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Forum: Women and Gay Men's Literature
Aug. 28th, 2006 08:22 amA professor of my acquaintance wrote me and asked me a question. He said that his courses in gay men's literature are consistently attended by more women than men, in a ratio of something like eight to one.
Why, he asked me, is that? And now I am asking you.
( Read more... )
The more specific question is this: Granted all the het!er!o!normative! social forces at work, granted that straight people outnumber queer people at the university as elsewhere, why don't the gay male English students concentrate themselves into the Gay Men's Lit classes?
I'm not saying that they should, but is it interesting that they don't? Is it important? Is it interesting that women do attend them? Is it important? Is my prof just wishing for a return to the Greek Academy?
My impression is that young gay men are more interested in themselves as social and sexual beings than as historical or literary ones, and the sterotype of the subcultures is that they would reinforce this. Is this so?
{rf}
Why, he asked me, is that? And now I am asking you.
( Read more... )
The more specific question is this: Granted all the het!er!o!normative! social forces at work, granted that straight people outnumber queer people at the university as elsewhere, why don't the gay male English students concentrate themselves into the Gay Men's Lit classes?
I'm not saying that they should, but is it interesting that they don't? Is it important? Is it interesting that women do attend them? Is it important? Is my prof just wishing for a return to the Greek Academy?
My impression is that young gay men are more interested in themselves as social and sexual beings than as historical or literary ones, and the sterotype of the subcultures is that they would reinforce this. Is this so?
{rf}
