International Gay & Lesbian Review

Homosexuality in French History & Culture

• Nonfiction
• Publisher: Harrington Park Press
• Publication Date: 2001

Harrington Park Press has the exceptional ability of taking what seems to be unrelated material, and through careful, but professional editing, assembling it into a text of remarkable proportions. A good case in point is Jeffrey Merrick and Michael Sibalis' edited volume "Homosexuality in French History and Culture." This is a delicious parfait that will have any serious Francophile drooling for more. While much has been written about those Sunday night Salons held at 27 rue de Fleurus, and its influences on French, and indeed, world culture, Gertrude Stein and company are nowhere to be found. This volume is, instead, populated by some familiar names, including Andre Gide, Michel Foucault, Jean Genet and Emile Zola, while many others are unfamiliar. With such tempting topics as "Female Friendship as the Foundation of Love in Madeleine de Scudery's 'History of Sapho,'" "The Abominable Madame de Murat," and "Male Same-Sex Sexuality in Belle Époque Print Culture," the contributors to Homosexuality in French History and Culture take us back and forth in time. Alas, there are too many to discuss in this limited space, but there are many highlights. For example, in coeditor Sibalis' essay, "The Palais-Royal and the Homosexual Subculture of Nineteenth Century Paris," we learn that the elegant palace which frames one end of the Champs-Elysées was not only a playground of the ruling class, but also a notorious gathering place for hustlers and "respectful" men of questionable sexual taste. Had Colette's innocent young Gigi read this essay, she may not have had trouble understanding the Parisians. In "Les Chevaliers de la guirlande: Cellmates in Restoration France," Nicholas Dobelbower, takes an almost voyeuristic approach to reporting on the torture and execution of prisoners, transforming us back to the period as this spectator sport captivated many an onlooker. Dobelbower even reveals the real policeman who served as the model for Javert in Victor Hugo's great novel, Les Miserables. I was drawn to Robert Aldrich's essay, "Homosexuality in the Colonies," because many of those mentioned in the essay are buried in Pere Lachaise Cemetery, which is one of my favorite Paris Literary Walks. Aldrich begins by offering an overview and passages from "The Art of Love in the Colonies," an 1893 publication describing gay sexual activity in Africa and the Far East; as observed by a certain "Dr. Jacobus X." While the book focuses on heteroxexuality, it is a surprisingly truthful piece, sprinkled with "racism and personal prejudice," or as Aldrich states, "voyeuristic soft porn masquerading as Science." Similar observations on colonial sexuality were later made by other French writers, including Gustave Flaubert, (Madame Bovary); Andre Gide (The Immoralist) and later, Jean Genet. Aldrich's essay also introduces us to Daniel Guerin, a journalist and activist who exposed the evils of colonial rule, and became a pioneer in the France's Gay Liberation movement. Clearly, I'm only hinting at the myriad of riches this volume holds. Homosexuality in French History and Culture is clearly another fine example of the work being done by Harrington Park Press. It's an exciting, and very readable treat.

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