List of LGBT characters in modern written fiction: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 20:57, 25 March 2008
This is a List of LGBT characters in modern written fiction. The historical concept and definition of sexual orientation varies and has changed greatly over time; for example the word "gay" wasn't used to describe sexual orientation until the mid 20th century. A number of different classification schemes have been used to describe sexual orientation since the mid-19th century, and scholars have often defined the term 'sexual orientation' in divergent ways. Indeed, several studies have found that much of the research about sexual orientation has failed to define the term at all, making it difficult to reconcile the results of different studies.[1][2][3] However, most definitions include a psychological component (such as the direction of an individual's erotic desire) and/or a behavioural component (which focuses on the sex of the individual's sexual partner/s). Some prefer to simply follow an individual's self-definition or identity. See homosexuality and bisexuality for criteria that have traditionally denoted lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people.
Items listed here must have verifiable third-party sources commenting on the sexuality of the character(s) in question, and additional explanation may be necessary. Citing the work itself may be appropriate if an applicable quote is provided. Additionally, only notable/significant characters from a given work (which may have multiple LGBT characters) need to be listed here.
In a historical sense, literature as we understand it is a fairly new innovation, and the current concept of homosexuality is even fresher from the cultural oven. It's no great surprise, then, that gay literature — or even gay characters in literature — are so relatively new as to still be shiny. Nonetheless, there are gay characters that broke barriers and became cultural touchstones ...
— Kilian Meloy, "Influential Gay Characters in Literature"
A
Character name | Book | Author | Details | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Carol Aird | The Price of Salt | Patricia Highsmith | Bisexual; has a sexual/romantic relationship with another woman while married to a man. | [4] |
Alec | Nightrunner series | Lynn Flewelling | Bisexual | [5] |
Alexander the Great | Fire from Heaven The Persian Boy |
Mary Renault | Bisexual | [6] |
Armand | The Vampire Chronicles | Anne Rice | Bisexual; In the novel The Vampire Armand, he is shown to have sexual relations with a number of people of both sexes, including Marius de Romanus and Bianca Solderini. | [7] |
Vanyel Ashkevron | The Last Herald Mage trilogy | Mercedes Lackey | [8] | |
Nancy "Nan" Astley | Tipping the Velvet | Sarah Waters | Lesbian; main character who has sexual/romantic relationships with three other women as well as other casual sexual encounters. | [9] |
B
Character name | Book | Author | Details | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bagoas | The Persian Boy | Mary Renault | Gay | [6] |
Florence Banner | Tipping the Velvet | Sarah Waters | Lesbian; has a sexual/romantic relationship with the main character. | [10] |
Therese Belivet | The Price of Salt | Patricia Highsmith | Lesbian; has a sexual/romantic relationship with another woman. | [4] |
Mr. Benson | Mr. Benson | John Preston | Gay | [6] |
Frank Berry | The Hotel New Hampshire | John Irving | Identifies as gay. | [11] |
Molly Bolt | Rubyfruit Jungle | Rita Mae Brown | Lesbian; main character who has numerous romantic and sexual relationships with other women. | [12] |
Dave Brandstetter | Dave Brandstetter Mysteries | Joseph Hansen | [13] | |
Beebo Brinker | The Beebo Brinker Chronicles | Ann Bannon | Lesbian | [14] |
Coach Harlan Brown | The Front Runner | Patricia Nell Warren | Gay | [6] |
Richard Brown | The Hours | Michael Cunningham | Gay | [15] |
Kitty Butler | Tipping the Velvet | Sarah Waters | Bisexual; has a sexual/romantic relationship with the main character as well as marrying a man. | [10] |
C
Character name | Book | Author | Details | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Beth Ayers/Cullison | The Beebo Brinker Chronicles | Ann Bannon | [14] | |
Jason Carrillo | Rainbow Boys | Alex Sanchez | gay | [16] |
D
Character name | Book | Author | Details | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Anne Damer | Life Mask | Emma Donoghue | Lesbian; has a sexual/romantic relationship with another woman. | [17] |
Peggy Danziger | Happy Endings Are All Alike | Sandra Scoppettone | Bisexual; has a sexual and romantic relationship with another woman. | [4] |
Infinite Darlene/Daryl | Boy Meets Boy | David Levithan | Transgender. Formerly known as Daryl, now a drag queen called "Infinite Darlene". | [18] |
David | Giovanni's Room | James Baldwin | Bisexual | [6] |
Selina Dawes | Affinity | Sarah Waters | Lesbian; has a sexual/romantic relationship with another woman. | [19] |
Ennis del Mar | Brokeback Mountain | Annie Proulx | Main character who has a long term sexual relationship with another man as well as being married to a woman. Critics have described him variously as gay, bisexual, or occasionally as a heterosexual. | [20][21] |
Paul Denton | The Rules of Attraction | Bret Easton Ellis | Bisexual, falls in love with main character (a man) | [22] |
Sarah Dowling | Patience and Sarah | Isabel Miller | [23] | |
Albus Dumbledore | Harry Potter series | JK Rowling | Gay | [24] [25] [26] [27] |
Clive Durham | Maurice | E. M. Forster | Gay | [28] |
F
Character name | Book | Author | Details | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alluvia Fairfax (Alice) | Gut Symmetries | Jeanette Winterson | Bisexual; main character who falls in love with a man and a woman and has a sexual relationship with them both. | [29] |
Lucy Farinelli | Kay Scarpetta novels | Patricia Cornwell | Lesbian; niece of the main character. Has several romantic relationships with other women as well as many casual sexual encounters with other women. | [30] |
Simon Foster | A Fairly Honourable Defeat | Iris Murdoch | Gay | [31] |
G
Dorian Gray was one of the first in a long list of hedonistic fellows whose homosexual tendencies secured a terrible fate.
— Drew Banks, as quoted in "Influential Gay Characters in Literature"
Character name | Book | Author | Details | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Giovanni | Giovanni's Room | James Baldwin | Gay | [6] |
Nelson Glassman | Rainbow Boys | Alex Sanchez | Gay | [16] |
Dorian Gray | The Picture of Dorian Gray | Oscar Wilde | Gay | [6] |
H
Character name | Book | Author | Details | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Maurice Hall | Maurice | E. M. Forster | Gay | [32] |
Basil Hallward | The Picture of Dorian Gray | Oscar Wilde | Gay | [33] |
Baron Vladimir Harkonnen | Dune | Frank Herbert | Gay;[34] Harkonnen's sexual preference for men is implied in Dune and Children of Dune, and presented more explicitly in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. | [35][36] |
Basil Henderson | Invisible Life Just As I Am Abide With Me |
E. Lynn Harris | Bisexual | [6] [37] |
J
Character name | Book | Author | Details | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ruth Jamison | Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe | Fannie Flagg | Lesbian; main character who has long-term romantic relationship with another woman. | [38] |
Jeanette | Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit | Jeanette Winterson | Lesbian | [39] |
K
Character name | Book | Author | Details | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Annie Kenyon | Annie on My Mind | Nancy Garden | Lesbian | [40] |
Joel Harrison Knox | Other Voices, Other Rooms | Truman Capote | Gay | [41] |
L
Character name | Book | Author | Details | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Laura Landon | The Beebo Brinker Chronicles | Ann Bannon | [14] | |
Renee LaRoche | Along the Journey River | Carole LaFavor | Lesbian protagonist. | [42] |
Diana Leathaby | Tipping the Velvet | Sarah Waters | Lesbian; has a sexual relationship with the main character and other women. | [10] |
Maud Lilly | Fingersmith | Sarah Waters | Lesbian; main character who has a sexual/romantic relationship with another woman. | [43] |
Lestat de Lioncourt | The Vampire Chronicles | Anne Rice | Though Lestat's sexual orientation is never implicitly specified, he is attracted to and has intense relationships with members of both sexes (though mostly men). Most notably, he shares a bed with Nicolas de Lenfent (while still human) and later falls "fatally in love" with Louis de Pointe du Lac. | [7] |
M
Character name | Book | Author | Details | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Malone | Dancer from the Dance | Andrew Holleran | Gay | [44] |
Dirk McDonald | Baby Be-Bop, Weetzie Bat | Francesca Lia Block | Gay | [45] |
Alice Meadows | A Village Affair | Joanna Trollope | Married woman who has a sexual and romantic relationship with another woman. | [4] |
Kyle Meeks | Rainbow Boys | Alex Sanchez | Gay | [16] |
Christopher Metcalfe | Now and Then | William Corlett | Gay; main character who has a sexual & romantic relationship as a boy with another boy at school. Later has sexual relationships with other men and eventually pursues a romantic relationship with another man. | [46] |
Russel Middlebrook | Geography Club | Brent Hartinger | Gay | [4] |
Paul Michel | Hallucinating Foucault | Patricia Duncker | Gay; openly homosexual writer, said to have many male lovers, including relationship with male main character/narrator. | [47][48] |
N
Character name | Book | Author | Details | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Narrator | Written on the Body | Jeanette Winterson | Bisexual; main character of unspecified gender who has sexual/romantic relationships with men and women. Some reviewers describe the narrator as a lesbian. | [49][50] |
Alex Nilsson | A Fairly Honourable Defeat | Iris Murdoch | Gay | [31] |
Noah | Boy Meets Boy | David Levithan | Gay. In love with Paul. | [18] |
Hélène Noris | The Illusionist | Françoise Mallet-Joris | Has a sexual relationship with another woman. | [4] |
O
Character name | Book | Author | Details | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jeff O'Brien | The Men from the Boys Where The Boys Are Men Who Love Men |
William J. Mann | Gay | [6] |
P
Character name | Book | Author | Details | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Paul | Boy Meets Boy | David Levithan | Gay; main character. Ex-boyfriend of Kyle, in love with Noah. | [6] [18] |
Louis de Pointe du Lac | The Vampire Chronicles | Anne Rice | Though his sexual orientation is never explicitly specified, Louis finds Lestat de Lioncourt attractive, and the two have some sexual relationship. | [7] |
Margaret Prior | Affinity | Sarah Waters | Lesbian; main character who pursues a romantic relationship with another woman. | [19] |
S
[Alec Scudder of Maurice was] a refreshingly unapologetic young gay man who was not an effete Oscar Wilde aristocrat, but rather a working class, masculine, ordinary guy ... an example of the working class teaching the privileged class about honesty and authenticity — a bit of a stereotype now, but back then quite extraordinary.
— William J. Mann, as quoted in "Influential Gay Characters in Literature"
Character name | Book | Author | Details | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alec Scudder | Maurice | E. M. Forster | Gay | [6] |
Danny Slocum | The Confessions of Danny Slocum | George Whitmore | Gay | [6] |
Tamara Soulerr | The Illusionist | Françoise Mallet-Joris | Bisexual. Has sexual relationship with a man, and with his daughter. | [4] |
Stefen | The Last Herald Mage trilogy | Mercedes Lackey | Gay | [8] |
Stella | Gut Symmetries | Jeanette Winterson | Bisexual; falls in love with and marries a man, falls in love with and has a sexual relationship with a woman. | [29] |
Sutherland | Dancer from the Dance | Andrew Holleran | Gay | [44] |
T
Character name | Book | Author | Details | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Idgie Threadgoode | Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe | Fannie Flagg | Lesbian; main character who has long-term romantic relationship with another woman, and sexual encounters with one other woman. | [38] |
Tony | Boy Meets Boy | David Levithan | Gay. Child of orthodox Jewish parents. | [51][52] |
Aud Torvingen | The Blue Place | Nicola Griffith | Lesbian | [4] |
Sue Trinder | Fingersmith | Sarah Waters | Lesbian; main character who has a romantic/sexual relationship with another woman. | [43] |
Jack Twist | Brokeback Mountain | Annie Proulx | Main character who has a long term sexual relationship with another man as well as being married to a woman and having sexual relationships with other men. Critics have described him variously as gay or bisexual. | [20][21] |
Jaret Tyler | Happy Endings Are All Alike | Sandra Scoppettone | Lesbian; has a sexual and romantic relationship with another woman and identifies as a lesbian. | [4] |
Raymond Tyler Jr. | Invisible Life Just As I Am Abide With Me |
E. Lynn Harris | Bisexual | [6] [53] |
U
Character name | Book | Author | Details | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Clodagh Unwin | A Village Affair | Joanna Trollope | Lesbian; has a sexual and romantic relationship with another woman. | [4] |
V
Character name | Book | Author | Details | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Clarissa Vaughan | The Hours | Michael Cunningham | Lesbian; in a long-term relationship with another woman. | [4] |
W
Character name | Book | Author | Details | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Min Wei | Geography Club | Brent Hartinger | Bisexual | [4] |
Patience White | Patience and Sarah | Isabel Miller | [23] | |
Liza Winthrop | Annie on My Mind | Nancy Garden | Lesbian | [40] |
X
Character name | Book | Author | Details | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
X (Narrator's pseudonym) | Boy Culture | Matthew Rettenmund | Gay; has sexual and romantic relationships with Andrew, Joe and other men. | [6] |
See also
References
- ^ Shively, M.G. (1984). "Research on sexual orientation: definitions and methods". Journal of Homosexuality. vol. 9 (no. 2/3): pp. 127-137. doi:10.1300/J082v09n02_08.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Gerdes, L.C. (1988). The Developing Adult (Second Edition ed.). Durban: Butterworths; Austin, TX: Butterworth Legal Publishers. ISBN 0409101885.
{{cite book}}
:|edition=
has extra text (help) - ^ Sell, Randall L. (1997). "Defining and Measuring Sexual Orientation: A Review: How do you define sexual orientation?". Archives of Sexual Behavior. vol. 26 (no. 6): pp. 643-658. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
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ignored (help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Lo, Malinda (2007-05-22). "13 Lesbian and Bi Characters You Should Know". AfterEllen.com. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
- ^ Jamneck, Lynne (2005). "An Interview with Lynn Flewelling". Writing-World.com. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Meloy, Kilian (2007-09-24). ""Influential Gay Characters in Literature"". AfterElton.com. Retrieved 2007-10-09.
- ^ a b c Haggerty, George E. (1998). "Anne Rice and the queering of culture". Novel: A Forum on Fiction. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
- ^ a b Lackey, Mercedes (2005). "Ask Misty Archive - Valdemar". The World of Mercedes Lackey. Retrieved 2007-07-22.
- ^ "Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters (review)". Powell's Books. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
- ^ a b c "Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters (review)". Barnes & Noble.com. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
- ^ "The Hotel New Hampshire Review". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-10-06.
- ^ Day, Frances Ann (2000). Lesbian and Gay Voices: An Annotated Bibliography and Guide to Literature. Korea: Greenwood Press. p. 20. ISBN 0313311625.
- ^ Walker, Peter. "Dave Brandstetter". ThrillingDetective.com. Retrieved 2007-07-22.
- ^ a b c Yndigoyen, Rose (2005-07-16), The Beebo Brinker Chronicles, retrieved 2007-07-22
- ^ Young, Tory (2003). Michael Cunningham's the Hours: A Reader's Guide. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 37. ISBN 0826414761.
- ^ a b c Emert, Toby (2002), "An Interview with Alex Sanchez, Author of Rainbow Boys", ALAN Review, retrieved 2007-10-10
- ^ "Life Mask by Emma Donoghue". BiblioFemme. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
- ^ a b c "Boy Meets Boy description". davidleviathan.com. 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
- ^ a b Holcombe, Garan (2005). "Sarah Waters - Critical Perspective". ContemporaryWriters.com. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
- ^ a b Phillips, Richard (2000). De-Centering Sexualities: Politics and Representations Beyond the Metropolis. Routledge. pp. 2–5. ISBN 0415194652.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|coauthors=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b Rood, Karen Lane (2001). Understanding Annie Proulx. Univ of South Carolina Press. pp. 187–190. ISBN 1570034028.
- ^ Behling, Harold John (2002-07-03), "The Rules of Attraction's bleak originality shows character study", University Chronicle, retrieved 2007-10-06
- ^ a b Katz, Jonathan. "Writing and Publishing Patience and Sarah". Retrieved 2007-07-22.
- ^ "JK Rowling says wizard Dumbledore is gay". Washington Post. 2007-10-20. Retrieved 2007-10-20.
- ^ "JK Rowling outs Dumbledore as gay". BBC News. 2007-10-20. Retrieved 2007-10-20.
- ^ "Rowling dubs Dumbledore of Harry Potter books as gay". Retrieved 2007-10-20.
- ^ "J.K. Rowling outs Hogwarts character". Yahoo! News. 2007-10-20. Retrieved 2007-10-20.
- ^ Hunter, Richard (2004). Plato's Symposium. Oxford University Press. p. 115. ISBN 0195160797.
- ^ a b Griffin, Gabriele (2000). Romancing the Margins?: Lesbian Writing in the 1990s. Haworth Press. p. 73. ISBN 1560231335.
- ^ Mizejewski, Linda (2004). Hardboiled and High Heeled: The Woman Detective in Popular Culture. Routledge. p. 26. ISBN 0415969719.
- ^ a b Grimshaw, Tammy (2005). Sexuality, Gender, And Power In Iris Murdoch's Fiction. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press. p. 37. ISBN 0838640613.
- ^ Da Silva, Stephen (1998), "Transvaluing immaturity: reverse discourses of male homosexuality in E.M. Forster's posthumously published fiction", Criticism, retrieved 2007-10-06
- ^ Horan, Patrick M. (1997). The Importance of Being Paradoxical: Maternal Presence in the Works of Oscar Wilde. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press. p. 88. ISBN 0838637337.
- ^ Though Harkonnen is the biological father of Lady Jessica, it is noted in Dune that this is because he "once permitted himself to be seduced."
- ^ Herbert, Frank. Dune.
'I'll be in my sleeping chambers,' the Baron said. 'Bring me that young fellow we bought on Gamont, the one with the lovely eyes. Drug him well. I don't feel like wrestling.'
- ^ Herbert, Frank. Dune.
'Why haven't you ever bought a Bene Gesserit, Uncle?' Feyd-Rautha asked. 'With a Truthsayer at your side —' 'You know my tastes!' the Baron snapped ... 'This old fool saw through the shielded needle you'd planted in that slave boy's thigh. Right where I'd put my hand on it, eh?'
- ^ Amazon.com Editorial review. "Abide With Me". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2007-10-12.
Basil Henderson ... is regularly attending therapy ... although it doesn't seem to be helping him deal with ... his denial of his bisexuality ...
- ^ a b Greenhill/Tye (1998). Undisciplined Women: Tradition and Culture in Canada. McGill-Queen's Press. p. 143. ISBN 0773516158.
- ^ Griffin, Gabriele (2002). Who's Who in Lesbian and Gay Writing. Routledge. p. 217. ISBN 0415159849.
- ^ a b Day, Frances Ann (2000). Lesbian and Gay Voices: An Annotated Bibliography and Guide to Literature. Korea: Greenwood Press. p. 29. ISBN 0313311625.
- ^ Richards, Gary (2005). Lovers And Beloveds: Sexual Otherness In Southern Fiction, 1936-1961. LSU Press. p. 31. ISBN 0807130516.
- ^ Richardson, Susan B. (1998). "Along the Journey River - Review". MELUS. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
- ^ a b Gilling, Tom (2002-02-24), "Our Mutual Attraction", The New York Times, retrieved 2007-07-07
- ^ a b Bergman, David (2004). The Violet Hour: The Violet Quill and the Making of Gay Culture. Columbia University Press. p. 78. ISBN 0231130503.
- ^ Day, Frances Ann (2000). Lesbian and Gay Voices: An Annotated Bibliography and Guide to Literature. Korea: Greenwood Press. p. 16. ISBN 0313311625.
- ^ Now and Then "Now and Then Review". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
{{cite web}}
: Check|url=
value (help) - ^ "Hallucinating Foucault synopsis". Powell's Books. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
- ^ ""Author! Author!"". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
- ^ Stowers, Cath; Purvis, June (1995), (Hetero)sexual Politics - Journeying with Jeanette: Transgressive Travels in Winterson's Fiction, Taylor & Francis, ISBN 0748402950
- ^ Gilmore, Leigh (2001). The Limits of Autobiography: Trauma and Testimony. Cornell University Press. p. 127. ISBN 0801486742.
- ^ Amazon.com Editorial Reviews. Boy Meets Boy.
- ^ Webber, Carlie Kraft. Boy Meets Boy review - TeenReads.com
- ^ Amazon.com Editorial reviews. "Invisible Life". Amazon.com/Library Journal. Retrieved 2007-10-12.