ABSTRACT

This groundbreaking critical anthology gathers together a wide range of primary source material on lesbian lives in the past. The material here is drawn from a diverse range of sources, including court records, newspaper reports, literary sources, writings on lesbianism from psychologists, doctors, anthropologists, as well as personal letters and journals.

The sources are arranged into thematic chapters, covering topics such as archetypes of lesbians - cross-dressing women and romantic friends, the making of lesbianism in culture, professional discourse on lesbians, public perceptions of lesbianism and women's own experiences.

This book will be a milestone in the publishing of lesbian history, and is set to provoke the impetus for fresh research.

chapter |8 pages

Introduction

part I|82 pages

Archetypes of Love between Women

chapter 1|39 pages

Cross-Dressing Women

part |88 pages

Professional Commentaries

chapter 3|36 pages

Medicine

chapter 4|26 pages

Education

chapter |24 pages

Law

part |93 pages

Making Lesbianism in Culture

chapter |20 pages

The Well of Loneliness

chapter |36 pages

Social Perceptions

chapter |35 pages

Identities and Networks