Historical fiction with gay characters

October Queer Historical Fiction + Book of the Week

EXPLORE

LGBTQ+ folks have existed forever but historic oppression hasn&#;t always allowed queer people to live fully and authentically. This is also true of LGBTQ+ characters in published works through history and particularly within the historical fiction genre; often times, queer characters are left to the margins--cast in supporting roles (to entertain) or worse, treated as disposable (to meet an untimely end).


Shifts within the literary landscape have opened the door to joyful, positive queer historical fiction. As part of celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month, the CSW Library is featuring titles that prominently feature LGBTQ+ protagonists during specific time periods (and places!). These stories are paving new roads to allowing queer characters throughout history to dwell, struggle, and even thrive. Swing by the library&#;s magazine flats to travel the books on show this month and celebrate the joy that can exist in the pages of a good book.


LGBTQ+ History month is an annual month-long observance of lesbian, ga

From Sappho to Stonewall, and beyond: how fiction tells LGBTQ+ history

Fiction tells us so much about the time we live in – and LGBTQ+ writers have been writing since the early days of literature. Their stories possess often, but not always, been marginalised, but they have always said something about the era in which they were first told or published. Here, we take a observe at the evolution of queer fiction across the ages – for brevity’s sake, focusing on the Western world – and what it reflects about that moment in history, from Sappho, to Stonewall, and beyond.

Queer stories in antiquity

Madeline Miller’s hit The Song of Achillesis a moving queer retelling of The Iliad from the perspective of young prince Patroclus that simultaneously reflects pride in same-sex relationships (Achilles remains adamant throughout that he and Patroclus be seen together) and modern anxieties about lovey-dovey relationships and masculinity – how men can be gentle, how to verb family expectations.

But being queer wasn’t always coded as different, and many myths don’t require retel

My other blog, Onomastics Outside the Box

I&#;m always gobsmacked when I encounter a supposed historical novel, TV show, or film with a gay or lesbian character who casually outs him or herself, or whose secret is discovered due to a total lack of secrecy and discretion, with absolutely zero negative reactions from anyone. It&#;s like people under a certain age grab for granted that they live in a world without the restrictions, taboos, stigmas, and prejudices of yore, and can&#;t conceive of any other type of society.

With that in mind, what are some of the important things to keep in mind when writing a lesbian or gay character in a historical novel?

1. Greenwich Village in NYC, San Francisco, Paris, Weimar Berlin, and Provincetown, Rhode Island are obviously among the best-known places with a large, well-connected community pre-Stonewall, but you&#;re not obligated to set your story there just because your characters are gay or lesbian! Plenty of other cities had vibrant underground scenes and networks too, even if they weren&#;t as large or well-known. You also need

Titles are approximately chronological within time periods.  Note: This list includes Historical Fantasy but not Historical Romance or YA. 

For Historical Romance novels, click here.
For Historical YA, click here.

Female Protagonists

Antiquity

  • Alcestis by Katharine Beutner
  • The Palace of Eros by Caro de Robertis
  • Wrath Goddess Sing by Maya Deane
  • The Aven Cycle by Cass Morris

Medieval/Middle Ages

Pre-Columbian

16th Century

17th Century

18th Century

19th Century

  • The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins (, Jamaica and London)
  • Patience & Sarah by Isabel Miller (, NE US)
  • Bittersweetby Nevada Barr (US)
  • Devotion by Hannah Kent (, Prussia)
  • The Companion by Kim Taylor Blakemore (, Novel Hampshire)
  • The Prophetsby Robert Jones, Jr. (pre-Civil War, Adj US South)
  • Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis (, Paris)
  • Frog Music by Emma Donoghue (, San Francisco)
  • Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens (, Midwest US)
  • The Best BadThings and Rough Trade by Katrina Carrasco (, Washington Territory)
  • Clio Rising by Paula Martinac (, NYC)
  • The Liar&#