Not a Passing Phase: Reclaiming Lesbians in History 1840-1985

By Lesbian History Group

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0704341751
• ISBN13: 9780704341753
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Womens Pr Ltd
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 1.0" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

"I had her heart..."

Those words from Ellen Nussey not only summed up the beautiful relationship that she enjoyed with her dear departed friend Charlotte Bronte, they also sum up the flavor of this wonderful collection of essays/articles. I bought the book originally as part of the research for my own Emily Bronte novel, and I was fascinated to discover that while there has always been speculation about Emily's orientation, there was clearly no doubt about Charlotte's. Elaine Miller's brilliantly insightful article, Through All Changes and Through All Chances, includes many striking passages from the countless love letters from Charlotte to Ellen (Charlotte's controlling husband, Arthur Bell Nicholls, destroyed all traces of Ellen's hundreds of letters to Charlie). As Elaine proves beyond doubt, the two women not only loved each other passionately, they openly harbored a long-term desire to live together until Death. As with so much of lesbian history, the biographers have usually edited out the truth of 'romantic friendships' between famous women, just as Elizabeth Gaskell may have done, at least to some degree, in her sympathetic bio of Charlotte Bronte - in this case, possibly out of a desire to protect either or both of the women. A superb piece of research. Highly recommended.