While it is commonly believed that homosexual relationships were nonexistent before the 20th century, the analyses conducted by queer-theory scholars Eve Sedgewick and Sharon Marcus highlight the hidden existence of non-heterosexual romance in Victorian literature. AUP student Jasmine Thor uses these studies, in conjunction with a 21st century novel depicting a taboo romance in the Victorian era, to examine just how prominent lesbian relationships might have been at the time. She finds that the practice of lesbianism not only predates the name, but that it was also portrayed in notable works of the time, albeit not explicitly.
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