Pre-Lesbian Love: A Touchy Subject
In the 19th century lesbianism was a taboo topic, which led to authors using roundabout techniques to depict the lesbian experience. Scholars Eve Sedgwick and Sharon Marcus analyze female sexuality as portrayed through the 19th century lens in their works “Jane Austen and the Masturbating Girl,” and Between Women: Friendship, Desire, and Marriage in Victorian England, respectively. Contemporary author Sarah Waters, in her 1998 novel Tipping the Velvet, gets into the discursive space that Sedgwick and Marcus explore in the 19th century experience, while also utilizing modern theory to create a fantasized version of lesbianism in the 19th century.
During the 19th century the terms hetero and homo were nonexistent –– thus, a third sexuality was created. In her essay, Eve Sedgwick argues that literature during this period did not portray lesbianism, but rather the “masturbating girl”. She does this by analyzing the relationship between the Dashwood sisters in Sense and Sensibility, suggesting that a ubiquitous autoerotic aura colors them. She defines the masturbating girl as a woman whose sexuality reaches lengths beyond hetero or homo, becoming autoerotic –– sexually attracted to oneself –– and alloerotic. Sedgwick writes:
The identity of the masturbator was only one of the sexual identities subsumed, erased, or overridden in this triumph of the heterosexist homo/hetero calculus... I would suggest that as one of the very earliest embodiments of “sexual identity” in the period of the progressive epistemological overloading of sexuality, the masturbator may have been at the cynosural center of a remapping of individual identity, will [and] attention... (Sedgwick 826)
The Austenian characters in Sense and Sensibility, specifically Marianne Dashwood, exhibit characteristics of Sedgwick’s masturbating girl. Marianne’s erotic identity is neither a “same-sex loving” one nor a “cross-sex loving” one (Sedgwick 827), but instead the aforementioned masturbator. Her carnal urges are openly and guiltily described. Sedgwick demonstrates how Jane Austen’s novels are more sexually complex than previously believed, thoroughly broadening the understanding of queer in the 19th century. While the masturbating girl is the precursor to lesbianism, the concept puts forth the idea of same-sex attraction to oneself, suggesting that any female body is a surrogate.
According to Sharon Marcus, female homoeroticism was not only accepted, but also encouraged. Where Sedgwick focuses on the early 19th century, Marcus pays attention specifically to the Victorian era (1837-1901) and their views on female homoeroticism in her book Between Women. By surveying a canon of Victorian fiction, she makes the case that female relationships during this time were more varied than previously thought. To the Victorian, a woman having a close friendship with another woman, and viewing her as someone who could dominate them or be dominated by them was vital in their development as the perfect wife and child bearer. This idea is illustrated in the following passage:
Victorian society accepted female homoeroticism as a component of respectable womanhood and encouraged women and girls to desire, scrutinize, and handle simulacra of alluring femininity... Victorians organized heterosexual femininity around women objectifying women and [this author] develops a theory for that historical evidence. It may at first seem contradictory to say that heterosexual women eroticized women—wouldn’t that make them lesbians? To the contrary, Victorians did not oppose female heterosexuality to lesbianism, and thus considered a woman’s erotic interest in other women compatible with her roles as wife and mother. (Marcus 112)
Paradoxically, normative femininity –– the reinforcement of ideal standards of femininity –– provides the opportunity for same-sex relationships to bloom. Still, though, the Victorians did not take it as far as to say that sexual relations between women were acceptable. Close female friendship was only intended to further the agenda of the heterosexual marriage plot. Even so, there were women who considered themselves in same sex marriages during this period. Since the invention of “homosexuality” had not yet occurred, there was no societal opposition to these marriages. Marcus states that this was “...an era when lesbianism was neither avowed as a sexual identity nor stigmatized as a deviant sexuality,” (Marcus 113). To be clear, female friendships that were indeed lesbian relationships existed, but they were well hidden –– meaning there is not much concrete evidence. However, Marcus aids contemporary audiences in understanding Victorian female homoeroticism, even if it is not exactly the answer that they desire.
Waters’ novel Tipping the Velvet is a contemporary idealization of lesbianism in the late 19th century––if anything like it had been published then, it would surely have instantly been banned. The novel––set in the 1890s––is rife with fierce, explicit sex scenes between two women. It follows protagonist Nancy “Nan” Astley throughout several years of her life, where she enters multiple lesbian relationships. If this novel were written for a Victorian audience, or if Waters had taken Victorian views and ideals into account, Nan would be portrayed as a “masturbating girl.” The fervent desire that she expresses often is proof of this. Waters writes, “I put my hand to them – the hand that she had kissed; then I held my fingers to my nose and smelled through the linen what she had smelled, and blushed again,” (Waters 34). Nan's desire is a delicate, primal thing, reminiscent of the desire expressed by Marianne that Sedgwick brought attention to. Her sexuality is not entirely autoerotic, though; what sets Waters’ novel apart from the Victorian canon is that there is an attempt to define Nan’s sexuality. In doing this, Waters loses historical accuracy but gains the opportunity to posthumously identify lesbians of the time.
Waters is aware of the historically “correct” views on lesbianism but willfully forgoes some of them in her writing, favoring instead modern queer theory that is seen to enhance the lesbian relationships present in the novel. Nan’s first relationship is with Kitty, a male impersonator with whom Nan grows an obsession for after watching one of Kitty’s shows. Their relationship starts as a friendship and slowly grows into much more –– and they mutually decide to hide their romantic feelings for one another in public out of fear of judgment and ostracization. Nan’s love for Kitty becomes extremely apparent when she confides in her sister Alice:
‘When I see her… It’s like I never saw anything at all before… Then she walks on stage and––she is so pretty; and her suit is so nice; and her voice is so sweet... She makes me want to smile and weep, at once. She makes me sore, here.’ I placed my hand upon my chest, upon the breast-bone. ‘I never saw a girl like her before...’ (Waters 20)
Her sister reacts poorly to this, which causes Nan intense anxiety; “There was a look on her face... of mingled shock, and nervousness, and embarrassment or shame,” (Waters 20). Despite this, Nan does not stop seeing Kitty. To outsiders, their relationship is merely that of friendship; behind closed doors is when their passion is released. “Kitty had given me leave to love her; the world, she said, would never let me be anything to her except her friend,” (Waters 127). Waters connects romantic friendships of the period to the contemporary closeted relationship. Further, this links to the idea assessed in Marcus’ book –– that intimate, “romantic” female friendships (sans sex, of course) were commonplace in the Victorian era. Nan and Kitty’s relationship, if concealed well, would not cause any suspicion. Where Waters deviates from the 19th century mindset is with how many people suspect Nan and Kitty of having sexual relations, and Nan’s explicit interest in Kitty as a sexual partner.
As it has been shown, the ethos surrounding 19th century lesbianism can be better comprehended using contemporary queer theory. Eve Sedgwick, in her essay “Jane Austen and the Masturbating Girl,” sheds light on the autoerotic sexuality common in Victorian literature, which precedes lesbianism and other queer modes of thought. Similarly, Sharon Marcus writes on related topics in Between Women, citing the importance of female homoeroticism in relation to the heterosexual marriage plot. Both Sedgwick and Marcus continuously stress how the lack of defined terminology regarding sexuality is key to understanding female relationships in the 19th century. Sarah Waters takes it a step further by explicitly depicting a fictional Victorian lesbian relationship, glamourizing homosexual desire in a time when such love was illegitimate. With these findings it can be argued that lesbians, although unidentified, were common in Victorian society –– just as they have always been.
Glossary
1. Autoerotic
The term “autoerotic” refers to engaging in sexual activities or arousal without the involvement of a partner––relying solely on one's own stimulation. This can include various forms of self-pleasure, such as masturbation, aiming to achieve sexual completion and satisfaction independently. Autoerotic practices are diverse and subjective and encompass a range of behaviors that individuals may engage in for personal gratification.
2. Alloerotic
The term “alloerotic” pertains to sexual activities or arousal involving interactions with a partner or others, as opposed to individual engagement––essentially, it is the opposite of autoerotic. Alloerotic interactions can manifest in various forms, such as romantic relationships, sexual partnerships, etc.
3. Female homoeroticism
The concept of homoeroticism stands as a relatively new yet pivotal juncture in the nuanced discourse surrounding the intertwining realms of sex and gender. This burgeoning idea has, in turn, facilitated significant strides within the expansive realms of gender and queer theory. The term “female homoeroticism” essentially is the sexual attraction felt by women towards other women.
Works Cited
Marcus, Sharon. Between Women: Friendship, Desire, and Marriage in Victorian England. Princeton University Press. January 22, 2007.
Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky. “Jane Austen and the Masturbating Girl.” Critical Inquiry, vol. 17, 1991, pp. 818–37. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1343745.
Waters, Sarah. Tipping the Velvet. Berkley Publishing Group. 1998.
