| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 英語學系 === 84 === As the phrase "love that dare not speak its name" suggests,
homosexualityis often disguised in literature. For a pre-
Stonewall gay writer like JamesBaldwin, it is even more
difficult to name it. However, in his first threenovels, he
adopts different strategies to manifest homosexuality, and
thusconstructs a homosexual discourse at his time. Chapter I of
this thesis willfocus on his first novel, Go Tell It on the
Mountain. Baldwin dexterouslyinfuses homosexual desire into
the process of a young black's search for afather image and
religious salvation, and thus develops a hidden
homosexualdiscourse. Nonetheless, because the description of
homosexuality is built ona fantasy, it lacks the power to
reflect a true homosexual world after all.Chapter II will
discuss his second novel, Giovanni's Room. Baldwin puts
itssetting in Parisian gay underworld. Nonetheless, Baldwin's
hesitance in naminghomosexuality makes him shift between
positively endowing it with a healingpower and negatively
accusing it of its corruptive influence. Homosexualityis still
not properly named. As Chapter III demonstrates, it is in his
thirdnovel, Another Country, that Baldwin displays a meaningful
way to name homo-sexuality. By creating bohemian gay
characters who can establish a uniqueattitude towards life
out of a chaotic and uncertain conditon, Baldwin
giveshomosexuality a proper name in the name of uncertainty.
|
|---|
