The Well of Loneliness
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Cover of a UK edition by Virago Press Ltd. | |
| Author | Radclyffe Hall |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape (UK first edition), Covici-Friede (US first edition) |
| Released | 1928 |
| Media Type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Pages | 448 (Wordsworth Editions) |
| ISBN | ISBN 184022455X (Wordsworth Editions), ISBN 0860682544 (UK, Virago), ISBN 0385416091 (US, Anchor) |
The Well of Loneliness is a novel by Radclyffe Hall. Published in 1928, The Well of Loneliness deals with the life of Stephen Gordon, a masculine lesbian who identifies herself as an invert. The book was the subject of an obscenity trial in the UK which resulted in all copies of the novel being ordered destroyed, but won a similar trial in the US. It was reprinted in the UK in 1949, and has been continuously in print in both countries ever since.
Not only a classic of lesbian literature, The Well of Loneliness is also an example of sentimental literature. There is much debate as to the status of this novel with regards to Hall's personal life; some consider it to be a thinly veiled autobiography. In recent years, some critics have seen the book as a description of a transman rather than a lesbian.
[edit] References
- Judith Halberstam Female Masculinity, Ch. 3: "'A Writer of Misfits': John Radclyffe Hall and the Discourse of Inversion"
- Eds. Laura Doan and Jay Prosser Palatable Poison: Critical Perspectives on The Well of Loneliness
- Radclyffe Hall's 'The Well of Loneliness' as an early example of transsexual autobiographical writing, Dr Barbara Schaff (abstract)
