I recently read The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and was struck by how queer-coded the two female main characters were for it being written in the 1950’s and I found it quite an interesting read for that reason. I don’t know for sure if this was the author’s intention, but it seems pretty clear imo.
It made me curious about queer authors/characters from the past and if there are any good examples of writers or characters written back when it was taboo to be queer. Any suggestions are appreciated!
by RunningOnATreadmill
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Clarissa and Sally in Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf.
Maurice by EM Forster, The Brick Foxhole by Richard Brooks, Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and (arguably) The Man With the Watches by Arthur Conan Doyle have canon queer characters. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas has a canon lesbian couple as side characters, but they take a good long while to show up.
The portrait of Dorian Gray, especially the 1890 Lippincott version
Summer will show by Sylvia Townshend Warner, published 1936 and set in the French revolution. The Well Of Loneliness by Radcliffe Hall, published 1928 and banned for 20 years for its queer storyline.
*The Child Manuela* by Christa Winsloe (1934)
James Baldwin’s works definitely fit.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner is great!