Authors
Anna R Mills
Publication date
1999/10/31
Journal
The Lesbian Review of Books
Volume
6
Issue
1
Pages
7
Publisher
Lesbian Review of Books
Description
Working class dykes do appear as side characters in two novels. Both are coarse and crude in their language, and both fall in love with upper-class women, only to physically and emotionally abuse them. In The Naked Eye,[Katherine Duncan]'s lower-class ex beats and pursues her. An heiress comes to her rescue. In Private Passions, Sara's abuser, Joan, is a firefighter, and her speech is a caricature of a lower-class woman. When Sara first meets her, Joan asks,"So why'd you agree to go out with me? Nice refined lady like you'"(14). By the end, the book forces us to agree that it was a terrible idea. Sara is refined, kind, and understanding; Joan is a beast. When Joan is abusing, she is crass, sloppy, and irrational, and she uses lower-class language. Joan demands,"You gonna just sit there readin'that stupid magazine? I've been workin'all day'"(21). When Joan abuses, the book describes her as low class, animal …
Total citations
Scholar articles
AR Mills - The Lesbian Review of Books, 1999