Exiles of love?: uncovering lesbian voices in interwar Czechoslovakia.

IF 1.1 Q2 SOCIAL SCIENCES, INTERDISCIPLINARY
Mark Cornwall
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Abstract

Lesbian voices and experiences have received little attention in Czech historiography: recent research has concentrated on the modern era from the 1950s. This article deepens our understanding of lesbian lives in interwar Prague. It focuses on two forgotten lesbian novels, Exiles of Love and The Third Sex, which were deliberately suppressed after 1948 by the Communist regime as examples of inferior bourgeois literature. The two authors, Lída Merlínová and Gill Sedláčková, both hailed from Prague's cultural world (theatre and film) and were active too in the 1930s Czech movement for homosexual reform. Spanning the late twenties to the late thirties, the novels reveal tantalising glimpses of the evolving sub-culture of interwar Prague. Merlínová's naïve novel of 1929, Exiles of Love, was the first Czech lesbian novel, and it betrayed the 1920s optimism of the 'Czech New Woman' who was prepared to challenge gender stereotypes. Sedláčková's novel, The Third Sex, is a more explicit study from 1937, reflecting the more mature sub-culture but also a cynicism about the chances of homosexual reform. Yet it manages, even more than Exiles, to convey an uplifting and moral message. Indeed, both novels are about lesbian self-knowledge, exploring the scope for same-sex survival in a world where the best solution may be abroad, not in 'provincial Prague'. In restoring these texts to lesbian literature we recover a range of voices, expressing the hopes and frustrations of some queer Czech women in an unusually liberal era.

爱的流放者:发现战时捷克斯洛伐克女同性恋的声音》。
女同性恋的声音和经历在捷克历史学中很少受到关注:近期的研究主要集中在 20 世纪 50 年代以后的现代。本文加深了我们对战时布拉格女同性恋生活的了解。文章重点介绍了两部被遗忘的女同性恋小说《爱的流放者》和《第三性》,1948 年后,这两部小说被共产党政权作为劣质资产阶级文学的典范而刻意压制。两位作者 Lída Merlínová 和 Gill Sedláčková 都来自布拉格的文化界(戏剧和电影界),在 20 世纪 30 年代捷克同性恋改革运动中也非常活跃。从二十年代末到三十年代末,这些小说揭示了战时布拉格不断发展的亚文化的诱人一瞥。Merlínová 于 1929 年创作的天真小说《爱的流放者》是捷克第一部女同性恋小说,它揭示了 20 世纪 20 年代 "捷克新女性 "准备挑战性别陈规定型观念的乐观主义。Sedláčková 的小说《第三性》是 1937 年出版的一部更加明确的研究报告,反映了更加成熟的亚文化,同时也反映了对同性恋改革机会的冷嘲热讽。然而,与《放逐者》相比,《第三性》更能传达出振奋人心的道德信息。事实上,这两部小说都是关于女同性恋的自我认识,探讨了同性在这个世界上的生存空间,在这个世界上,最好的解决办法可能是在国外,而不是在 "外省布拉格"。在将这些文本还原为女同性恋文学的过程中,我们恢复了一系列声音,表达了在一个异常自由的时代中一些捷克同性恋女性的希望和挫折。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Journal of Lesbian Studies
Journal of Lesbian Studies SOCIAL SCIENCES, INTERDISCIPLINARY-
CiteScore
2.20
自引率
9.10%
发文量
27
期刊介绍: The Journal of Lesbian Studies examines the cultural, historical, and interpersonal impact of the lesbian experience on society, keeping all readers—professional, academic, or general—informed and up to date on current findings, resources, and community concerns. Independent scholars, professors, students, and lay people will find this interdisciplinary journal essential on the topic of lesbian studies!
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