[ilds] Bisexuality and Beyond

[James Gifford]

Nice comments, Anne, and it's good to have you in the conversation. 
Where did your article appear?  Is it the one on "The Black Body" in 
/South Atlantic Review/?

I'd agree that there's a difference in how the lesbian figures in 
Durrell's later fiction, though I do think it's a shift from what we 
find in /Pied Piper of Lovers/:

----------->
Two young women, of unbelievable slimness, were locked in each other’s 
arms, trying to dance to one of the gramophones. They were so tightly 
wedged in that they found movement an impossibility, but they swayed 
from side to side, wagging their hips gently in time to the music, and 
intoning nasally:

      Love, you’re a peach,
      Want you to teach me
      Love as Love ought to be.

Their eyes were fast shut, as if they were dancing some insomniac dance 
of lethargy and utter exhaustion. “Minnie and Kate,” said Isobel 
angrily. “Why in hell can’t they do their erotic hell-dances in private. 
It’s indecent.”
      “What isn’t?” said Robin. “Live and let live.”
      “Love and let love,” amended Walsh. (/Pied/ 219)
<-----------

The protagonist Walsh, who resembles Durrell quite a bit, very clearly 
had homosexual experiences as well.

As for Bruce's question about why a shift may have occurred, my own 
suspicion, which is probably different from Anne's, is that Durrell 
become more interested in BOTH shifting identities and destructive 
figures in his later fiction.  That said, Justine is destructive in ways 
kindred to Livia, so there is a longer timeframe involved.

For what it's worth, I'm attached a copy of a queer reading of Henry 
Miller, which also refers to Durrell.  The journal makes itself public 6 
months after publication, so I think I can send this to everyone without 
trampling on toes...

Best,
James

On 21/03/11 9:26 AM, Anne R Zahlan wrote:
> You could look at, for example, pages 300-302 of /Monsieur /(Blanford's
> views, countered somewhat by Tu),//and then there's the characterization
> of Livia throughout the /Quintet./ I especially like this observation:
> "'In the powder rooms of the world's great hotels when male lesbians
> meet they show each other their wedding rings and burst out laughing'"
> (M301).
>
> *rom:* Bruce Redwine <mailto:bredwine1968 at earthlink.net>
>
>     *To:* ilds at lists.uvic.ca <mailto:ilds at lists.uvic.ca>
>     *Cc:* Bruce Redwine <mailto:bredwine1968 at earthlink.net>
>     *Sent:* Monday, March 21, 2011 11:58 AM
>     *Subject:* Re: [ilds] Bisexuality and Beyond
>
>     Which passages in the Quintet? I don't sense this in the Quartet.
>     Has Durrell changed his attitude? Seems unlikely. If so, why?
>
>
>     Bruce


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