The Queerness of William James

Abstract

Abstract:Generations of scholars have posited that Henry and William James are exact opposites of one another: the latter as the virile ideal of his effeminate younger brother. This essay joins a growing body of scholarship in challenging these lingering binaries. Through an examination of their childhoods, private relationships, Henry's published writing, William's canonical scholarly texts, their correspondence, and a host of other sources, a deeper sense of queer commonalities between these brothers comes into focus.