space a defines Film and Fiction 118 117 114 (London: Silver Spring, 2004), min: 13.00. established and initiated through an economy of ghostly smiles and ‘secret looks,’ smiles and‘secret an through ghostly of economy initiated established and affections and desires for one another. one for desires and affections 113 ‘spaceoff,’ Lauretian de aquasi queer creates thus affects, bodily another’s one to attention intense scrumptiously as and bodily astheirflirtatious proximity eye contact, close well their smile, justforme’ wink, theghostofa a nod,or or the washall, and there ofherhatfor thatsweep of the theatrical music hall. music of theatrical the findsong anddance heterosexual to arguably expectroutines within traditionally the thattheir of audiences grain’ lines’the the ‘againstdiscourse’ ‘hegemonic the and through which somewheretheirlanguage, lesbianbody ‘between clandestine exists desire, homosexual female of temperament ‘inferable’ yet and ‘unrepresentable’ ‘ that says she because box her in sitting her see can Kitty that knows Nan that fact the is empathisedby furthermore is thuscreated space public space within the this private given a kind of share’ inherperformances. akindof given secret she has‘been Nanisawarethat because intensified become queer spaceoff, Lauretian called, de another,aswell so as this, one for of desires their queer articulations bodily subtextual these that find arguably we Kitty, and Nan between established been I felt hereyes sometimes upon me I felt SarahWaters, (1998) Ibid. Ibid. Ibid, p. 35 (my emphasis) Teresa Sarah Waters, De Lauretis, “The Technology of Gender”, in of Gender”, Technology “The De Lauretis, (Bloomington; Indianapolis: Indiana University de Teresa Press Lauretis1987) p.26. Tipping The Velvet 117 Tipping TheVelvet Tipping We therefore find that a private language of the body is being 114 because they are effectively oscillating between the between oscillating effectively are they because 115 Indeed, once this clandestine bodily connection has connection bodily clandestine this once Indeed, (1998) Adapted for BBCthe bySally AndrewHead and Davis , as she sang and always when she left the stage, (London: Virago, 2003), p.34. 44 113 One might therefore argue that their that argue therefore might One Technologies of Gender: Essays on Theory, 116 The very bodilyness with which with bodilyness very The 118 CEU eTD Collection 122 121 Theory: An Anthology, ( keen effect of creating ‘queer electric spaces’ between bodies. their between spaces’ ‘queer electric of creating keen effect very the have also which and perceive, to able is especially Nan what and witnessing audiencethe isprivy to duality what of on a crucial which arguablyoperating are the fact thatlesbiandesire is inexpressible withinparticularly public society, itbeing, thus, due to the 120 119 drag performancebelines allows for drawn,’ to ‘strict ‘derealises’ effectively performance drag male heterosexual the within areenfolded bodily affects these because that Kitty is embodying - which according to Butlerian theory, touched her, said aloving thing, when there was anyoneglimpse to or overhear us,’ away from and theeye public the in are they safewhen another one to space relationship emotional and sexual of the theatrical stage,Nan takes great pains not to give off any bodily signals Kittyto that might revealsaying their that sheotherwise prohibit such lesbian expressionsof desire andsubjectivity. Thus, whereas ‘never kissed her, would spacethat apublic manner, within andinprivate asecret for another one loveexpress their to allowsthem which vocabulary, with a shared become alanguage, bodies their another, one with relationship emotional and a sexual into enter and theatre. spacethe public of lesbian women toeffectively veiled pryingthe from audience,gaze allowing thus theirof these two get away with aretherefore lesbian desires their of articulations - the heterosexuality stage off the articulationlesbian their stage sexuality members,between and theirtheir audience on presumed of their queer desires within the Sarah Waters, Sarah (1998) JudithButler, ‘Performative Acts andGenderConstitution’, inRivkin and Ryan (eds.), Ibid, p. 38. Ibid. Furthermore, once they do become aware of each others desire for one another Oxford: Blackwell,2004) pp.900-911. Tipping TheVelvet 120 the queer reality of their bodily articulations, because the because articulations, bodily their of queerreality the (London:Virago, 2003),p.127. therefore This symbolises 45 121 within imagination of the 119 However, Literary 122 CEU eTD Collection 128 Publishers, 1992), pp. lovers who are seemingly always, already mentally in bed with one another. one with bed in mentally already always, seemingly are who lovers remain entirely ‘ of them, as all singing and dancing drag performance artists, whilst they also arguably expect audiences their which scripts, theatrical asthe aswell role, professional to the Thus, Nanand Kitty may indeedbe posited as subversively‘resubmitting’ themselves ‘mimicry.’ actof Irigarian be beingengagedinaplayful as therefore described the theatre going audience, escape language, asa posited censorial the whichallows them subversive to gaze of even whilst they a gaze.’ breaking of or hip, theholding are at the very centre‘vocabulary’ therefore consists of ‘the pressureof ofafinger or a palm, thenudging it.of a Theywhose and body’ the of but tongue maythe of not language ‘a as posits consciously very exchange of exchange of which crowd the knew nothing.’ language’ therebeingdescribes in ‘a private ‘held anendless,they which delicate of business audiences witnessing,are privy to ‘beyond’ ‘songs,’ their their‘steps’ and ‘their bits with their that coins shows theatrical the ‘beyond’ and performers hall music being of business and canes and thinks.’ audience the act twice the flowers’describes performancestheir theatrical beinglike a‘double isas which act’ ‘always as Nan herself ona ‘public form.’ sexual emotional totake relationship and putstheir for and secretly another one for desire and love their express it, to them allows Nan language bodily thus their however, stage theatrical the on performing are they when 127 126 125 124 123 various lesbian subcultural spaces of London city. cultural prohibition on lesbian desire, confined only to the private spaces of the bedroom the and Ibid, p. 124. Luce Irigaray Margaretquoted in Whitford, (ed.), Ibid. Ibid. Ibid, p.128. Ibid. elsewhere 124 & 125 (her emphasis). ’ of this theatrical role as a genuine lesbian and lesbian couple as agenuine role ’ of theatrical this 124 This is because ‘beyond’ their professional 46 126 The body is therefore quite obviously 125 Indeed, this is a language which Nan The Irigaray Reader 123 (Oxford: Blackwell Therefore, Nan 128 127 CEU eTD Collection and were clapped, and cheered, and paid for it!’ forand paid cheered,and wereclapped,and walked before the crimson curtain,lay down upon the boards and kissed and fondled - she also describes their being performances publicas like lesbian sex and ‘asif we are too slow - you go too fast - not there but here - that’s goodsaying thatif their bodily couldsemiotics in speak - words then they would say‘You that’s better,’ manner, suggestive sexually extremely in an language bodily their describe only like beingmuch performances Nan theirnotas making does onstage. love therefore their Nan posits idea in that the encoded is arguably elsewhereness theatrical Indeed, the sexually nature specific of bodily theirlanguage andthis Irigarian 130 129 and clandestine manner. marginsinto of culture spotlight andthe society, of in albeitpublic aratherstrategic public infact knowingthis, of by their bringinglesbian desire outof closetedthe queer publictheirnoses, permitting audiences therefore their space,without them to of front in sexuality their flaunt to them allows furthermore thus body the of language lesbian and otherwiseof prohibit publicexpression This these desire subjectivity. might which audience, of their censorial gaze the navigate to them allows therefore queer doubleis actthat engenderedtheir through subversive bodily semiotics, Indeed,eye this and, of course, bodily contact. through touch, proximity another one for affection their articulate them to permits thus body, which language the of secret otherwise notbe permissible, were itfor not the fact that their desires are encoded in a lovers are therefore ableexpress to their lesbian sexuality in public, a thing that would these business, professional and theatricality of guise the andunder theatre of the Ibid. SarahWaters, (1998) Tipping TheVelvet Tipping (London: Virago, 2003), p.128. 47 130 Within this quasi liberating space 129 but CEU eTD Collection both able and willing to police themselves. police to willing and able both becomes eventually eachprisoner so that gaze, of a disciplinary surveillance constant the under are they that idea the of internalisation their and subject enclosed the prison functions as a disciplinary system is that based upon relentlessthe visibility of of Gender Studies subjects, which thus coerces them into becoming self policing lesbian subjects. lesbian policing self becoming into them coerces thus which subjects, lesbian these by internalised indeed is wardens prison ofthe gaze heteropatriarchal the Therefore, desire, within this prison setting which lesbian of arguablydisplays embodied functions their as a trope harness they for heteropatriarchal that imperative of an society. rather therefore is it that and surveillance under always are they that sense this internalise to come Selina and Margaret how discuss of an external gaze and itsideological discourses will become particularly important whenI go onto this gaze, so as to produce what Foucault calls, a‘self policing subject.’ This idea of the internalisation internalisationof the an externalencourages gaze, that as well as mechanism the variousa disciplinary as ideologicalacts discourses panopticon the that that are argues embodied Foucault by Here p.81. subjectivity. and 132 desire lesbian their enclosing of effect the has which gaze, panopticonian a beneath isadynamicThis I will that bewhen drawing on I thusargue thatSelina and Margaret are trapped being underconstant surveillance not only imprisons the subject physically but also psychologically. disciplined individual in his [sic.] subjection.’ Therefore, Llewellynfurthermore points out how this a single faze to see everything constantly’ andit is this constant visibility ‘that maintains the Benthamianpanopticon functions as‘the perfect disciplinary apparatus’ which‘make[s]possible it for moreoverembodied this panopticonwhich and design. Prison, LlewellynMilbank called also and drawsLondon onFoucaultin to situated illustratewas which howprison, the Victorian a real on in portrays Waters that prison the Llewellyn, to according Indeed, be seen. can prison panopticon is a prison design that is based around a central tower, from which the whole rest of the ‘panopticon.’ Bentham’s Jeremy of design the on based being as identified correctly Milbank spacethe prison. of female homosexuality and thebodily articulation oflesbian desire emerging within to a certain extent, Margaret and Selina also become capable of navigating the navigating of capable become also and Selina Margaret a certain extent, to internaliselovers these which these do disciplinary andthis prohibitions oblique gaze, subject. However, as the heteronormative aself she policing becomes sothat internalise, is meant to which she rest of this paper will show, female asadisciplinary gaze obliquewell homosexuality, as against prohibitions as well as being subjectedwe that find within to Within The Oblique Prohibition of Lesbian Desire in 131 Michel Foucault, Mark Llewellyn, ‘‘‘Queer? I should say is criminal!’’:it SarahWaters’s Affinity 131 , vol. 13, no 3, According to the theory of Michel Foucault the panopticon styled we find a similar dynamic pertaining to the oblique prohibition of oblique the prohibition we findsimilar pertaining dynamic to a Disciplineand Punish: The Birth ofthe Prison Affinity pp. 205 – 206. Here, Mark Llewellyn delineates how the Benthamian the how delineates Llewellyn Mark Here, 206. – 205 pp. where Margaret is subjected to various persistent andyetwhere tovarious persistent Margaretissubjected This is an enclosing space which isanenclosingThis spacewhich Mark Llewellyn has 48 132 This the isarguablyprecisely dynamic Affinity (London: PenguinBooks, 1977), Affinity (1999)’ in Affinity is based is Journal CEU eTD Collection ought notdevelopought to with anyclose anyofthefemale personalrelations and prisoners she that Margaret to indicates which implications, prohibitive distinctly nevertheless all.’ take will ‘they then little’ of ‘how much’ she ‘give[s]’ these women of ‘[her]self,’ because if she ‘give[s] a ‘take care’ she to sense Margaretisin ought that towards the extended Haxby directs rendered explicit within the BBC adaptation of theBBCadaptation within rendered explicit oblique prohibition female against is homosexuality furthermore intensified and explicitly withoutmanyin be Indeed,taboo, these having so stated and words. this to taboo on female homosexuality rulesthe and of ofMilbank prison pertaining tothis inform dreadful ofvoice, arguably Margaret of to which tone functions oblique the subtextsthrough the her language and implications ambiguous use of of andher articulatesfemale this therefore obliquely, prohibition homosexual against relations TV, 2008), min: 04.00 – 05.00. 135 134 moreover a warning that she delivers with‘Take ‘dealings’ thefemalecare’ inher with of Milbank. prisoners a ‘ that Miss Haxby directs towards of warnings subtexts tonethe ofvoicethe prohibitive theandyetclearly oblique and Margaret with regards to the fact that she ought to Milbank prison. thespaceof ispatrolling evervigilantly that gaze prohibitive the circumnavigate to and another one for desires their indeed and love their express to them allows thus inone another alanguage body, of than language rather the of a which tongue, the disciplinary insystem findwhich they themselves, byinscribing their for affections 133 Sarah Waters, Sarah Affinity (1999) Adaptedto film by Andrew AdrianBate Davis and (London: Box Ibid. SarahWaters, (1999) We onlesbian find arguably intensely thetaboo mostdesire emerging within Affinity (London: Virago, 2004), p.16. 135 The severity of The andits severity warning yet of this oblique 49 dreadful Affinity . Herethe warningMiss which emphasis’ 134 to her voice. She 133 Indeed, this is Indeed, this CEU eTD Collection 140 Margaret ‘must warningswatch that no meets further with such and asMargaret one novel asthe progresses become clearer prohibition tries as tothe make one a pal that of Miss Manning directs at her when she says that understand me.’ within the confidinglowering of herMargaret gaze,whenshesays that ‘I to thinkyou inscribed moreover are articulated, explicitly never however are which implications, of how much within ‘ linessuch heras words on and certain voice, emphasis authoritative you give and steady as herstern well gaze of Miss Haxby, as sharp anddirect within the them of her prison,areonce Milbank professional inscribedagain at capacity throughout 139 138 137 136 thus learns that she ought not only to benot her learnsshethus on thatought only guardagainst thepossibility any to of of ‘removed toother gaolsit’ for nothing but‘comical.’ are they when raise matrons’ their over romantic grown have ‘who prisoners those fact that finds thethat Miss idea ‘row’ within or the Manning overly that dramatic, the comic as either seriously areregarded and taken not are subjects homosexual female homophobic dynamic that romantic relationships between women and the emotions of traditional the find again we once Here overseers. their and femaleprisoners the between relations toromantic a reference fact this isin that discovers thus Margaret implications. their queer understood noddinghas slightindeed her warnings Margaretandreceived these head,that of deadabsolute seriousness, as well as from subtlethe lowering of her gaze and the Moreover, it andMargaretmatter know precisely that ought to she is whattalking about. is certainly clear from the fact that her face drops from a smile to Ibid. SarahWaters, (1999) Ibid. Ibid. Ibid. 137 This line therefore indicates that she need say no more on this on more no say need she that indicates therefore line This Affinity (London: Virago,2004), p.67 (her emphasis). yourself 138 Indeed, the implications of implications Indeed, firstobliquethis of the 50 .’ 136 Indeed, these distinctly prohibitive distinctly these Indeed, 140 Within lines Margaret these you , miss’ 139 and when and take caretake CEU eTD Collection and which are therefore ‘ aretherefore and which and closely scrutinisedfor any and every queerintentionpossible may they that have beingwatched are always,already they know that let Margaret thus semiotics bodily ‘with hersharp eyes.’ Margaret ‘fixed’ fact Miss the Haxy that within is embodied threat arguably this Indeed, theprison wardens. censorial gaze of and the falling Selina are under Margaret like prison Milbank panopticon space of prohibition femaleon homosexual butalso threatrelationships, thatwithin the this this warning andindeed within instructions these is nottherefore only an oblique visit‘less’ herSelina keeptheseand visits for to ‘ratherbrief.’ with ‘itwould that Selina and her and oblige herstaff were if,infuture,’ Margaret to ‘friendship’ her,called, might from so ensue that ‘dangers’ of the warns Margaret ‘might not be a little more ofMilbank in female her of the prisoners one ‘interest’ that fact the with concerned - specific - than it ought sheis that Margaret Haxby warns Miss after occasions several faceon themselves to be.’ imprisonment. further is separation This of threat whichMargaretand one Selina do punishable by lossseparation, of privileges or social standing and, by of course, whichare conduct, of breaches serious ashorrifically treated conversely rather yet standings and class backgrounds, are simultaneously regarded as absolutely trivial and social different vastly of furthermore are who women, these between relationships romantic that also but her, to attachment a romantic developing prisoners female the 144 143 142 141 hermay andSelina be overheard fears that sheconstantly because to acertain degree Ibid. (her emphasis.) Ibid, p.214. Ibid, p. 215. Ibid, p. 214. Weinternalised findthattheseby arguably obliqueprohibitionsare Margaret against therules ’ 51 144 of Milbank prison. 141 Here she furthermore 142 143 Inscribed within Inscribed Theseoblique CEU eTD Collection following passage, where shewrites: following where passage, andis thus tocensor crookedthe passageswilling of her desiring within thoughts, the writings queer own her fears she which to extent the highlights therefore She book. herfind to across the queerdesireshorrified pagesof Selina for have that crepther and shocked both is and writing, own her censor to appears even she that intensely and invasive this censorial gaze are so utterly arguably internalisedby Margaret queer desires for Selina Dawes. for Selina queer desires her for punished and overlooked be might she that paranoia righteous her is intense so cloth,’ with it ‘stopped has Margaret because door, her of hole’ key the to eye her hear’would her not writing, would nor writing she‘kneel seeher wereshe to and put and‘she her door against comeand pressherear’ ‘might her Mother carefully’ that so page the ‘pen across her moving herself as describes She therefore hersecret book. as Selinain to she ofhershe be visits byherMother, writes fears that will overheard bourgeois familyhome, which as she herself beinglikeneddescribes aprison, to she her spaceof private the within even that intense degree such an to internalised have arguably to appears gazewhichMargaret isSelina. aprohibitive This thus rules of Milbankto have internalised prison themselves,the prohibitions that because the wardens haveshe directedis willingly at her, and the reiterating them to the rules of rulesthe of Milbank.’ itit by rightwe should thewasforbidden rules, was against near. benot that That so being inappropriately intimate. Indeed, she even warns Selina at one point that ‘it was afraid even to look look hardher’ at to afraidtoo even from andherself sheher distancing go becauseis‘afraidphysically toclose toher,too or else overlooked by the prison wardens. We thus find her stepping away from Selina 147 146 145 Ibid, p.224. Ibid, pp.270 & 271. Ibid, p.245. 146 Margaret therefore highlights the extent to which appears she to extent the highlights therefore Margaret 147 Indeed, these oblique prohibitions Indeed, onlesbiandesire these oblique 145 lest their bodily closeness be as interpreted 52 CEU eTD Collection expressed. gaze of Milbank prisonfind this andsubversive careful slyness,whichfunctions tonavigate the censorial and allows for Indeed, Iwouldis argueit theirprecisely within their non verbal bodily semiotics we that queer them. is upon wardens the of affections gaze censorial the that realises she that now be, for one another Selina alsoinstructs Margaret very how ‘careful’ of how and ‘sly’ shallhave to they to be since cell, her in Selina with is alone she when particularly prison, Milbank of gaze censorial the navigating is actively she how shows furthermore perform, to about is chapter asthis language, bodily verbal and her oblique of analysis degree, acloser strong a very to homosexuality, female on taboo cultural the and prohibitions oblique will nowgo argue, on to although indeedshe appeartohavedoes internalised these chapter this of rest the as However, internalised. have to seems she that prohibitions because writing, of oblique the herown her and,censor course, own of thoughts beappears willingto whichMargaret the extent to signifies henceforth, closed uncovered, idea the thatshe burn is to willing own herwriting else or this keep book follow tobe whichshefears might wereherwritings repercussions dangerous Whereas the symbol quickthe bladeof knifeof the signifies and sharp arguably 149 148 Ibid, p.271. Ibid, pp.241 & 242. the blade of a knife me. I turn them again, then the scent of willit come, towarn tonight (…) and now theseshall keep pagesshut. it spells a name -Selina. grows firmer as the paper turns. It grows so firm at last; pages, these across aftercrept has heart my that see can I ‘Now all. I can see the crooked passage of it; it It will come quick andsharp and dangerous, like .’ 148 53 I almostburned this book For if 149 CEU eTD Collection The Oblique Articulation of Desire in Articulation The Oblique 153 152 151 150 ‘ aslight experiences Margaret Thus, language. explicit into translation subsequent their signify and states affective queer what these of conscious realisation and, inform, her thus, arguably to, emerge prior time some which affects, bodily her through primarily Dawes, Selina spiritualist, the for desires As with Selina. moreover makesher placeher whilst uponherheart, hand herbody away from turns experiences which state Margaret affective this gazes atSelina.Indeed, first she answering twisting in her.’ that movement, sharper beat, caughtbeatmy heartherfeltbody: another, and,behindthe arising ‘I from affect feelasimilar shecan how describes Margaret because Selina, shares with she that affect bodily a furthermore is This one. loved a of loss by the again, hurt feels with regards to thesequasi emerging traumatised queerby the loss desires of her lover from signifies protect herSelinahave her wish arguably emotions,to which been and, Helen, of as course,well as the queerher shamefear thatrising ofherof queerdesires,her placing her hand her upon heartand she hermoving being away agony,’ feel within both, which them she moreover describes as being like ‘akind of denied the existence of such affects and rendered lesbian sexuality not only not only a cultural sexuality lesbian and rendered such affects of existence denied the sociocultural lesbian of desire withinrepression Victorian since this Britain,culture is linkedto the which arguably torment, of of and affects aqueerkind the desire Ibid. Ibid, p.272. Ibid. Ibid, p.163. 151 153 Tipping theVelvet Tipping Therefore, whilst quickening her the body within the denotes arguably therefore denotes the way that their bodies are becoming connected through are becoming connected bodies their way that the denotes therefore quickening 152 , Margaret in , Margaret Thus, this queerbodily can whichMargaretquickening , grown fiercer than ever. I felt it, and felt an Affinity 54 Affinity quickening comes to a realisation of her queer a realisation of to comes ’ 150 within her body, when body, her within CEU eTD Collection about her at night, within the private space of her bedroom, in a highly flirtatious highly in a herbedroom, space of withinher the private about atnight, whether shewrites heron challenges Selina how describes Margaret therefore book. in hersecret with, hername write to herpen, lends Selina Margaret where cell, prison of the withinwriting spaceof via theenclosing act Margaret andSelinatouching the find We therefore Milbank. of wardens prison the gaze of evade censorial the as to secretlanguage of the body, rather than through an explicitlanguage of the tongue, so and Selina of and Selina previous lover Helen, the Velvet in Kitty and Nan of dynamic the from different significantly is dynamic this let itcreep.’ it me, come Let to it creep (…). Let for. comes mineknow whyyou comes me youritflesh aredrawn to -why andcreeping to what you ‘Now Selina atMargaret, linethat directs and crucial the Selina,Margaret within of subjects desiring the by felt been have affects bodily the after significantly within an elliptical verbal language, which is pepperedby bodily metaphors, subject, tries, and yet fails, to repress it. the desiring consciousnessbody,the of culture, emerging even and as the through morelanguage, into explicitlesbian dynamic a sense aswellthe subjectivity of of that arises through the body into the consciousness of the subject and subsequently and in Selina Margaret within whichemergedesires try to pursue. Once impossibility an buta hard, and,noemotionally doubt, thus, tormenting, to existence again, as with Nan and Kitty in 154 Ibid, p. 276. Furthermore, as is the case with Nan and Kitty in Kitty and Nan with as is case the Furthermore, , primarily because Margaret has felt these queer affects before for her before has queeraffects feltthese because Margaret primarily Affinity also communicate their queer desires for one another through a through another their one for also queerdesires communicate Affinity nevertheless repeats this dynamic of nevertheless thisdynamic queerdesire the repeats of 55 Tipping theVelvet Affinity Tipping theVelvet Tipping 154 , are only articulated only , are Therefore, although , the bodily the , , Margaret Tipping CEU eTD Collection her eyelashes in a shy manner, as well as the way in which her voice hesitates with hesitates voice her which in way the as well as manner, a shy in eyelashes her bats she that way the by implications queer their and semiotics bodily these received arguably of herhavingknow signifies her her.Indeed,Margaret desires for own cleverly confiding intenselyflirtatious and manner, and lets which teasing Margaret verbal reference to lesbian desire, Selina also clearly deploys her bodily semiotics in a haunt of night Furtherreturn her tothisoblique inher thoughts to time, Selina. at in herrepressedlesbian which her signify visitMargaret desires, therefore dreams, on whichsupposedly Within spirits, the herintensely discourse this scene teasing point their fingers touch and Selina smiles at Margaret ‘in a secret way.’‘in a secret andsmiles atMargaret Selina fingers touch point their waslittle andherown, more whenshethan voice spoke, a whisper.’ my to near very was ‘head Selina’s that claims Margaret time the all whilst manner, 158 TV, 2008), min: 32 - 34 157 156 155 with fingersher outtotouch Margaret teasingly, whispers: and reaches eyes, her mouth smiling insecrecy, Selina pressesherlips softly together and yet her down turning Furthermore, awkwardly. fingers, their with play both as gaze, her meetingchildlike manner,asshe Margaret, andholding in smiles and leans towards of version are furthermore intensified within the film version version of film the intensified within furthermore are intensely andflirtatiousconfiding nature of theirbodily semiotics within scene this Ibid, min: 32 – 33. Waters, Sarah Affinity (1999) Adaptedto film by Andrew AdrianBate Davis and (London: Box Ibid, p. 115. Ibid, p. 113. Affinity dreams? I think you have.’ of whispering. Haven’t you felttheirpresence in your presence yet? At night when everything is quiet. A kind now, allthe time my sprits. Haven’t you felt their and the lampwrite your secrets late at night, with the dooryou made if fastturned Even everything? see spirits the know you ‘Don’t low. (…) But they are with you , Selina is thus portrayed as swinging her legs in ateasingly legs her swinging as portrayed thus is Selina , 158 56 Affinity . 157 Within the film 155 Indeed, at one Indeed, 156 The CEU eTD Collection skin, or include at best other beings encapsulated by skin?’ Association,1991) p. 178.Here Haraway crucialposes the question: ‘Why should ourbodies end at the bodies come into contact with, contact into come bodies that objects the include often but skin, the at end not do bodies that Haraway, Donna by posited theory the of light In bodies. their for in stand therefore prison, Milbank that Selina such certainblossoms fetishisedandthevelvetchoker find that as theorange objects, sends to Margaret arguably each we other, to proximity immediate within not are lovers of bodies these and writingthe plaitthat Margaret oftherefore allowsarguably the herbodies of these women to touch, since itis hairalso through which touches itself her writing of act the fact in is it that claim also may one whichSelina, Selina, of writings in herMargaret absence.her secret about a narrative within given sceneisenfolded this that Furthermore, Moreover, finds manner. when oblique in an another one for desires their theat communicating are bodies these by herlooking stern. cautiously Thisscene illustrates therefore way the in which her bodily semiotics, her face and her gestures, try to hide behind amask of propriety, of rest the whilst breath, of intakes irregular, nervously yet and excited, slightly her Twentieth Century’ in 159 from Milbank prison. She therefore says that ‘my blood, even as I write this, evenasIwrite ‘my blood, saysthat from Milbank prison.therefore She way beating all the heart she hearSelina’s can believes that Margaret that another, fetishised and bodily gifts, which they use to articulate their queer desires to one strong, through so becomes connection affective intense Indeed, their another. one to proximity theirin immediate not are and Selina whenMargaret totouch, arepermitted bodies surreptitioustheir that gifts of exchanges these through is thus it that and bodies their of extensions use of bodily language and their exchange of Donna Haraway, ‘A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late the in Socialist-Feminism and Technology, Science, Manifesto: Cyborg ‘A Haraway, Donna Simians,Cyborgs, and Women: The Reinvention of Nature 159 I would therefore argue that these objects act as 57 (London: Free (London: my CEU eTD Collection 163 Embodied Issues ( 162 161 which search their cell isof one of prisonwardens,whothe describes byMargaretashaving‘dark eyes’ in a rather ‘fretful gaze censorial the beneath falling they are that realises they once affects, their queer way.’ touch through findtheirMargaret andSelina wetherefore hide writings, to trying women these which in scene delineated above the from on following Thus, wardens. veilindeed language from to bodily their affective of censorial the prisonthe gaze very careful and Selinaare Margaret eyes.Therefore, prying move with their every italso places them in danger of being visible too wardens,to the whoarewatching Milbankprison, of theconfines within another one to articulatedesires their queer to However, whilst their verbal oblique languageand bodily allowsand Margaret Selina ‘hear her heart beating across the nightin time to my own.’ blood, my muscle fibreand every ofme, islistening 160 elsewhere as future lovers and indeed as women who have, only mere seconds mere only have, who women as indeed and lovers future as elsewhere entirely, already always, remain simultaneously they whilst prisoner, female and properly social respectable andto professional asprisonposition one another, visitor their resuming effectively are they because mimicry, Irigarian of act in an engaged being as may bedescribed thus Selina, and especially Margaret both Therefore, and furthermore ashavingMargaret ‘bowedher smilingnot all.’ head, at Selinacoat, is away’ handhaving other from onthe as a step ‘taken describes her with breast’ hides her‘fluttering howshe describes therefore Margaret Whereas, over their bodies, by enacting, what Goffman would call, a type of ‘body gloss.’ where written all which, before, only another, few seconds one a for their affections SarahWaters, (1999) Goffman quoted in Gillian Bendelow and Simon J. Williams, Ibid, pp.115 & 116. SarahWaters, (1999) London: New York: Routledge,1998), p. 58. Affinity Affinity (London: Virago, 2004), pp.115 & 116. (London: Virago, 2004), p. 304 (her emphasis). (her 304 p. 2004), Virago, (London: 58 161 They therefore arguably conceal The Lived Body: Sociological Themes, for her for 160 ’ and that she can thus 162 163 CEU eTD Collection 165 Publishers, 1992), pp.124 & 125. company of theprisonwarden. company of still ‘warm’touching the leather binding of her with book her‘naked palm’find only to is that it from the between her walks from fingersbook clutchingaway as hersecret and Selina ‘grip’ ofMargaret by that fact highlight the is furthermore elsewhereness Indeed, this Irigarian Selina’s previously, been engaged in a verybodily flirtatiousact of lesbian‘fingers,’ courtship. even whilst she is still in the 164 cognitive centres of cognitive fail subjects yet centres try deny these meanings and implicitthe to of subject theirsense of own sexual desires andemerging subjectivities, evenas the through the arises awareness has alesbianself how shown It body. language of the within a desire inexplicableprohibitions oris actively these contesting prohibitions, by inscription the lesbianof affective these internalised has it how shows body the inwhich way the illustrated moreover states through explicitlyinsufficient, linguistic Indeed, has chapter prohibitions. this of the body,level which through communicate on isan interpersonal communicated on lesbianand subjectivity cultural desiretaboo oblique to novelsthe which of Sarah Waters, has highlighted way the in whichthe oblique theverbal and of analysis narrative engaged atheoretically hasperformed chapter this Conclusively, bodilyConclusion semiotics, and, when theseaffinity, which mark the pages of her book. are rendered her own of bodily with the traces of and, of course, memories her queer with her herself, Selina of spirit the with elsewhere remains she Indeed, Selina. from away is her marching who of Margaret remains warden, prison the elsewhere that book, SarahWaters, (1999) Luce Irigaray Margaretquoted in Whitford, (ed.), Affinity (London: Virago, 2004), p.116. 165 Thus, it is through this bodily extension that is her is that extension bodily this through is it Thus, 59 The Irigaray Reader (Oxford: Blackwell 164 CEU eTD Collection and nowyou don’t. already engagedhauntingly in ghostly a game of hide and you ofnow see seek: me, by,what Terry is wouldCastle lesbian, describe apparitional as,the who always, homophobic culture, byplacing isthem zone akindof within twilight that inhabited of their gazes from censorial the safe them renders happen of desire articulations obliquenesswhich through becausethese them, very otherwise the prohibited to by lesbian subjects, how obliqueproved verbal language and bodily may indeedsemiotics beappropriated so has chapter this performativity. Thus, Butlerian and mimicry of as acts playful Irigarian to allow them variousby them,body gloss andby engaging with of theirtypes assuming their to articulate prohibitwould otherwise gazesthat very the desiresunder flauntthese to are also able the verynot only able tocircumvent culturalthe of prohibition lesbiantheir but they desires, desires which are (self) spectralised and thus it is able to be seenand yet not quite, it is visible and yet it is invisible. language of the body the desires of these lesbian protagonists of protagonists lesbian of these desires the body ofthe language mostly you don’t’ dynamic. Iamdoing so because by theirinscribing desires withinoblique an drawing onconcept her of ‘not-thereness,’ whichshe describes asatype of you‘now see but her, visibility and invisibility, from which the lesbiansubject haunts this culture. And, I am furthermore characterised byghostedbeing by heteropatriarchal culture, and inhabitsthus a twilight space of I am metaphorically drawing on Terry Castle’s notion of apparitional lesbiansubject, who is masculine of tongue,the lesbian the of protagonists within an oblique these bodily affects. Finally, has chapter this argued by that inscribing their desires 166 Terry Castle, Terry The ApparitionalLesbian féminine 166 language of the body, rather than within a verbal language verbal a within than rather body, the of language (New York: Columbian University Press, 1993), p.46. Here p.46. 1993), Press, University Columbian York: (New 60 Tipping theVelvet Tipping and Affinity and are effectively are Affinity are CEU eTD Collection Doblas, are essentially ‘wanderers between two worlds’ and are therefore responsible worlds’ and aretherefore two between ‘wanderers essentially are Doblas, concerns.’ history that is open reinterpretation to alwaysand thus ‘shaped by present past.’ the is about asit as much present the is about course, of novel, historical ‘any that writes also Jeremiah Emily novels, Complutense Victorian novels. Victorian quite Wesley Stake’s Misfortune’, in 170 169 setting. 168 Victorian the out through worked being are sexuality lesbian to pertaining issues But sei. per Victorian, as contemporary the to referring Studiesof Gender ‘setting’ and towards the present for their ‘wider implications.’ for‘wider their present the and towards ‘setting’ historicalboth the andthecontemporary, thepast look for theirtowards which of version ‘hybrid’ a but present,’ the nor past the about strictly ‘neither are novels isauthor she writes.’ in which the writing one and period can imply that there useof that‘the historical writes an Llewellyn sheis Mark within. that writing context is a parallel or affinity contemporary the and she deploys that setting Victorian between the connection between the age about a havenoted her critics several of Waters which of novels the Sarah to itWhen comes an Beneath the Wolfskins andtheTogas, Deeper than Disguise Margaret Atwood's 171 seeabove. please Llewellyn, on drawing also is 167 Emily Jeremiah, ‘“The “I” inside “her”': Queer Narration in Sarah Waters's Tipping the Velvet and Velvet the Tipping Waters's Sarah in Narration Queer “her”': inside “I” ‘“The Jeremiah, Emily Ibid, p. 213. Rosario Arias Doblas, ‘Talking With The Dead: Revisiting The Victorian Past And The Occult in Occult The And Past Victorian The Revisiting Dead: The With ‘Talking Doblas, Arias Rosario Mark The Contemporary LesbianPolitics of Sarah Waters’sNeo Victorian Novels Ibid, p.204. aptly points towards ‘the very contemporary (…) nature’ of Sarah Waters’s Neo Waters’s nature’ of Sarah (…) ‘thevery contemporary towards aptly points Llewellyn, ‘‘‘Queer? I should say is criminal!’’:it SarahWaters’s 171 , Vol.13, pp. 86& 87. Therefore, Neo Victorian women writers like Sarah Waters, according to , vol. 13, no 3, p.214. However, like Llewellyn, I am do not positing that Waters is 169 Alias GraceAlias In the context of this argument on the contemporary nature of of her nature contemporary onthe this argument of thecontext In Women: A Cultural Review and Sarah Waters' Sarah and Chapter III 170 61 Moreover, Rosario Arias Doblas also notes Affinity rather I am saying that certain contemporary certain that saying I am rather , vol. 18, no. 2,p.133. Here Emily Jeremiah ’ in ’ 167 He therefore argues that these that argues Hetherefore Estudios Ingeses delaUniversidad Affinity 168 Thus, Llewellyn (1999)’ in Journal CEU eTD Collection as a writer who appropriates Victorian fiction for a distinctly ‘lesbian agenda.’ ‘lesbian for fiction adistinctly Victorian whoas appropriates a writer lesbian fiction.’ utterly contemporary produce pastto from the ‘pilfers who asawriter Waters advertise hunter, to treasure a of a thief,metaphor or the deployed Press, once Virago herwriting, publishers, pastandthepresent.’ between the adialogue for ‘establishing always, already a reflectionof the contemporary moment in which the author iswriting. Neo genre Victorian ‘constructed’have Victorian the eraway,’is furthermore ‘inaveryparticular that history, rather than merely describing or reporting history, by saying that writers who work within the p.45. Here Waters illustrates180 179 Waters. of Sarah writings ofthe specificities lesbian the to how she is 178 aware of 177 the fact176 thatp.76 this genreand Writing is Practicesone 175 which works. in ofher specificities the constructsFiction of Sarah174 Waters’,(Accessed onthe 22nd of April 2009) p.1. in =feature&REF=e2006111617063697&SORT=author_id&TAG=&CID=&PGE=&LANG=EN 173 172 according to contemporary concerns. contemporary to according of Waters, shapes nature according historical itself the to novel,constructed which, the of awareness acute an shown always has herself Water Sarah Furthermore, ‘one of the is,in fact, that community today’ lesbian mostthe of concerns striking interests and the Palmer of aawareness with history lesbian of representation the combine to ‘ability her is it picks up when contemporary culture’ lesbian central to on‘issues debate and successful aspects of her work.’ presentday’ claims as a type of historical ‘tactic’ the deploys fiction that ‘reshapes’ Waters Sarah that shewrites that she writes Paullina pickupwhen that a point is also the past historic ‘in light of the She She Stopped About Writing Era’Victorian in the Abigail Ibid, p.83. Ibid. Please note how once againwe find the highly politicised word, agenda, emerging in relation Ibid. Ibid. Reading Lesbian one:” by one written, had she words the show me to began ‘“She Palmer, Paullina lesbian the describing are they when agenda, word, politicised the of use their note Please Ibid. Waters, Sarah ‘Her Thieving Hands’ Ibid, pp.102 & 103. Dennis, ‘“Ladies in Peril:” Sarah Waters On Neo-Victorian Narrative Celebrations and Why and Celebrations Narrative OnNeo-Victorian Waters Sarah Peril:” in ‘“Ladies Dennis, 177 ) for a ‘lesbian ) for a 175 of of writing ‘historiogarphic metafiction’ agenda 180 173 http://www.virago.co.uk/author_results.asp?SF1=dataST1 ’, so as to engage in a clandestine polemicalengage inaclandestine ’, soasto When speaking about the contemporary value contemporary the about speaking When And, they are moreover fond of positing her , her positing of fond moreover are they And, Neo-Victorian Studies, 62 Women: ACultural Review, 178 vol.No.2008),1., 1(Autumn Thus, Palmer claims that 172 When promoting her promoting When 176 (whichHutcheon vol. 1, 19, no. 174 This 179 CEU eTD Collection 184 writing. have a very definite can political fiction agenda, that is, historical that however, enfoldedawareness her withina, so highlights called, ‘escapist’therefore She style of disregarded.’ or overlooked seriously which according to Waters had the result that ‘the political content of her historical fictionwas often sexualarrangements at atime whenless ‘escapist’ writing (…)was being edited and suppressed,’ Mitchisonwas ‘adept at exploiting the historical setting to explore a range of alternative social and 183 Historical Novel’ in sustained and in-depth analysis regarding the contemporary lesbian politics of in-depthsustained analysis lesbian contemporary the and of regardingpolitics the role inexploring representing and thecontemporary lesbian community,British a briefly, the contemporaryrather albeit illustrate, that references discussed previously the anddespite existence nature of oflesbian issues contemporary the exploring for novel as avehicle can act historical the novels the how with ofconcerned indeed, and, of Sarah aware much very both is herself Waters Waters and their particular this genre as: genre this of the Neo Victorian novel, for example, Sarah Waters thus notes that she thinks of 182 181 lesbianbody.’ century twentieth skins and themay wolf the beyond ‘look Waters, to reader,according the in which appropriation, togas’ of the,and,lesbian projects. arguably, politically engaged, so called,argue for thisthroughout continues on to tobe, very chapter, usedto contemporary historical novel, ‘to find the controversial novel, Waters writes that this apparently ‘escapist’ apparently this that writes Waters novel, lesbian historical on the writings of heracademic own within thecontext Moreover, Ibid. Ibid. Waters makes this argument whenshe is talking about how the historical womanwriter Naomi Sarah Waters, ‘Wolfskins and Togas: Maude Meagher’s Ibid. Women: a Cultural Review a Cultural Women: current forus. current a bigger scale, precisely because they’re still very tonineteenthgo backthe century toplayon these out actually we’re notatall,and we onwanting keep to Things that wewe’re think prettycool with, and submergedand sexuality orsexual underworlds. gender and class like culture, British in current very ‘(…)a way issuesof thataddressing still are very, 184 ’ 181 Nevertheless, although it is very clear that Sarah that clear very is it although Nevertheless, , vol.7,, no.2, (1996) p.188. 63 182 The Green Scamander genre has been, and, as I will go 183 Projects of inventive of Projects and the Lesbian the and CEU eTD Collection embraces the label of lesbian author, along with the other categories that she feels that feels she that categories other the with along author, lesbian of label the embraces fiction. historical Victorian Neo her within inscribed are that politics lesbian see contemporary the to we refocus when herfrom writing society)beby livingas arise which caused a heteronormative subject within a lesbian place of the lesbian within the big city and that of the sense of alienation which may and marginalised the of that as (such issues of sorts the illustrate will I Thus, Britain. lesbianmetaphor of the conditions of contemporary existence through Victorian historical distance that allows Waters to explore to allows Waters that distance historical a creates which forBritain, contemporary asakind of trope Victorian era acts the controversial, lesbian politics of Sarah Waters’s novels. Waters’s ofSarah lesbian politics controversial, of course, and, findas very contemporary, so Victorianto the genre, Neo the arguably,is of gothicrazzmatazz the andall historical prisons the drag actthat, that halls, thetheatrical toppers, theblack corsets, velvet the frocks, laced the beyond look undertaken. been yet not has Waters, Sarah of novels Are:” Questions of AuthenticityYou the in What Neo-VictorianNovel’ Impersonate in Cannot ‘“You Gamble, Sarah article. following the see please masquerade 186 a from novels perspective. her lesbian specifically approaches more which writing, her to regards with debate a up opening of indeed and refocusing of away as and raise these novels that issues lesbian specifically the of some to introduction an as but rather chapter, closed and definitive a as intended not is chapter this Therefore, further. perspective, however itisthe purpose of this chapter to highlight some of the paths that might be taken highlight all of the angles that we might take to exploring her novels from amore lesbianspecific subjectivities or lesbian sadomasochistic sexualities. Itis not within the scope of this project to specificities lesbian of the these novels,centralise suchmight as lookingwhich at the wayexplored, be yetin which to Waters are that engages in Waters of butch novels and femmethe on takes theoretical of other alot arguably are there however Butler, Judith as such theorists queer ofrenowned theories the specificities of her Victorian novels.the Finally,still Emily Jeremiah nevertheless is illustrated focus his how however the writingsexistence, of and Sarahdesire Waters lesbian reflects surrounding issues contemporary the with concerned is Waters which in way the highlight does Llewellyn contemporaryof issues lesbianthe existence, in engaged is whichthe Waters rest of that ways this chapter other will hope certainly to illustrate. are there And, Markhowever feminism, wave second are involvedwith the lesbian and feminist debate onpornography that emerged withinthe context of 185 20, no. 1& 2 (January 2009) pp.126 - 140. For a more in-depth analysis of the how the Neo Victorian genre functions as a historical as functions genre Victorian Neo the how the of analysis in-depth a more For Paullina Palmerdoes begin to engage with thisprojectby illustrating the way in which her novels Before I do so however, it is important to note that Sarah Waters very much very Waters Sarah note that to itis important so however, do I Before 64 both Literature Interpretation Theory 185 186 This chapter will therefore Iwill therefore argue that the historical and the , vol. , CEU eTD Collection Wesley Stake’s Misfortune’, in Misfortune’, Stake’s Wesley describes how she wants to ‘appeal to lesbians’ through her novels. her through 191 lesbians’ to ‘appeal to wants she how describes 190 73. and Writing Practices in the Fiction of Sarah Waters’, in Waters’, of Sarah Fiction the in Practices Writing and 189 p.1. 188 72. whatI am doing.’ of forefront the at are issues lesbian whom for a writer ‘also is she that and lesbian’ I am call inthe sense ‘it whoismakes writer that a writer to me that sense a lesbian bevisible,’ to itis ‘important that thinks she because precisely p.1. community, agenda as a writer but she also writes with a desire to write within and for her lesbian writer.’ she belongs to, such as those of the ‘historical novelist, woman writer or just a 192 (Accessed onthe 22nd of April 2009), p.1. feature&REF=e2006111617063697&SORT=author_id&TAG=&CID=&PGE=&LANG=EN in Waters’, of Sarah Fiction the in Practices Writing and 187 in mind‘avision of the has always she that proclaims she writing her of aims the of talking when Moreover, audience.’ mainstream more ‘a much as for describes whatshe and audience line of feminist culture, for their overt feminist politics and yet she herself says that says herself she yet and politics feminist overt their for culture, feminist of line writers like Angelaadmires she that claims Waters novels, her of Carter, politics the to comes thus it when who positedFurthermore, novels. her of herself surface Victorian Neo the beneath on be going to seen writer who is writing from contemporary of cultureBritish andthesorts stuffmaypoliticised ambiguous be that the front the aim of this chapter to tease out the sort of impact that she might wish to make on endeavours to write ‘a to endeavours gripping read,with Sarah Paullina Palmer, ‘“She began to show me the words she had written, one by one:” Lesbian Reading Lesbian one:” by one written, had she words the show me to began ‘“She Palmer, Paullina Sarah Waters quoted in Robert McCrum, ‘What Lies Beneath’ in Beneath’ Lies ‘What McCrum, Robert in quoted Waters Sarah Sarah Waters quoted in Robert McCrum, ‘What Lies Beneath’ in Beneath’ Lies ‘What McCrum, Robert in quoted Waters Sarah Reading Lesbian one:” by one written, had she words the show me to began ‘“She Palmer, Paullina Emily 187 Jeremiah, ‘“The “I” inside “her”': Queer Narration in Sarah Waters's Tipping the Velvet and Velvet the Tipping Waters's Sarah in Narration Queer “her”': inside “I” ‘“The Jeremiah, Waters, ‘Her Thieving Hands,’ Thieving ‘Her Waters, Therefore, Waters not only says that she is ‘happy with the lesbian label’ lesbian the with ‘happy is she that says only not Waters Therefore, 190 as well as with an awareness that she is writing for both this lesbian 189 Indeed, she thus not only places lesbian issues at the top of her of top the at issues lesbian places only not thus she Indeed, impact Women: ACulturalReview I want to make’ and that she furthermore always furthermore she that and make’ to want I http://www.virago.co.uk/author_results.asp?SF1=dataST1= 65 stuff Women: A Cultural Review, Women: A Cultural Review, going onbehind it’ , vol., 18, no. 2, p. 140. Here Waters The Observer The Observer 188 but she also claims also she but 192 (10 (10 It is It therefore vol. 19, no. 1, p. vol. 19, no. 1, p. th th of May 2009) of May 2009) 191 CEU eTD Collection making grand political claims’ she is‘wary of that says tactfully she yet, rather and, asitwere, surface’, the ‘bellow fiction.’ into turned arepractically ‘politics books whose writers asthose been overly political’ as never has project ‘my that and submerged’ arefarmore my novels of ‘the politics orwere she not to clothe her lesbian politics in the Wolfskins and togas of the Neootherwise Victorian encounter, if genre.she were perhaps to be more explicitly political and lesbianwithin her novels, is, in fact, already a political act in itself, whichallows her to by pass the censorship that she might LesbianHistorical Novel’ (1996) p.188) thenis it not apossibility that this toning downof politics,her essay(please referto her and ‘Wolfskins Togas: Maude Meagher’s past the in suppressed and edited or censored been have edge, political explicitly an contain which 194 p.43. StoppedShe Writing About Victorian the Era’ in 193 censorial censorial silence on and invisibility of lesbianism within mainstream culture, soasto engaged with a politics of visibility, performs which a crucialbreak with obliquethe Sarah Waters has arguably fordone much making lesbianism visible in UK.the for established literary (includingawards others amongst theBetty Task Award (1999) books have not only sold widely a diverseto audience,but have also won several well whose as awriter and the UK, within acclaim literary and win wide public to writer lesbian Welsh first very the as indeed and writers lesbian British first the of one As Writing for Tolerance, Fightingfor Visibility politics Waters. of novels of lesbian the Sarah ininterested unearthing restof the throughout this regarding chapter contemporary the for Ibid. Because Waters herself has highlighted her awareness of the fact thatwritings by lesbians, Why and Celebrations Narrative OnNeo-Victorian Waters Sarah Peril:” in ‘“Ladies Dennis, Abigail Tipping theVelvet Tipping Affinity Indeed, I would argue that the novels of Sarah Waters are thus very very much Waters arethus of novels the Indeed, Iwould arguethat Sarah ) and have been successfully intopopular turned dramas, BBCperiod 193 She therefore effectively claims a submerged politics that is operating that politics asubmerged claims She effectively therefore and the and Sunday Times 194 It is precisely these submerged politics that I am Neo-Victorian Studies, 66 Young Writer of Writer Young of Award Yearthe (2000) The Green Scamander vol. 1., No. 1 (Autumn 2008), 1 (Autumn No. 1., vol. and the CEU eTD Collection sex, desire and subjectivity. and desire sex, oflesbian representations these with encounters their through emerge to subjects queer for allowing of possibility positive very the creates effectively therefore this Indeed, audience. wide a to available the denial of engaged inlesbian the act of rendering lesbian sex visible and of breaking silver the with on sex thesex great silence of lesbian on and indeedscreenwithinrepresentation her by course of is now, right and length at andbybe discussed not culture,within can therefore and project this scopeof the beyond currently is which subjectivity, but lesbian of foreclosure the her booksmass andforeclosureconsumed her of identity filmsat length. Furthermore, alsoanotherpaper way in which render196 she is engaged in preventingback lesbian the novel. sex This therefore not only means that she is throughout society, and culture within existence lesbian of spectrality ofthe terms in Castle, Terry by discussed OnlywomenPress, 1981),p.12. historical historical within silence onlesbianexistence andsociety. culture like theorists identified Mary Adrienne have RichandTerryCastle as Daly, great the what against working is actively that project political larger a towards contributing lesbianof desire and subjectivity.Waters Indoing may so, also besaidto be spoken existenceapparently nottotaboo speak of of, very the the ought thing that 195 and another one for love their with wrong be nothing to there regards herself she challenges that Nan posits to Kitty as to why they have to keep their love hidden when the UK.the We find emerging this discourse within of culture heteronormative the within homosexuality female of acceptance increasing very subtle political which isdiscourse writing and fighting thus arguably for the women. lesbian for on creation the viable subject positions identity and furthermore of onpreventing of arguably works lesbian foreclosure politics whoseprojectthe in asubtle engaged Watersaretherefore novels of Sarah the of public discourse, bringingcontributinglesbian towards existence outof shadowsandthe into the light Please refer to the theoretical chapter of this thesis where I discuss Judith Butler’s theory of the Mary Daly quoted inAdrienne Rich, Within the novels of Sarah Waters we furthermore see the emergence of see of a emergence the furthermore we Waters novels Sarah of the Within 196 The Apparitional Lesbian This idea of the great silence is also forms the basis for and is (New York: Columbian University Press, 1993). Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence 67 Tipping through the constant the through 195 Moreover, in (London: CEU eTD Collection that lesbians face within British society. As this chapter will go on to show, the novels someproblems the of of aware become will audience mainstream moreher a way that in such issues these communicate also they and novels these within solidarity of sense a find and lives own their effect that issues the with identify may themselves lesbians a space where hasfoldcreate novelsherarguably a simultaneously effectbecause two of UK.This the in context the existence lesbian to pertaining issues of the awareness herreader’s raises which effectively in a project her novels are engaged that visibility and the promotion publicthe of oflesbianism is tolerance through factthe lesbianacceptance contemporary of within Britain. and existence sexuality innate, tosubtly the or asbeinginborn strategically often rather encourage posited thatis of preference a homosexual naturalness for the whicharguedidentity politics, the idea that any culture which prohibits this union between two souls, is a veryidea that poornot only one is itperfectlyindeed. natural forone woman to love anotherwoman as her affinity, but also same, which are supposedof complementarity and the religious discourse of soul mates, the comingto together ofthus two halves of the arguably makeone that is engaged in the subversive onemimetic appropriation of the heteropatriarchalperfect discourse Selina whole. Inscribed describes within this discourse as beingis thus the like the meeting of two souls or of ‘two halves of the same,’ (p.210) is therefore argue that argue therefore obliquely encouraging words that ‘It’s obliquely that encouragingonly words throughwriting her being played inout again 199 (London: Silver Spring, 2004), min: 57.00. TV series of this sentiment on naturalnessthe lesbian being sexuality of repeatedonceagain in the posits her own desire for Kitty positsfor herbeing Kitty owndesire as ‘only 198 homosexuality as wrong orunnatural. internalised thisprocess, withis struggling fact the that worldthe by large,and female regards which issaying that it is perfectly fine to be lesbian, whilst the other half, the cultural half, which has this subjectregards which society tabooa within lesbian a as live and to trying how is that challenge thisthe on thus emerges thus provokesdiscourse a quasi split mind within the lesbian subject,197 one half of Indeed, we see this idea that Waters is striving for the cultural acceptance of female homosexuality female of acceptance cultural the for striving is Waters that idea this we see Indeed, Sarah Waters, Sarah Sarah The final way in which I see her novels as being engaged in a politics of politics in a engaged being as novels her see I which in way final The Waters, (1998) Tipping Tipping The Velvet Tipping Tipping the Velvet through the opening and closing theme tune which the which chimes theme tuneand closing openingthe through Tipping The Velvet (1998) Adapted for BBCthe bySally AndrewHead and Davis (London: Virago,2003), p.90(my Hereemphasis). a Affinity employed the discourse lesbian of and gay 68 where the very discourse of affinityship, which natural human nature human and proper.’ after all’ after 197 We see arguably 198 199 I would CEU eTD Collection always, already enacts a set of exclusions and foreclosures. and exclusions asetof enacts already always, ‘tothus be rendered if visible,’ renderingthe visible of subjectivities and sexualities discover avariety sexual of subjectivitiesandpractices on sexual her withindisplay indeed do we example, for sexuality, lesbian and sex lesbian of representation the itto When comes lesbianexistence. of realities and nuances complex the presents rather but women, between relationships romantic and sexual idealise subjectivities, and sexualities lesbian of diversity a presenting of despiteis capable writing her that fact the drag act of thenamely the Waters, of Sarah of writings the interesting aspects mostbe, of one the to Neo Victorianbelieve I what me to, brings This incur. may era,sexualities queer of visible rendering the in a way that does not which existence, queer of representation thepartial of dangers the pointing towards ‘institute.’ may sexuality gay and lesbian of visible’ ‘rendering the that exclusions’ ‘internal within discourse aswithin an discourse abiding falsehood.’ be to present another yetand from bediscourse, erased to is thing one ‘ithowever, wrote that there is indeed ‘apolitical imperative torenderlesbianism visible,’ When it comes to the politicsThe ‘Good’,the‘Bad’ andthe Politics ofRepresentation of representing the queer subject, Judith ButlerUK. the of once sociocultural and political for changes, concrete indeed towards striving are argue, Iwould that, cultural representation, and visibility of politics subtle very in a engaged much very thus are Waters Sarah of 202 201 Reader. A Reader in Feminist Theory 200 Ibid. Ibid, p.311. JudithButler, ‘Imitations and Gender Insubordination’ Lindain Nicholson(ed.) 201 Indeed, Butler also questions ‘which version lesbianof orgay ought’ (New York and London: Routledge, 1997), p.312. both 69 lesbians 200 Butler therefore warns against the and women, within the context the within women, 202 Butler is therefore The Second Wave CEU eTD Collection 205 204 power inequalities that can be prompted by differences in class, age and gender ageand in bydifferences class, be prompted inequalities thatcan power which occur within relationships between women, as well as the various divisions and violence of forms various the also depicts Kitty Waters Flo, and both in engages with relationships lesbianwhich share,women do through relationshipsthe Nan that aswell relationships. Therefore, as intensely thegentledepicting loving andyet lesbian of depiction her within emerging realism, stark similar a as well as sex. vanilla and of depictions democratic more acceptable readily culturally the surface, alongside to are permitted sexuality lesbian of pleasures “darker” socalled were the Waters, kindness.’ herin rage, Ifound, could attherightmoment be more thrilling fucking than in her sadistic, twice thinks Nan, that‘Once or shewould Ihoped rage.’ ‘in Nanas because Diana ‘fucking’ lesbian that in, sheposits enjoying women engage as sex lesbian vanilla theideal of actively far asdemythologise to sex that Nan and Flo engage in. Moreover,finallyDiana, ‘democratic’ verbally so called, and negotiated the, and consensual I would argue that Sarah with encounters Nan which Waters toys, sex and play role with goes sex, sosadomasochistic and and gentle vanilla sex, which Nan shares with Kitty, tothe lesbian bondage, dominage softfrom coy or shyand rangesthe therefore depicts Waters thatSarah subjectivities Within novels, if we are willing to look just a little deeper than the Neo Victorian façade. 203 Ibid. Ibid, p. 301. Sarah 204 We arguably find a similar diversity We find arguably of diversity lesbian asimilar of representation existence, the Waters, (1998) Thus, during anepisode ofintense sex, which is verging on violent, or Tipping theVelvet Tipping 205 This, therefore, symbolises a moment within the writings of Sarah of writings the within moment a symbolises therefore, This, Tipping TheVelvet Tipping the diversity of lesbian sexual practices and sexual (London: Virago, 2003), p.438. 70 make fucking me cross, the sexual sexual practice 203 CEU eTD Collection as in heterosexual ones’ as inheterosexual relationships in lesbian commodified be can ‘bodies out, points King Jeanette as that, backgrounds and ages, is continued within backgrounds ages, and class identifications, gender different of women between commodification gender solidarity.’ trumps easily differences class ‘when women lesbian between occur can sisterhood’ grows grows tired of with her.playing Therefore, 209 Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005) p.151. Diana andKitty of see (please or prohibited enclosed, more and sexuality her within excessive more both is subject lesbian role. subordinated of her step out like when shetries childto is a abusedandtreated physically whim and will.is Nan thus andcommodifiedobjectified as a sexual and‘servant’ she twenty yearsmay her asa senior, bepossession that up ather picked and dropped, by is treated Diana,relationship Nan hertherefore lover,whoisalsotento bourgeois women. two these between relationships in power the reflected being arelationshipis that alsomarked by differences of age andclass, are which This Diana. and Nan between relationship the in emerging women between occur relations.power Within heteronormative and patriarchal of forms all escapes lesbianism that discourses, perspective, which emerged within the contextof second wavelesbian feminist Velvet 208 steps out of line to defend herself, she is told by Diana to go to her room, almost like a naughty child. 207 bourgeois powerfem Diana and arguablythe butchRuth, forexample). and informs the way in which these lesbian subjects perform their gendered subjectivity (please see the identification. (please see Flo and Nanclass lesbianofas usually being in possession of certaina sense of comfort within their own sexuality which class and sexuality intersect within her novels. The way whichin Waters portrays theworking 206 Sheryl Stevenson, ‘Waters’s Jeanette King, “Degeneration and Sexual Anarchy; Performing Gender: Sarah Waters, Sarah Gender: Performing Anarchy; Sexual and “Degeneration King, Jeanette Here Ibid,p. 315. is told explicitlyNan thatsheby Diana is nothing but when and she a‘servant’ Indeed, a further point of interest, that is albeit not within the scope of this project, is the way in ” in The Victorian Woman Question in Contemporary Feminist Fiction 206 Tipping the Velvet In doing so, Waters therefore does indeed problematise the idealistic the problematise indeed does therefore Waters so, doing In 207 209 Finally, she is cast out, like a worn out rag doll, when Diana when doll, rag out worn a like out, is cast she Finally, Indeed, this theme of possession, sexual violence and Tipping the Velvet Tipping theVelvet Tipping 208 Affinity and that, as Sheryl Stevenson argues, ‘the betrayal of and Margaret of Margaret and ’ in The Explicator and Selina and Ruthof 71 we find the violence and divisions that do that divisions and violence the find we Affinity Tipping Affinity , vol.65, 2 no. (Winter 2007) p.128. whereitis arguably Ruth who, ). As well as of course how class reflect does, indeed, thefact highlight does, Affinity ), whereas the bourgeois the whereas ), (Basingstoke, Within this Tipping the CEU eTD Collection Circus 214 213 relationship’ (pp.200 – 201.) dominant / passive seemingly a in trapped are maid her and ‘criminal’ fleeing the even part; counter heterosexual its than rewarding more any as portrayed not is desire ‘lesbian Waters Sarah of novels the within that claims criminal’ it’s say should I ‘Queer? essay his in Llewellyn Whereas girl.’ exploited by lesbianher lover and Ruth, whodominated adopts victim, a stereotypicaland victimizer but andboth proves masterful attitude‘Selina because towards her imbalances’ power gendered argues that Waters ‘calls into questionthe extent to which real lesbian relationships actually resolve masterful attitude towards her girl,’ towards attitude masterful although what indeedRuth does adopt, Kohlke posits as, ‘a stereotypical butch and Circus been ‘created (…) anew.’ (…) been ‘created like sexuality leaves that shehas Nanfeeling a moreNan into daring and adventurous Diana physically abuses Nan and objectifies her as her sexual slave, Diana alsofrees identify.which Kohlkeand Llewellynthereforearguethatalthough both Iwould dynamichere, played victimiser than being other binary victim andthe out dichotomy according to Jeanette King,Jeanette according to 212 relationships, these as I will interpret to go onlens to show a littlesadomasochistic, or later. subdom, a or femme, and butch a uses one if particularly objectifying lesbian relationship, I think that there are also otherways of looking at this dynamic, However, whilst I agree with them Llewellyn. Mark to a certain and extent, Kohlke that Louise WatersMarie is portraying King, Jeanette a seemingly including on up picked have critics 211 Feminist Fiction Waters, Sarah Influences: Criminal 210 imbalances,’ resolve power gendered whichthrough isSarah Waters ‘lesbian questioning whether relationships actually incorrect identifying imbalances power the between lesbian protagonists,these certainly arethus and MarkLlewellyn Kohlke asMarie Louise such although critics in a space outsidewithin some of discoursesthe of second wavelesbian feminism,lesbianism that exists of patriarchalnotion, indeed idealisedthe we find does which Sarah Waters Therefore, problematise and heteronormative power relations. However, MarieLouise ‘IntoHistory Kohlke, the Back Through Door: The‘‘PastHistoric’’ in Sarah Sarah Waters, Sarah (1999) Jeanette King, “‘Criminals, Idiots, Womenand Minors:’ Deviant Minds inDeviant Bodies; Marie Louise ‘IntoHistory Kohlke, the Back Through Door: The‘‘PastHistoric’’ in and and Waters, (1998) Affinity’ Affinity’ (Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005) p.91. in in Women: A Cultural Review Women: CulturalA Review Tipping TheVelvet Tipping Affinity 213 210 The samemayfor beRuth andsaid because, Selina (London: Virago, 2004),p.352. objectifies by Selina heras ‘girl.’claiming Affinity 214 (London: Virago, 2003), p.251. ” in ” 212 this does not necessarily mean that Ruth and I would propose that there is also another is also there that propose Iwould , vol. 15., no 2., pp. 161 & 162. 72 The Victorian Woman Question in Contemporary , vol.15., 2., pp.no 161– 162. Here Kohlke thus This is a dynamic which several which dynamic a is This Nights at the Nights at the 211 CEU eTD Collection emphasis). and given a tight velvet chocker to wear. to chocker velvet atightand given where is Quick Ruth dressedindragasPeter is Selina bound and by regularly ropes séances spiritual inthe seen be can as enjoy, well very may they which domination, is inconsensual engaged sexual based relations are power that on submission and that femme a relationship and butch of we arehere emergence the seeing suggest that oppositions of‘passiv[ity]’ ‘domina[nce]’, and asLlewellyn suggests. Rather, Iwould Selina are‘trapped’ spiritual séances her script is also the extremely sexualised and yet submissive line ‘ line yetsubmissive and sexualised extremely the also is script her séances spiritual 216 Palgrave), pp.200 & 201. Metahistory inContemporary Women’s Writing 215 this life, lesbian issues of existential the deals with that herwriting aspectof every of the twentieth century. Whilst it is not within the scopeend of the this at chapter writing was toshe detail that time the at circulating were which community lesbian Britain, Waters contemporary for and version of a a displaced trope as By adoptingBritain Victorian therefore engages lesbian existence. challenges of lesbian lifeandthe of of difficulties the representation with the very her is Waters through arguably Sarah of thecommunity writing within emerging issues and concernsA further of the British way The Politics of Lesbian Life in which we see the politics and of sexuality. gender via queertheories exploration of the contemporary version lesbianismof is that highly complex nuancedand and thus ripefor adeeper neithernor demonising, idealising novels the do, indeed, Waters of Sarah representa British is which sexualities, and relationships lesbian of lesbian view critical and a diverse presenting Sarah Waters, (1999) In ofGenre’. Politics the and Waters Sarah Mould: the ‘Breaking Llewellyn, Mark 215 Affinity in an inimical relationship that is in inimical that an outrelationship of constructed binary the (London: Virago,2004), p. 261. Indeed, throughout scenes the of the , ed. Ann Heilmann and Mark Llewellyn(Basingstoke: 73 216 Therefore,in Iwould arguethat may Ibe used’ Metafiction and Metafiction (her CEU eTD Collection foreclosure of identity. creating by also but face, thesesubjects viable subject lesbian positions forrural rural lesbianthat subjects,of issues which sorts staves the off,what Judith Butler highlighting calls, only the not by books, her through community queer rural to the back reaching effectively is Wales, Pembrokeshire, rural currently notwithin the scope of this project, might be how Waters, as a lesbian writer who grew up in thee to a BigCity,’1998, p.37). Therefore,‘Get aninteresting pathway of to (Weston, thought pursue, whichis emerge to subjectivities queer for allowing and identities shaping for setting rural the Brighton andBristol, London, oras Leeds. such Furthermore, cities to Weston also relation illustrates in how importantparticularly UK, booksof the withinare context the within occur indeed does note that asimilardynamic, of the great migrationof gay people from the countryside to the big city, article speaks about thegreat gay migrationto the big Americancity, itis nevertheless interesting to by the gay subjectup gay in a rural area and sothe dynamic of the greatthat migration to the big city, whichthey isoftenundertaken mayCity’ by Weston,Kath forcomemy theoretical background. This outarticle discusses the difficultiesof of growingthe(Routledge: andLondon,York New Here 1998),p.29. Iam ondrawing article,the closet ‘GetThee to a Big or find a queer community. Although this 219 Hystories’, 218 p.1. identity,’ sexual of explorations ‘discouraged guardian which, asher notes, Pembrokeshire, reviewer recent novels. Waters’s Sarah within surfacing see them as I highlight will chapter afewto oflesbian keyissues try the of existence contemporary 217 grew up, to the great city of variety is to London,whereshefindsaqueer grew up, greatcity the variety that of and arguably most autobiographical novel, bigthe income city, order to as a lesbian, out is forcea driving within Waters’sfirst hardly surprising thatthetheme of growing upgayin countrysidethe andmigrating to themselves’ find and ‘to ofinterests communities canbethat quite queer,’ reinvent to ‘thischance it people with posits, provides Waters arguably because,as embarks in upon lesbian closet and daylight, into the is very much marked by journey the Nan that of the step out reinvent oneself and in to migration’ the bigcity, order ‘greatthe to calls Weston Kath what the and countryside in the gay up growing of difficulty the Kath Lucie Armitt, ‘Interview with Sarah Waters’ in Ann Heilmann and Mark Llewellyn (eds.), ‘Political (eds.), Llewellyn Mark and Heilmann Ann in Waters’ Sarah with ‘Interview Armitt, Lucie Sarah Waters quoted in Robert McCrum, ‘What Lies Beneath’ in Beneath’ Lies ‘What McCrum, Robert in quoted Waters Sarah Since Sarah Waters is a Welsh lesbian writer who upgayin is grew rural lesbian Waters writer Since aWelsh Sarah Weston, ‘Get Thee to a Big City’ in Feminist Review, Tipping vol.85 (Spring 2007) p. 119. , from from , provincialfishing the of Whitstable town where she 217 and who adopted London as her home city, home her as London adopted who and 74 Tipping theVelvet Tipping Long, Slow Burn: Sexuality and Social Science The Observer . 219 Indeed, this theme of (10 th of May 2009) 218 it is it CEU eTD Collection (Routledge: New York and London, 1998), p. 39. harrowing break-up with Kitty, therefore marks the placelessness of marks the of Kitty, lesbian placelessness the with therefore harrowing break-up her after city London of alleys back the through wandering lost Her within. feet her findmind see,never first struggles to Nan at subculture, which a quasiunderground the margins of the city,rather than being at the heart of city culture, and as existing as isthis very by community much Sarah Waters’s queer presented either. Indeed, although there is a vast queer community present in the city of London, Waters’s subjectivity. and sexuality lesbian of interests the share who oneself, like are whom others find towards the diverse and seta journey on out to anonymous subject is rural itqueer the important for marks how therefore space of the city in Astley to reinvent themselves andlesbian migration to from the country to the city that structures the life story of Nan great the of This trajectory express herqueersubjectivity. to provide herwith a space who lesbian andqueersubjects, other of community a diverse amemberof becomes she where London, of city vast the to moves she when her like are whom others are syndromeis that socommon amongst rural queer subjects) prone to sufferingbeingas it due thus in villagethe were (who to understandably is the onlyone quite from journey is alsothus ajourney from isolationthe of being the only gay in thevillage, what Weston community herand,identity. of course, own queer within picaresque this Inscribed dubs the ‘I’m the only one in the world’ 220 Kath However, the city space of London is not presented within the pages of thepages within presented Sarah of is city the spaceof However, not London Weston, Kath, ‘Get Thee to a Big City’ in Tipping theVelvet Tipping Tipping theVelvet Tipping as an entirely unproblematic space for the lesbian subject , and indeed the story of Sarah Waters’s own life, 75 Long,Slow Burn: Sexuality and Social Science 220 to finding out thatfinding there to out Tipping as haunting as CEU eTD Collection subject within the city space. within city the subject 222 Geographies of Sexualities (eds.), Valentine Gill and Bell David in Flâneur’ Lesbian ‘The Munt, Sally see Please theorised. is that flâneur lesbian the being as theorises Munt Sally which subject, lesbian 221 pub, the Boy in the Boat, one evening: follows the descriptionBritish society within the nineteen nineties, neverof mind the Victorian era. Indeed,the here journey that as forlesbianarguably acts position within marginaliseda metaphor the of existence Nan and Flo make to theone visit of thethe queer mostflights of steps, around so many corners, and through backmanyso doors and, of course, in troddengeographical and cultural isdescribed by beingpositionality many Waters as down so and roughoutside areas almost exists of which ofmansion bourgeois realityluxurious the London couple, lesbian clandestine the itself, city itself,the theprivate bedroom thetheatre, of of inspace imaginary the permissibly expressed socialist which feminist of is Britishthe fact the lesbianism symbolised lesbian is by that community only ever thus household and the queer pub whose through her novels is the emotional traumas and affective turmoil that lesbian subjects lesbian that turmoil affective and traumas emotional is the novels her through its thanvery centre. rather at culture, of margins British often only able toexpress itself in the hiddenaway and shadowy underground liberatinglesbian apparently desire spaceof London ismore city, and existence than Waters’s Within Sarah SarahWaters, (1998) sexualised wandering thus and exiled of the placelessness the embodies much very therefore She Arguably, a darker aspect of lesbian existence that Sarah Waters addresses Sarah Waters that lesbian existence of a darkeraspect Arguably, was the room (…) that we had come for.’ come we had that (…) room the was this behind and glass frosted of door a was there bottom atthe cellar; a been have once have must what to steep treacherous and looking steps took usdownwards, rather of set a Here back. the at entrance darker smaller a to building the around and door the past me led ‘She Tipping TheVelvet Tipping (London: Routledge, 1995) p. 115. Tipping theVelvet Tipping 221 Whereas the underground nature of queer culture and culture of queer nature underground Whereasthe (London: Virago, 2003), p.414. 76 we therefore findeven within the that therefore we 222 Mapping Desire: CEU eTD Collection as alesbian in againwithin once society, surfacing a heteronormative contentment. We find this theme, of the emotional trauma that can be caused by living than liveto in this of world heterosexualitycompulsory in which she can findno rather Thames, the of river in the affects and body queer own her drown to chooses she intense that is so Thisanexile that subject. asalesbian culture heteropatriarchal which thusand allits ordinary rules marks the extreme feelings of exile that Margaret feels from her them with me, writing that, ‘I wish that, if anyone shoulddesires forher existential andherturmoil We death. forthcoming here findtherefore look for faults in this, then they will inwards,system of becausesheblamescompulsory heterosexuality her ownlesbian find the of existence inimical the as well as homosexuality, female on taboo the of effects traumatic the her turning see weclearly herburns diaries, Margaret after desires queer suicide note to Helen. Within thisletter, which is all the traces that are left her of own markedby herfinal male, is furthermore love a heterosexual of acceptable object more the onto her affections displace to culture by heteronormative less coerced heteronormative state of outofjointbeing with is of feelings the by her own caused that trauma the world andemotional The Steven. thisbrother, her with lossconvenience of a marriage to Helen, lover, of her lover Helen, who is suicidemore and, indeed, as suffering from a severe formor of depression, after she looses her Affinity lesbian pagesof the of particularly within lifeemerging find this troublesome aspect structured by, what Adrienne Rich theorises as, ‘compulsory by,heterosexuality.’ as,‘compulsory structured Richtheorises whatAdrienne due may encounter livinginheteropatriarchal to their a which isarguably world, 223 224 1981), p.4. Adrienne Rich, SarahWaters, (1999) , where Margaret is described as having previously attempted tocommit attempted ishaving previously as , whereMargaret described with meandmy queer nature, thatset meso atoddswithworld the Compulsory HeterosexualityLesbian Existence and Affinity . I could not find a place in it to live and be content,’ and live to in it a place find not could I . (London: Virago, 2004), pp. 316 &315 (my emphasis). 77 (London: Onlywomen Press, Onlywomen (London: Tipping the 223 We 224 CEU eTD Collection Tipping few years prior to the publication of publication the to prior years few 227 which was not around whenWaters herself was growing up in the 1970’s and 1980’s. of course supposed to be a more liberated country than the UK, and it is most certainly not a problem Velvet society.’ Whilst this report does concern the USA wasand written some years prior to heterosexualtheir peers, than as a suicide result of the isolation commit to and likely rejection more times that tree they or two encounter are within a homophobicteenagers gay and ‘lesbian that states her Indeed, she provides the withexampleus of a USgovernment fromreport 1989, whichaccording to society. heteronormative and a homophobic in living oftheir aresult as face, lesbians that issues (London: Cassel, 1996),p.xv. Here Rosenbloom highlights how self and harm suicide seriousare Velvet in both to attention draws subtly very Waters Sarah which existence, individual institutional may level and an beidentified asafurther aspectof lesbian leaveperiodically in herwakingupsoaked tears. moreover, suffers from recurring nightmares ofher break Kitty, upwith which partdarkened a for of agood eight, whereof room shabbyLondon flat, chapter she, Nan abandoning find with loveproblematic wethus Nan. Indeed, yetenrichingaffairsheshares that the world the life, over marriage and theeasypath aheterosexual of Kitty loverchooses of publicVelvet life and her own good health, to pace the 226 and pages 191 & 196 in particular. 225 homophobic violence and harassment was very much an issue at the time that Waters was writing. Waters that time the at issue an much very was harassment and violence homophobic of. part as much very is writing, her through Waters, Sarah which community, lesbian values, are place in whichisa world, by by heteropatriarchal norms and largestructured and still issuesproblems such depression as and selfharm, well as as a general feeling being of out of that are society has grownof more tolerant of lesbian existence, I would arguepressing that psychological concern for the contemporary British Ibid, p.30. Ibid, Rachel Waters, Sarah (1998) 226 (1998) and certainly and , where Nan is posited as suffering from a similar bout of depression, after her Violence againstlesbian women on both a physical and a mental, as well as an on several occasions and indeed on several differentlevels. The first time that Rosenbloom (ed.), Affinity Here, Anya Palmer, in hersurvey of Britishlesbian existence, whichwas undertaken a . 227 Tipping TheVelvet We find the topic of Wefindhomophobic of thetopic violence withinemerging Affinity Unspoken Rules: Sexual Orientation and Lesbian Human Rights (1999), this problem is by no means confined to the USA, which is Tipping theVelvet (London: Virago, 2003),please seegeneral8 in chapter 78 225 (1998) was published, highlights how Whilst things have and changed Tipping the Tipping the CEU eTD Collection ‘toms’ flying at them ‘toms’ flyingthem bullet.’‘like at a by performances a male who memberof sends audience derogatory their the word hall music their of one during Kitty and Nan when arguably is topic this encounter we 234 literally embodies, to so ‘shrug’ Annie as it off. power, the have they Indeed, speech. hate ofhomophobic acts these disregard to power solidarity with one another, and,233 thus because they 232 are with one another, they231 arguably have a certainbodies. 230 canharm language which way in the clearly quite shows scene their because speech, hate of (p.159). This is particularly important‘When within we thissay dynamic that wherean insultNan andfurthermore Kitty She strikes are(p.137). them attacked silences thus and subject likeof the by voice the an act deauthorise a blow,effectively speech hate highlights we imply that our bodies Performativethe arevery injured bodily by such speech’ harm229 that such 228 injurious speech can do because she says that Boy. atThe ‘trouble’ ever any is there whether asks Nan when girl, her of husband the by fight’ a in broken head her friendshome arewalking andshe that queeristold the from ‘once awoman pub got her and Nan when again once emerging violence homophobic of theme this find bullet. by a real shot been had she though as almost shocked is body her and silenced voice iseffectively becauseher acts, of speech nature hateful as theinjurious against lesbian women in women lesbian against psychic traumas. or any physical incurring from them protects againstthem,therefore are directed acts that hate from homophobic the theirand disassociation theirsolidarity However, out. night queer their from home way their on at spat and harassed verbally homophobic hate speech has on Kitty speech hate what Judith highlights has onKitty homophobic Butler therefore ‘never like to see girls calling for [her]’ and therefore ‘slapped [her] over itonce.’ over [her] ‘slapped andfor [her]’ therefore see girls calling like ‘never to Ibid, p.434. Ibid, p.425. Ibid, p.424. SarahWaters, (1998) Butler, Judith ‘Implicit Censorship and Discursive Agency’ in SarahWaters, (1998) Ibid. Here Waters describes these women as being in a ‘group’ of lesbian subjects, who are in are who subjects, oflesbian ‘group’ a in being as women these describes Waters Here Ibid. Finally, Sarah Waters also addresses the challenging topic of familial violence (New Routledge,York: 1997) p.137 & 159.Within these pages Butler arguesthat actsof 233 Tipping TheVelvet Tipping TheVelvet Tipping Tipping 231 Furthermore, the group of lesbian women are then are women lesbian of group the Furthermore, because Flo reports that her older brother Frank brother her older that reports Flobecause (London: Virago, 2003), p.141. (London:Virago, 2003) p.140. 228 79 The very bodily effect that this act of act this that effect bodily very The Excitable Speech:APolitics ofthe 229 230 posits We 234 232 CEU eTD Collection particularly within particularly the family is a an almostenclosed within else or alienated from heteronormativeThisthis structure. sense that stiflingly enclosinglesbians havesubjects often with theirbiological families, dueto theirfeeling space for the lesbian subject emerges contrast to this, the family that we have presented to us in was arguably by lovercatalysed her Helen taking herbrother for a husband. In monitors every shefirstwho which move makessincehersuicidesingle that attempt, “life style.” lesbian marginalised a to specific are that issues only perspective, mainstream more remained ignorant of or at least unconcerned with these issues that are after all,from a practices discursive isthat mainstream more and might which have otherwise of circle a as posit may one what into enter to topics these for allows that novels her of value entertainment very is the it that claim even might one Thus, novels. lesbians,detracting againstdirected her without value from entertainment the of is that violence the about her readership toteach able are discourses subtle these isis that what yet certain, reading. And level on least a conscious the of entirely - at topiclesbians, that theviolence readermay of against be formissing forgiven it on so subtleis the homophobic facewomen this society. Indeed,discourse within breaks is thusheart and affairs love halls, music a and very acts drag of story delightful this into subtleWoven discourse on the lesbian of Thus, marking nature violencesuch familial thetraumatic against women. various forms of violenceThis is moreover posited as by Flo asanincident which she has ‘neverforgotten.’ that lesbian 235 Ibid. Both Affinity Affinity and Tipping , where Margaret is effectively spied upon by her mother, her by upon spied is effectively Margaret where , moreover present the problematic relationship that relationship moreover present problematic the 80 Tipping theVelvet Tipping is 235 CEU eTD Collection biological ties and compulsory heterosexuality, may be more accommodating of existence. lesbian accommodating more be may heterosexuality, compulsory and ties biological Waters’s Sarah pagesof son therefore emerges withinCyril. the Flo Hope adopted theirof and brother is the who Ralph gentle the Flo, lover her of household feminist socialist the kinship emerging within we queer of seeanewtype subject, also lesbian the of andalienating enclosing However, as on the other hand, is castwell off from her family after she is caught kissing a girl maid. as this as Kitty Whereas is havingnot presented a family atall from a very young age,Zena, implicit their families displacedfrom often queersexual preferences.theirdue to precisely critique of the heteronormative family as both fulfilled. should therefore keep silent about it and notbring it anywhere near the family,may be tohearwould Kitty be of her ‘shameful’ disgusted with andrelationship that Nan family her makes, that Alice which hersister threat the that fears she because Indeed, sexuality. lesbian her of because precisely them abandons eventually and family her have athis hisdaughter side ever.’ for weren’t made to (…) ‘children pleasethat saying do, to her allows father her done, have their well very might parents’ they imagines andshe as this, that forbidding than rather Kitty, be thereforeto lover her with London ‘no father should go life, to freeexpect becausewhen to daughter run Nan fruitsof decides andenjoy the to depicted as examplealmost setting itletting agood comes when to theirlesbian 238 237 act ofthe in providing engaged a positive extent some role to is model forWaters familial Thus, behaviourexistence. in relation lesbian to lesbiandaughter’s their existence. prohibits, than rather loved one of the same sex, whilst simultaneously providing a positive example of a family that allows, womenmight encounterwhen they approachtheir families about living an independent life witha 236 Ibid, p.322. Ibid, p.134. Ibid, pp. 58 & 59. Here Waters is illustrating the sort of inimical prohibitions that young lesbian 237 Tipping theVelvet Tipping Indeed, all of the lesbian characters of lesbian characters Indeed,all the of Tipping theVelvet Tipping a queernew whichthat family isbased structure, on not 236 81 Yet Nan nevertheless feels alienated from YetNanfeels alienated nevertheless , since Nan comes to feel at home within Tipping theVelvet are presented as arepresented 238 CEU eTD Collection kosher, she ‘would have to give upthestage.’ have kosher, she‘would to Kitty, who warns Nan that if the public were to know that their relationship is not was certainly of relevance in the nineteen nineties, when Waters waswriting nineties, whenWaters in was certainly of nineteen relevance the lesbiansforanywherelife inthe of workingthe bourgeoisie,public acritique which Nan. lover lesbian herwith heart the of relationshipher than pursue rather husbandconvenience, of Walter marry asher in lifeand to femininity herpublic herheterosexual masquerade issue are furthermore highlighted within highlighted furthermore issue are so. couplefind are forcedto music another hall perform to in andloose money in doing lesbian tommishor performances, publicslanderbreaksloose and lesbianthe so quasi their against speech homophobic hate of anact directs audience memberthe of of British culture and society. cultureand of British spaces more conservative within certain is still writingconcern today, and arguably of was Waters when century nineteenth the of end the during women lesbian for concern homophobic Indeed,is thismuchvery or a issuethat harassmentatwork. an was loss job face meanhaving to canoften job of the on sincecloset being the out work, 240 very real issue forlesbians, at the very time that Waters herself was writing. and thus people are often(London: Cassel, 1996), in p.vii. Herethe Rosenbloom highlightscloset that coming out atwork, can riskjob loss when they are at work. This is therefore highlighted as being a Waters’s 239 242 241 [them], if people thought that [they]were –like that.’ to Nan that she ‘would have to give up the stage’ and so would Kitty herself, ‘if there was talk about components of their lives.’ of their components homosexuality on taboo the ‘that of marriage, those and and sexual orientationtowards men, of heterosexuality are inevitable,norms evenif unsatisfactory cultural oroppressive oblique the by convinced been she has that fact the demonstrates clearly very Kitty because heterosexuality compulsory 1981), p.12. Withinthis dynamic we arguably inscribedfind the workings of what Richtheorises as Sarah Waters, (1998) Rachel Adrienne Rich, Ibid, pp.140 & 143. 241 Itis arguably for these very sociocultural reasons that Kitty therefore chooses to A further issue which is rather surreptitiously highlighted A furtherissue Sarah highlighted is throughout ratherwhich surreptitiously Tipping Rosenbloom (ed.), Compulsory HeterosexualityLesbian Existence and is that lesbians have a difficult relationship with of public sphere with the havelesbiansrelationship adifficult is that 242 Implicit within this episode is thus the idea that there is no place Tipping The Velvet Unspoken Rules: Sexual Orientation and Lesbian Human Rights 239 This issue highlighted is arguably within (London: Virago, 2003), p.131. Here Kitty forewarnsthus Tipping 82 240 through the fact that after a maleafter a thefactthat through The economic dimensions of this of dimensions economic The (London: Onlywomen Press, Onlywomen (London: Tipping Tipping. by CEU eTD Collection identity. else effectively Judith or prevents, undoes,what Butler ‘foreclosure’ calls,the of lesbian because very through of the sex,sexuality this and subjectivity, representation primarily function possibility of politics These novels. her throughout possibility of Victorian era, Sarah Waters also engages with, what I wish to call, the utopian politics existence lesbian and contemporary of the challenges of some asdepicting aswell However, the dayImagine theChange, Be theChange: the Utopian Politics of Possibility to day difficulties of lesbian life through the trope of the depth discussionof this term and its implications forlesbian existence. Performative 243 overcomingandinternal external prohibitions herwith to queer desires, unnameable becoming aware of her lesbian sexuality,from being uncertain and uncomfortable journey herher from hope, whichmarksbeing unaware transition sexuality,to of of household of her lover Flo,feminist socialist the is, as well as London, therefore,of community queer class, working a quasi emancipatory journey, that smallthe fishingfindingWhitstable,of belonginga space town to amongst of the is also a and self acceptance subject. as a lesbian Herjourney from being the lesbian inonly belonging social aspace of journey of through towards emerging Nan’s possibility shadowy margins. its at than rather of culture, heart very palpitating the areat subjects where queer visionis tolerant a worldof thatlesbianof sexuality subjectivity.and aworld Indeed, presentingthrough of averysubtle a discourse change,hope filled which presents function,lesbian. Moreover,argue, these politics of possibility goonto Iwill also as effectively else for possibility novels, beingor these up the open therefore, becoming Judith Butler, Judith ‘Implicit Censorship and Discursive Agency’ in Within Sarah Waters’s Within Sarah 243 Indeed, byrendering viablelesbian available subject positions women, to (New York: Routledge, 1997) p. 138. Please see my theoretical chapter for a more in- Tipping theVelvet 83 we arguably see the utopian politics utopian we arguablyseethe Excitable Speech: APolitics ofthe CEU eTD Collection reader with a discursive space in which she may imagine the possibility of becomingin shemay imagineof which thepossibility reader with space a discursive Velvet SarahWaters’s lesbian social subject, asa belonging journey towards the ‘rising ripple of applause,’ of ‘risingripple the by is subject, her alesbian by symbolised Whereas beingaccepted as society Nan’s Kitty.as her with previouswas relationship chastisedso, for doing casewith the which she may express hersexualityher freely, having without worry to beingof as a lesbian Italsomarkssubject. herhavingfound a queer space belonging in of such issexuality inbeing theriskvisible she that willingtotake to an public extentof internal prohibitions lesbian on anddesire herbeing her with comfortable own and external the both overcome having her marks Kitty, with kisses her of carefulness carelessness with which Nan kisses Floher.’ kissed at and the Ileaned not, or socialist watched anybody whether rally, which contrasts with the success of Sarah Waters’s novel, Waters’s of Sarah success herbreaking quasi anticipating itand the ground story, endof aswell as arguably the herto [Flo], took handin mine, between ourfingers crushed the daisy and, back turned ‘I novel. the closes which kiss public yet and intimate by the symbolised her is of heracceptance own Arguably, sexuality heraccepts lesbian subjectivity. belonging which of aqueerspace moveher selftowards and towards acceptance whom she calls ‘my people.’ ‘my calls she whom one’ ‘only the and isolated being beingto out of closetthe and beingvisiblelesbian asa subject,and,finally,from and being openly her expressing from sexuality, in and closet the hidingher desires, 247 246 245 244 Ibid. Ibid, p. 472 (my emphasis). Ibid, p. 467. SarahWaters, (1998) thus embodies the politics of possibility by providing the contemporary lesbian Tipping TheVelvet Tipping 245 247 This journey therefore symbolises both her transition her both symbolises therefore journey This kiss between the two lesbian lovers, Nan and Flo, and Nan lovers, lesbian two the between kiss 244 Tipping the Velvet Tipping (London: Virago, 2003), p.417. to being amongst others whom are ‘like’ her, ‘like’ are whom others amongst being to 84 . Through Nan’s. Through this finaleto 246 Here thevery Here Tipping the careless of CEU eTD Collection Tipping ways of being alive ‘wonderful things!’ which are described byFlo beingas ‘newkinds of people, new therethat are‘new of things’the‘muck’ growing out injusticesand world,the the of relevance lesbianto women of the late nineteenth century, because isof specifically more Waters isspeakingabout social that the change argue that embody a drastic change in andsexualrelations.gendered Indeed, Iwould thusalso which of both century, twentieth late the writing, was Waters in which time the time in which in time the between here, we encounter that parallel distinct the to attention draw therefore would Waters was twentieth I likewhich within.writing century Furthermore, to ago.’ mothershave would think laughed of seeingdoingto theiryears daughters twenty their today things do ‘Women that furthermore and changing’ are ‘Things that atin social arose women’s position endofthe the that nineteenthby positingcentury, highlights, King Jeanette social change and a better world for women, lesbians and the working classes. As of possibility a subtlethrough which the possibility revolutionary posits discourse, of integration, Sarah Waters’s Sarah integration, taboo. homosexuality renders of which margins a society shadowy atthe than rather and existence, lesbian isdesire of very heartaccepting the of which isa culture at lesbian andbecoming as accepted lesbian. Indeed,finding of aspace belongingof that 249 248 Ibid. Ibid, p.391. 248 As well as this discourse of a journey towards social belonging and However, I would say that these statements are equally true of the late is talking about and lesbian sexuality become even more evident when we Tipping and inlove…. is set, that being the fin dé siécle of the nineteenth century, and Tipping Tipping theVelvet does indeed point towards the indeedpotentialtowards does for change point ’ 249 This connection between the social changes that changes social the between connection This 85 furthermore engages with with politics engages the furthermore Tipping also posits CEU eTD Collection within the readers mind, so as to engender the possibility of catalysing real changes real catalysing engender possibility of the as to mind, so within readers the change cultural and social of seed the planting by novel, fictional the of marks white theVelvet Tipping Sarah Waters’s novel. Indeed, the politics of possibility that we find in Sarah Waters’s changes, but rather a sign of the forth political isand real social calling note on the of ends a political that rally subtle politics of possibilitystrive that aretowards. at work within Thus,reader it is toto imaginemy mind theirno mere ownand by givingversioncoincidence them a vision, albeit a visionof changes, that social isreal the akin engendering to a of blankqueercapable that and slatepowerful thatrather but allows new theinsignificant, world that she is invoking, duty social of intoby giving theirnot hands,change feel them own powerto the to new world’ ‘queer the realise that might very well be hoping herself to Waters achieve that through ofreaction her sort writing.the verbalises arguably member audience this Thus, it.’ change to that ‘Ihave always found theworld to be so terribly unjust (…) but feltonly powerless, before today, 257 256 255 254 253 252 251 250 must you must ‘But lines domore than ‘You of and welcomethe utopian this cheer’ novel, ‘revolution,’ inviting her readers to act on actbehalf sinceinviting herto on new of readers order, world this changes, by positing that ‘We want tosee society quite transformed!’ social for wassubtly concrete Waters queer newworld, political and Sarah calling ‘contributing’ that these two lovers’ ‘democratic’ two these that Ibid, p.461. Indeed, there is a very explicit passage where one of the female audience members says Ibid, p.459. Ibid. Ibid, p.438. Ibid, p.391. Ibid, pp.437 & 438. Ibid, p. 392. Ibid. act .’ 256 251 This therefore empowers her readers in a very subtle way to take the totake in way a very subtle herreaders empowers This therefore 254 which to Flo is ‘like love,’ towards. Moreover, wouldtowards. I in arguethat presenting vision this of a is therefore a politics which tries to reach out beyond the black on 250 253 that is being engendered that through agradual lesbian sexual is relationship besaid to 86 252 is a revolution and a new world order Tipping theVelvet Tipping 255 Indeed, by states that 257 CEU eTD Collection 260 259 Complutense arguably Selina who advances this revolutionary discourse within discourse advances thisrevolutionary whoarguably Selina isIt subculture. margins of a queer shadowy merely the at than rather public society, society. Indeed, whereworld may wherelesbian bevisibleand queersubjects andacceptedby within lesbian and queer Enfolded within onVictoriansubjects discourse this spiritualism is a thus hope of subtextual a light.’ day may the in city, the of find pavement the walk will spirits true, be a to placespiritualism in the centre of spiritualism that we findspiritualism thatwithin it. in Flo and Nan as within the real world, that may bring forth a queer new world, which has such women Margaret Atwood's 258 is system gender current the where a reality into ‘evolve’ to or it’ from rise to made ‘wewere whereas andsexualrelations, sexed,gendered reality of our present the to or earth’ the we are‘bound to that society heteropatriarchal within gendered roles itwithin herargumentthat is by only same ‘the doing thing’andby playing the same befor with engendered is achange the We past. through to a break that this find call invisiblethe and ghostly sprits. by wholesbians here symbolisedfor is that are queergenderedsubjects, and coming’ and the queer community of andLondon. queer community of the lesbianism of nature acts as underground for the out, a metaphor Arias Doblaspoints asRosario which, spiritualism, onVictorian discourse fantastic gothic novel’s the through surface arguably of possibility These politics visionary onamoretone. take which is more down earthto and immediate, Iwould argue that the politics of SarahWaters, (1999) SarahWaters, (1999) Rosario Arias Doblas, ‘Talking With The Dead: Revisiting The Victorian Past And The Occult in Occult The And Past Victorian The Revisiting Dead: The With ‘Talking Doblas, Arias Rosario Whereas Sarah Waters’s Sarah Whereas , Vol. 13, p.103. Alias GraceAlias Affinity Affinity (London: Virago, 2004), p.151. (London: Virago, 2004), p.151. and Sarah Waters' Sarah and 259 Affinity Tipping theVelvet A new time ‘when so many people will believe thus surreptitiously ‘the newspeaks of time 87 258 Affinity Indeed, the visionary discourse of ’ in ’ presents a politics of possibility Estudios Ingeses delaUniversidad Affinity by calling Affinity 260 CEU eTD Collection feminist perspective which posits this genderless world as ‘freedom’ world this genderless which posits feminist perspective genderless world as ‘chaos,’ world genderless which this point regards and view conservative amoretraditional whorepresents Margaret, characters central her through system gender binary heteropatriarchal the of Bornstein. Winterson, Butler, Wilchins Judith Kate Riki likefeministand Jeanette writers of queer politics deconstructionist radically the to closer herearetherefore politics lesbian feministidentity politics, which has been the subject of my thesis thus far. Her first thing that must be cast off.’ ‘the is distinctions, gendered and sexed binary these have we that fact very the even movingintoa space of 267 explicitly genderless one. deconstructivist creative and project, queer which does radically more indeedfar a call for in aplayfully engaged is genderedand society,label lesbian if not an the rejects who Winterson, Jeanette as such authors, queer and lesbian other to comparison in especially theory, queer and project might very well engage with the way that SarahWaters engages with lesbianidentity politics sexuality. Whilstsuch agenderless worldthis would inevitably involve the abolitionis of the culturala taboofar onlesbian largermay arguably be seen tobe making abid fordebate agenderlessfrom world in grounds favour no of being lesbianthan existence, there to whichlead to claim because a specificcould lesbiansexuality. is However,currentlydistinctions within thecontextof sexed of thispassage, Sarah abolition Waters rather the course of because if lesbians problematic for within benefit of be would distinctions thegendered and scopeof sexed abolition the Whether ofwomen. and man as this such categories binary of such project, abolition the vs. genders for need strategic a further century, with regards to identity politics and deconstructivist theories of gender and sexuality, and the of a debate that was arising within the realms of feminist and queer theory, at the end of the twentieth both’ for a world that is as genderless as the spirit world where subjects are ‘neither, and obsolete, but that we would changed.’ so, ‘until never butthat we do obsolete, 266 performative acts. as gender and sex posits which perspective, theoretical yet queer and lesbian a sofrom do Butler Judith and Winterson Jeanette perspective, transgendered a sofrom do Bornstein Kate and Wilchins gender andsexuality system eradication and the of sexed andgendered distinctions. Whilst Riki 265 264 263 262 261 SarahWaters, (1999) Sarah Waters, (1999) sex, binary ofthe abolition the in invested degree, orlesser agreater to all, are theorists These Ibid. Ibid, p.209 (her emphasis). Ibid, p.210. Ibid, p.209. 262 genders, by saying that our genders, notionsby sayingtraditional ‘ that our of 265 We thus see Waters engaging directly with the debate on abolition on the debate the with directly engaging Waters see Wethus Affinity Affinity queer (London: Virago, 2004), p.210. (London: Virago, 2004),p.210. This episode isarguably symptomatic 266 lesbian feminist politics that lies beyond traditional beyond lies that politics feminist lesbian and Selina, who represents a radically queer lesbian 264 It is arguably here that we see Sarah Waters we see Sarah that here is It arguably 88 261 women Indeed, she thus calls and 267 men and as ‘a ,’ 263 or CEU eTD Collection of functionlesbianbetween of toprohibit andyetalsosexual women the within desires produce both category the which of sexuality, binary and sex, gender very distinctions vision of a world that would be tolerant of inhabitableand bylesbians,because those thus find emerging out of Waters’s of pagesof the findthus out emerging itis, butandgross be forwill what whereit wrong’ love.’ regarded ‘only be ‘passion’ transformed not will ‘something intotherefore by others’ discourses nor andher whereis neither taboo this lesbian desire as regards a world where imaginesfor lesbian asbeingbecauseMargaret therefore shesubjects emancipatory women and yetof vastly social different backgrounds. Thisis moreover aworld that well as as onesexuality, and gender sex, of one both as ofinterpreted be course, of class,may, boundary age and social becauseisfrom atpresent, they by herare ‘kept some false boundary.’ standing,it as world in the or earth,’ the on to look to think never ‘would they whom someone since Margaret with connections may makethese persons where love and on society places that and Selina sexualare both and spiritual beinginlove and of desiring. Indeed,this isatruly affinities vision utopian worldthe of where may connect across the culturally constructed barriers wife for her husband is not the only kind of love, a of love the that and, heterosexuality, compulsory by bound be desire, sexual and which is made of love only,is, of course, also the idea, that neither love, nor sexuality world that is that world circuit can notliterary possibly British ofthe quarters renderconservative and as wrong homophobic most the even or way that a perverse. in existence and desire oflesbian tolerance the for vying again once is Waters that argue might one lesbianism, opposition to the purely carnal pleasure of sex, which thus effectively might effectively desexualise and emotional love and 271 270 that it exists at all. culture, whichis however rendered so invisible unavailableand that Margaret might not evenknow forher husband.’ She therefore implies that lesbian relationships are also a possibility withintheir 269 268 Ibid,p.316. Whilst it debatable is how radically suchqueer aworldwould spiritual be,where true Ibid. Ibid. Here Selina thus asks Margaret Ibid. (Heremphasis). ‘Did you think there is only the kind of love your sister knows made of love.’ only love between women isset uprather implicitly in avalue laden binary in 268 Included vision in ofa utopian this genderless world 89 Affinity 269 but that there are other ways of ways other are there that but is a very subtle revolutionary subtle very a is 270 271 This false This What we CEU eTD Collection lesbian existence within the context of the UK emerging within a novels, a path that I that a path novels, a within emerging UK the of context the within existence lesbian onto further lesbian paths politics withinemerging herNeo novels Victorian has andit a opened door ofcontemporary the find we which thought in way the to introduction an as served has chapter as to how we it findingand veryheartof the belonging this aspaceof society. this at Therefore, see the contemporarypossibility for lesbian subjectivity being within desire, and existence accepted society specificitiesin is which Waters engaged in a politics of imagination,the which dreams upthe of light of livingheteropatriarchaltheir in society a andconcluded it by the positing way partialising. Moreover, it illustrated sorts the of problems thatlesbian facewomen in sexualities andsubjectivities, whichisneither idealisingnor demonising, or lesbian of Waters is representation it engagedinadiverse argued that Furthermore, lesbian subjectivity, by providing subjectof a women with position. possibility the it lesbian prevents of insuch visible that foreclosure a way the subjectivity and lesbian desire she renders that argued also It Britain. of contemporary context the within desire lesbian of acceptance and tolerance cultural the for fighting effectively is that visibility lesbian of project a with engaged are novels her of politics lesbian contemporary the inwhich way the analysed therefore has It manner. displaced and veiled a rather in Britain contemporary of context the within existence lesbian of specificities the speakabout herto allows Victorian genre Neo the Waters Sarah Conclusively, this chapter has argued that within Conclusively, hasarguedthat chapter this Conclusion longer boundby falsethe boundaries socially constructed sex of and gender. desireareno andidentity andtherefore havebeen erased, cultures, heteropatriarchal 90 Tipping theVelvet and Affinity , CEU eTD Collection Sarah Waters to pursue to its, I am sure, very fruitful ends. the novelsof is with concerned scholar who gender literary or any would encourage 91 CEU eTD Collection language of the body, rather than through a language of the tongue. the of language a through than rather body, the of language lesbianon desiremay be found the oblique within of articulation desirethis a through prohibition the of subversion the that thusposited chapter logic. This phallogocentric quasi as positsto that this expressive language of the body may be seen beto operating on a moreover drew on the French feminist theories of Luce Irigaray and Hélèn Cixous, so way anexpressivein beregardedaslanguage.It may which to body the pertaining discuss to in the order and Giddens, Deniz Merleau-Ponty, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, It then went on to draw on theorists of the body language,body, which is an ultimately ornonoblique verbal mode of communication. such as Goffman, Elizabeth Grosz, on transmitted an interpersonal level, through oblique language verbal and affective that it is thus important acted inscribingof on, withoutlanguage.or explicithas into this moreover It argued to look atbe spoken to not is that isthe it what know being is who way subject the lets that way in a such which the taboo on lesbian in is thatoblique which rendered taboo, being to language,which effectively refers desire is through transmitted tabooonlesbian this desire hashomosexuality. alsoargued that It male with case the is as law, the within inscribed are that prohibitions explicit through lesbian than desire,rather on primarily cultural taboo oblique occurs the through Friedman,as argue andMichele Foucault, so prohibitionthe thatto lesbian desireof Jeffrey Epstein, Rob Castle, Terry Butler, Judith of theories the with engaged lesbian one this Withinon existence.thesis desirethus cultural and chapter taboo This thesis has theorised the way in which the novels of Sarah Waters engage with the féminine Once More throughtheLooking GlassandBack Again economy of economy language, by of which and subverts effectively passes thus Conclusion 92 CEU eTD Collection within society within society itand finding aspace ofbelonging at verythe heart of this society. being accepted lesbianand existence for subjectivity desire, dreams possibility upthe positing the isway in Waters which in engaged a politics of imagination,the which women face in lightof theirliving in a heteropatriarchal society and it concluded by or partialising. Moreover, herthe chosensetting of Victorian the era, which is neitheridealising demonising, nor it went on to illustrateshe of theconstrictions factis that writingthe given within especially subjectivities, the and sexualities lesbian sorts of representation diverse a rather in ofis engaged Waters problems that lesbian lesbianwomenit with the subject possibility position.Furthermore,of a argues that itsuch prevents a way foreclosurethe oflesbianthat by subjectivity,providing in visible subjectivity and desire lesbian renders she that argues also It writing. was lesbian desire within the context of the contemporary British society within which she of andacceptance tolerance cultural for the fighting her novels were effectively that posited her novels.therefore It throughout lesbian inpolitics engaged acontemporary self same desire and rendering the existence of lesbian subjectivities possible. desire andexistence, may this also be used a modeas clandestine of articulating this whilstthat oblique verbal languageand bodily may beindeed usedcensorlesbian to embodied bythe of protagonists thatare and bodily semiotics verbal oblique the analysisof narrative engaged performed atheoretically therefore This chapter Waters. novels Sarah within of the dynamic of obliqueprohibition the and articulation lesbianof functioningdesire Within the final chapter this thesis discussed the way in which Sarah Waters is Waters in way this discussedthe Within which thesis Sarah final chapter the Within this chaptertwo thesis find this in way the discussed whichwe Tipping theVelvet Tipping 93 and Affinity. It therefore argued Ittherefore CEU eTD Collection how she harnesses and works strategically with(in) the capitalistmarket, so as to bring politics that we find within the novels of Sarah Waters, one might wish to think about lesbian contemporary the to With regards novels? these of sexiness heightening the being engaged in a kindnostalgia of for oppression, which mightbe seen tobe pursuechallenging would question to bewhether hermay writing be regardedas yet interesting and face, do arather a certain still degree to havearguably and subjects lesbian loosing that forms very oppression of real of focus without Therefore, the navigation of oppression this by lesbianthe upsidesubject, downandinside out. the desire and lesbian of oppression the regarding I havepainted that picture permeates hernovels,propose a Iwouldlike to way in which we mightthis turn First of all, with regards possibilities for extending this lesbian intocentric analysis alarger to scholarly project. the dynamic brief very few a of suggesting by end to the wish therefore I culturalnovels, her of specificities taboo on lesbian lesbian desire the centralises in a way that Waters Sarah of novels the reading to regards that lesbian contemporary truly herthe makessuccessful thatarguably desireand existence lesbian acceptance of andcultural engenderingencouragingwork of the social and precisely isthis it therefore Indeed, of tolerance andacceptance. toone existence, and has oflesbiandesire society this that perception the towards transforming view a with homosexuality, female on taboo cultural the resist and subvert actively Waters Sarah of novels the which in ways the also but existence, and desire lesbian on taboo cultural the of workings the illustrate only not Waters Sarah of novels writer that sheis. that writer Sinceis this project onewhich to proposed open up pathwaysthought with of Thus, this thesis has critically engaged with the various ways in which the 94 CEU eTD Collection 273 a diverse portrayal of lesbian sexuality(ies) and subjectivity(ies). Therefore, when it specificities of her novel,is how gender, sexuality, class and age all intersect tocreate lesbian the to relevant being their to due exploration further worth certainly are which of bourgeois intersections lesbian model a sexuality.Finally, those subjectivity of of beingtherefore renderedinvisible excluded or a result as of strategicthis deployment bourgeois lesbian woman through is portrayal of stereotype the being wouldthe then this bewhat of omitted in velvet corsets audience.for Thus,afurtherquestion herlesbian still highlyattractive nevertheless and lace lined gowns,makes lesbianism more palatablefor her mainstream whilstitaudience, is as well as who is lesbian subjects maybe functioning asa strategy hernovels,within which again Furthermore, one might ask how her strategic use of the depiction of bourgeois the media as ‘clever Ms. Normal,’ ‘clever media the as public image, asalesbian womanis who consciously writer quite being by portrayed contemporary British society. In addition to this one might wish to think abut how her lesbian desire and existence out of the closeted margins of culture and intodaylight of CID=&PGE=&LANG=EN 272 years of success’ that they hadhave they that ‘inboth yearssuccess’ of their tagon their thirtieth anniversary, with regards to their celebrating the ‘over thirty positedas press movealmost strategicwhat Virago herpublishers linesof along the of stereotypes of the socalledthe my lesbian bourgeois woman, be regardedasa use her as as well symbolise, corsets these sexuality that potent yet and restrained the and its velvet corsets of sexiness with the NeoVictorian genre, the aspects saleable very how the investigate furthermore might Indeed,one samesociety. this self by subjectivity lesbian and desire of acceptance the culture and British contemporary project of encouraging the visibility lesbian of desire and subjectivity within Virago Press, ‘Virago Press: 1973 –NOW’ Robert McCrum, ‘What Lies Beneath’ in Beneath’ Lies ‘What McCrum, Robert (Accessed on the 8 The Observer 272 th arguably effectively supports this supports political arguablyeffectively of June 2009) p.1. 95 http://www.virago.co.uk/aboutvirago.asp?TAG=& tempting (10 th of May 2009) p.1. and changing the world.’the 273 CEU eTD Collection Palgrave), p.196. Metahistory inContemporary Women’s Writing 275 and intelligent ‘lesbo intelligent and ‘flirtatious their with contact’ eye answering‘making thus and us’ at back ‘looking novels these find’ may gaze,’ truly ‘delighted‘we perspective at lesbian look’ novelsfrom these a specifically ‘once webegin to to be seen at last,’ lesbian maybebecausefrom in theof words a specifically perspective Terry Castle Waters Sarah novels howfruitful of of analysis an hasillustrated that thishope project passing men,within herNeoVictorian oflesbiandepictions I sexuality. Therefore, such queer lesbian sexualities and subjectivities such femmes, as power butches and for dynamic, as islooking wayin interesting encodesthe Waters particularly which Nan assumes, transformationthe that genderedroles I thinkbut of that the onethat could pursue, especiallyexample. in Finally, relation when iteventually more relaxed and confidentwith her own Nansexuality, take comesandFlofor to togender her and sexuality,growing andyet closeted or Waters asbeingsomewhat enclosed hand bySarah portrayed there are desiresmany path other inon the lesbian class Whereas working the example. Dianafor take liberated, ways for Kitty hyperbolically for andbeingMargaret Prior Butler example, and sexual and Kitty Butler isextremely andrestrained enclosed within hersexuality by her classdynamics, take a how the bourgeois lesbian iswoman portrayed asinhabitingextremes the two being look at might andsexuality possessing class when it them.Furthermore, one to comes take Nan and Diana for women are portrayed as lesbian providing younger example, women sexual with experience, whilst simultaneouslycomes toageandlesbianlook wayin atthe might sexuality one lesbian which older either infantilising them or 274 upon writing. Mark Llewellyn, ‘Breaking the Mould: Sarah Waters and the Politics of Genre’. In ofGenre’. Politics the and Waters Sarah Mould: the ‘Breaking Llewellyn, Mark Terry Castle, The Apparitional Lesbian Victorian romps,’ Victorian (New York: Columbian University Press, 1993), p.19. , ed. Ann Heilmann and Mark Llewellyn(Basingstoke: 275 96 which Sarah Waters initially initially Waters embarked whichSarah 274 for theenjoyable Metafiction and Metafiction CEU eTD Collection Routledge, – 1994) pp.192 242. Homographesis: inGay Essays CulturalTheoryLiterature and andin Face Homosexual:Other Edelman, Laura Lee,‘Imagining the the Gender’ of Oxford University 2000). Press, Drabble, Margaret (ed.), Margaret Drabble, Ingeses delaUniversidad Complutense The Occult in Margaret Atwood's inThe Occult Margaret Doblas, Rosario ‘Talking Arias, Revisiting With The Dead: PastAndThe Victorian (Manchester andNew Manchester York: University pp.12-28. 2000) Press, Desire ContemporaryTerritories inQueerCulture:Refiguring Boundaries of Writing andthe Invention of History’, in AldersonDavid andLinda Anderson (eds.) Lesbian Time: Contemporary ‘Making Lost UpFor Waters, and Sarah Laura Doan, Victorian Studies, Writing andWhy Celebrations Victorian the About Stopped She in Era’ on Narrative Waters Neo-Victorian Sarah ‘“Ladies in Abigail, Dennis,Peril:” 1987) pp.1-30. on Theory, Film and Fiction in of Gender’, ‘The Technology Teresa, De Lauretis, pp.875-893. Cixous, Hélèn, “The Laugh of Medusa” in the Laugh of Hélèn,“The Cixous, 1993). Castle, Terry, Castle, (eds.), Ryan and in Rivkin Constitution’, Gender and Acts ‘Performative Judith, Butler, Politics the of Performative Butler,‘ImplicitAgency’ and Judith, in Discursive Prohibition Routledge, 1997)pp.300-315. Feminist Theory Reader.AReaderin Second Wave Butler, Judith, and ‘Imitations GenderInsubordination’ in Linda Nicholson(ed.) Embodied Issues ( Williams, J. 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The Lived Body: SociologicalThemes, The LivedBody: and Sarah Waters' andSarah Signs Technologies of Gender: Essays Technologies of , vol.No. 4(Summer, 1, 1976) (New York and London: and York (New Excitable Speech: A Speech: Excitable Affinity (New York: ’ in (Oxford: Estudios Neo- The CEU eTD Collection Feminist Fiction Bodies; Criminal Influences: Sarah Waters, Bodies; CriminalInfluences:Sarah “‘Criminals,King, Women Jeanette, Idiots, andMinors:’ Deviant Mindsin Deviant no. 2,pp.131-144. Waters, Gender: Sarah Anarchy;Performing “Degeneration and Sexual King, Jeanette, Macmillan,pp.67-92. 2005) in Misfortune’, andWesley Velvetthe Stace's Jeremiah, Emily, ‘“The “I”inside “her”': Queer Narration in Sarah Waters's Tipping pp.56-89. Abjection Kristeva,1997). 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