Sexuality as Portrayed in Victorian Literature: The Explicit vs. Subtle    

     by Misty Hensley and Laura Turner

Our project concentrates on two distinct approaches to representing sexuality in literature during the Victorian period.  The major difference that seems to be prevalent in these authors' strategies and subsequant reception, is how they approach and portray controversial sexuality—either straightforwardly or subtly.  Another difference also seems to be whether or not this sexuality is condoned or vilified within the text.  I will be handling the more subtly sexual text of Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  Laura will be exploring explicit sexuality in Aubrey Beardsley’s The Story of Venus and Tannhauser.  Beardsley was part of the Decadent movement during the late Victorian Era commonly known as the Fin de Siecle.  Laura will be discussing Beardsley's contribution to this movement.

While Stevenson's work originally received mixed reviews since it was felt to be sensationalistic (unlike his previous writing) and took a short time to catch on, it has been reproduced several times throughout the years.  Aubrey's Venus was banned in England shortly after its publication.  It was first published in 1897 as Under the Hill and later appeared in its original manuscript after Beadsley's death as The Story of Venus and Tannhauser in 1907.  It is our contention that the major difference in the reception of these two pieces hinged on the manner in which each author handled the sexuality portrayed within their stories--the explicit was socially condemned while the gothic and subtle was praised and reproduced.                               

 
click icon to see Misty Hensley's interpretation of Stevensons work

Related Links:       The Robert Louis Stevenson Website           
  Socialization
Repression

 
Aubrey Beardsley and Decadence

            Related Links:            The Aubrey Beardsley Website
                                                              
 

Works Cited 
1. Showalter, Elaine. Sexual Anarchy: “Dr. Jekyll’s Closet”. New York: Penguin Books,1990.105-126.

2.  Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. New York:Dover Publishing, Inc., 1991.

3. Waters, Chris. "Robert Louis Stevenson".  Victorian Britain: An Encyclopedia. Sally Mitchell and Michael J. Herr. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc, 1988. 760-761.

 4. Beardsley, Aubrey. “The Story of Venus and Tannhauser”. Aesthetes and Decadents of the 1890’s Second Ed.Chicago: Academy Chicago Publishers, 1993. 9-46.
 
webpage created April, 2000 by Misty Hensley

last updated October 13, 2003