Literature, perhaps out of everything, is my favorite subject to study. In the past year, in preparation for college courses and coinciding with my AP Lit course, I have turned my head towards reading more classic novels. I find these classics especially interesting due to their content. It seems, in some of these books, the topics discussed would be taboo in the time periods in which they were written. One of these prominent topics is queerness and homosexuality. Many classics feature homoerotic themes or queer characters, some of which historians have tried to play off as “close friends” or a mistranslation of the book. However, the facts are there. The history of literature is undeniably queer, making for an interesting past that has been censored for centuries.

For a large part of modern history, queerness and homosexuality has been labeled as wrong, a societal quirk that we must wash out. However, things weren’t always this way. In fact, in ancient cultures, queerness was celebrated and considered a cultural custom. 

This takes us to Ancient Greece, where in many cases, sexuality and gender was fluid. This wasn’t just practiced by πολίτες, citizens, but it was also practiced by lawmakers and even the very Gods and Goddesses that their society was based under. According to the BBC, an ancient lawmaker called Philolaus of Corinth established laws that supported male same-sex relationships. Aristotle is our source for this story, where Philolaus and his lover, Diocles, fled Corinth for Thebes. Aristotle notes that here, Philolaus created laws to protect same-sex lovers, making Thebes a landmark city for queer history.

While the story of Achilles and Patroclus is often noted as one of the most prominent examples of queer relationships in Greek Mythology, many gods were presented as genderfluid or intersex, providing representation for the transgender community. The most notable example, Retrospect Journal notes, is Hermaphroditus. Hermaphroditus was the “God of androgyny and effeminate men and the two sexed child of Aphrodite and Hermes”. In many texts, Hermaphroditus is portrayed as half man-half woman. Another example could be Iphsis, described by Ovid as being born a girl but raised a boy.

Much of Ancient Greece’s queer culture was transferred into Ancient Rome, as much of their culture was anyway. A prominent example in the Eclogues by Virgil, where a shepherd proclaims his love for another man.

Sadly, many queer fictional works from Ancient Greece and Rome have been wiped out. When speaking on this, one poet comes to mind, and that would be Sappho. Sappho, Greek poet from the island of Lesbos, lived in the 6th Century BCE. Her poetry was often described as beautiful, passionate, and emotional, and became extremely famous in the Ancient world. However, around the 4th century, her work was ordered to be burned by the Christian Church because of its erotic Lesbian imagery. Despite this, Sappho’s work has transcended this and has become extremely important for queer– and especially lesbian– history. After all, her name became the base for the word “sapphic”, meaning a woman who loves another woman. The island of Lesbos additionally became the base for the word “lesbian”. Unfortunately, much of Sappho’s work is still missing. But her poems that are available are very much worth a read. Here is a sample of one of my favorites, from Fragment 14: “Someone will remember us/ I say/ Even in another time” 

Now, let’s jump forward into the middle ages. The middle ages, on the surface, seem a drought for queer literature for a few reasons. Namely that the middle ages were a largely conservative time for Christianity, leading to laws banning same-sex relationships surfacing in larger European empires. Specifically, these laws were English and only explicitly banned sodomy. But, it is important to note that the majority of those prosecuted as a result of these laws were queer couples. They were always punished by death. 

The 1533 Act laid a foundation for widespread homophobia across the colonized world. Anti-Queer laws were widely spread by Europeans strongly affiliated with the Christian church. It is also important to note that queer relationships were not uncommon in certain indigenous cultures, and (like the ancient Greeks) they were commonly celebrated. After being colonized and converted to larger religions, however, is when homophobia and transphobia started to creep into our society. 

While this was what the law explicitly stated, it is debated among historians what the popular citizen consensus was on the idea of queerness. Many scholars argue that attitudes fluctuated, while others believe that homosexuality was shunned as a whole due to the religious connotation of the time period. Despite the prosecution and the ambiguity of opinions, there are a few prominent examples of works to explore.

The first is an Irish poem from the 12th century, modernly titled Niall Frosach’s Act of Truth. It details a woman confessing a queer relationship to Niall Frosach himself. Additionally, much of Shakespeare’s sonnets have been analyzed to have queer undertones, specifically sonnets 18 and 20. Additionally, many of his plays have been theorized to have queer characters and plot lines, however, this is still widely debated and up to a reader’s interpretation of the piece. 

The final piece of medieval literature I am going to talk about is one that I couldn’t find a name for. I got most of my information from this Time article, and was able to find confirmation in other sources, however, none of the specific pieces here are explicitly named. The pieces in question are about Christian monks, one specifically hidden away in a monastery so as to not distract the other monks of his beauty. Apparently, these common themes appear across a wide variety of early medieval works and novels. The last of these medieval works, published in 1353, is The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio. The book contains many queer allusions that were covered by early English translations in an attempt to mask its true intentions.

Now, we are brought to a period that I would like to call the Queer Renaissance. This time period spans from the enlightenment to the early 20th century, where many openly queer authors published their works. While they were widely criticized and scandalized by the media at their time of publication, they have become important relics of not only literature, but the history of queerness. 

The 1533 Act in England which mainly prosecuted against queer couples was not changed until 1820. However, this was not something you could call an advancement. The law remained the same, but the only difference was that homosexual males were the only people punished– still by death– for even private acts of homosexuality. This was changed in 1861 to lifelong imprisonment which is still– in most cases– a death sentence in itself. Additionally, laws during this time were created to prevent crossdressing.

During this time, many queer authors (or authors wanting to portray a queer relationship) began to use Greek and Roman mythological creatures or supernatural characters as innuendos due to fear of prosecution. However, in Gothic and Horror literature, queer relationships were almost commonplace. 

Due to these clever techniques of masking queerness with supernatural or mythological pretenses, many queer authors were published unscathed, leading to some of the most important queer novels, ones that we still study today. One of my favorite pieces from this time is a precursor to many works of literature, and even media, in our modern world. But first I must pose to you a question: Did you know that the first vampire novel was a Lesbian vampire story? Published by Sheridan le Fanu in 1872– predating Dracula by 25 years–, Carmilla is widely considered the first popular vampire novel to be published. In the book, a female vampire named Carmilla preys on a woman named Laura, and they find themselves falling in love with each other.

Additionally, the acclaimed novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray comes from this era as well. Oscar Wilde published his novel in 1891 and is one of the most famous gothic psychological horror classics out there. Within the story, Dorian Gray and Basil Hallward have a sort of homoerotic relationship, which plays deeper into the themes of beauty and terror that resurface throughout the novel. However, four years after Dorian Gray’s publication, Oscar Wilde was imprisoned for private acts of homosexuality. 

This brings us to the 20th Century, where queer novels by queer writers entered the mainstream. Notable installments include: Orlando by Virginia Woolf, Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote, Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin, and The Color Purple by Alice Walker– all of which have been considered classics (or modern classics) that are still studied and analyzed today.

In our modern society, where censorship and shame of LGBTQ voices and stories is common, it is more important than ever to research and read these important historical works. Queer stories are not just important representations for queer people themselves, but they are also intertwined with the interesting– and sometimes shameful– history of Western literature.

I have covered so many titles and texts throughout this article, and many of them share a common theme: beauty. I think that this is extremely symbolic and important, especially considering that the true nature of queer narratives and stories have been attempted to be surpressed for so long. In a world where we have much of the world’s literature at our fingertips it is important to read these stories and accept them for what they are– beautiful chronicles of societies past and present.

But if you take anything away from this article, it should be this: even in this time of strife for the community, we must continue to amplify LGBTQ+ voices. To keep history alive is to defy all odds and all discrimination that threatens to censor us. We must continue to learn, to preserve, and to keep telling these stories that span centuries. Queerness is not a “new” thing. It is rooted in our very blood and history.

Books, Poems, and Stories Mentioned:

Politics, Book 2, Section 1274a — Aristotle

The Iliad— Homer

Metamorphoses— Ovid

Eclogues— Virgil

Various Works of Sappho (Fragment 14 from quote)– Sappho

Niall Frosach’s Act of Truth— Translated by Damian McManus

Sonnet 18— William Shakespeare

Sonnet 20— William Shakespeare

The Decarmeron— Giovanni Boccaccio

Carmilla— Sheridan Le Fanu

The Picture of Dorian Gray— Oscar Wilde

Orlando— Virginia Woolf

Other Voices, Other Rooms— Truman Capote

Giovanni’s Room— James Baldwin

The Color Purple— Alice Walker

Sources:

History News Network: The Legacy of Same-Sex Love in Ancient Thebes

BBC: The Victorian View of Same-Sex Desire

Time: The Hidden Queer History of Medieval Christianity

BBC: Greece: The Mediterraneans Ancient Gay-Friendly Civilization

Human Dignity Trust: A History of LGBT Criminalization

Retrospect Journal: Queer Icons in Greek Mythology

Penguin Classics: A History of LGBTQ+ Literature