ORCA | General Poster Session
McCarthyism and American Postwar Conservatism on Lesbian-Penned Literature
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
English Literature
Minor
Gender and Diversity Studies
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Dr. Joshua Adair
Presentation Format
Oral Presentation
Abstract/Description
This paper examines the influence of McCarthyism and American postwar conservatism upon lesbian-penned works both during and after the 1950s. During the paranoia of McCarthyism, the lesbian pulp fiction genre allowed queer authors to provide outlets for desire, but maintained homophobic sentiment through various techniques in literature. In works published after the period, the effects of McCarthyism and the larger Red Scare incited a sense of isolation and paranoia in identity within queer writers. This paper analyzes selected works from Ann Bannon’s “The Beebo Brinker Chronicles”, Patricia Highsmith’s The Price of Salt, and Audre Lorde’s Zami through a New Historicism perspective, while also providing historical background and applying queer theory criticism.
Affiliations
General Posters Session--ONLY
McCarthyism and American Postwar Conservatism on Lesbian-Penned Literature
This paper examines the influence of McCarthyism and American postwar conservatism upon lesbian-penned works both during and after the 1950s. During the paranoia of McCarthyism, the lesbian pulp fiction genre allowed queer authors to provide outlets for desire, but maintained homophobic sentiment through various techniques in literature. In works published after the period, the effects of McCarthyism and the larger Red Scare incited a sense of isolation and paranoia in identity within queer writers. This paper analyzes selected works from Ann Bannon’s “The Beebo Brinker Chronicles”, Patricia Highsmith’s The Price of Salt, and Audre Lorde’s Zami through a New Historicism perspective, while also providing historical background and applying queer theory criticism.