Tuite’s Literary Criticism of Lewis’ The Monk
I would like to preface this by saying that one of the things I learned from this exercise is that, just because an article exists in published form, does not necessarily mean that it is a good article. This is the conclusion I reached after plowing, dictionary in hand, through two articles that were, respectively, ridiculously elementary after one hacked through the jargon, and entirely absurd and unsupported. Disheartened, I went searching again, and this time, came up with "Cloistered Closets: Enlightenment Pornography, The Confessional State, Homosexual Persecution and The Monk," by Clara Tuite, and it is this article that I am writing about.
Tuite's only fault in this article is perhaps that she tries to tackle too much. (Something else I'm discovering as I try to summarize it.) Essentially, she tries to prove the existence of visible homoerotic elements in The Monk, and their link to antiCatholicism. No small feat. She quotes Coleridge in his review of The Monk as saying, the novel blends "with an irreverent negligence, all that is most awfully true in religion with all that is most ridiculously absurd in superstition" (1). The reason this is problematic for Coleridge, according to Tuite, is that it reveals the inherent hypocrisy in the English Church, that is, that the Church condemns, with superstitious intensity, the rituals and superstitions of the Catholic Church. Coleridge fears, "Lewis' contamination of Protestantism by Catholicism" (2). Since at this time a great deal of the English State/Church depended on the assumption that Catholicism was low and wrong and Protestantism the ultimate right, the parallels drawn between Protestantism and Catholicism by Lewis were ...
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...Lewis attempts, through this, to disassociate homosexuality with Catholicism, thereby trying to make a Hated Other, at least hated only once over, not twice (9).
This, I thought, was an excellent article. Tuite has some very good points, which explained, at least partially, some of the questions I had as to Lewis' intentions with the homoerotic elements in the novel, which to my mind, he had included, but never really developed. Essentially, Tuite clarified for me why, though Ambrosio commits every other kind of sinful" excess, this is one he leaves untouched. And I think she proves a very valid argument.
Works Cited
Tuite, Clara. "Cloistered Closets: Enlightenment Pornography, The Confessional Sate, Homosexual Persecution anal The Monk." Romanticism On the Net 8 (November 1997): n. pag. Online. Internet. (4/5/98) http://users.ox.ac.uk/~scat0385/closet.html
homosexual liberation. Some have demonstrated their anger and concerns about prejudice against homosexuals in both riots and artistic forms. Therefore, these people seek to prove to the heterosexual world that homosexual ‘deviancy’ was a myth.
Seidman, Steven. Beyond the Closet: The Transformation of Gay and Lesbian Life. New York: Routledge, 2004. Print
Lipsey, M. W., Chapman, G. L., L & Enberger, N. A. (2001). Cognitive-behavioral programs for offenders. The annals of the american academy of political and social science, 578 (1), pp. 144--157.
Prison recidivism rates continue to be a problem in the United States. Just within the first 3 years of release from prison, it is estimated that more than 40 percent offenders commit new crimes and are once again incarcerated. This is an obvious sign that the implemented programs and policies to combat recidivism are failing. This study looks at cognitive-behavioral therapy, the most known effective rehabilitative program and its effects on recidivism rates. The aim of the study is to examine the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy and to conclude on the overall effectiveness of the program in reducing recidivism rates.
Life for most homosexuals during the first half of the Twentieth century was one of hiding, being ever so careful to not give away their true feelings and predilections. Although the 1920s saw a brief moment of openness in American society, that was quickly destroyed with the progress of the Cold War, and by default, that of McCarthyism. The homosexuals of the 50s “felt the heavy weight of medical prejudice, police harassment and church condemnation … [and] were not able to challenge these authorities.” They were constantly battered, both physically and emotionally, by the society that surrounded them. The very mention or rumor of one’s homosexuality could lead to the loss of their family, their livelihood and, in some cases, their lives. Geanne Harwood, interviewed on an National Public Radio Broadcast commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, said that “being gay before Stonewall was a very difficult proposition … we felt that in order to survive we had to try to look and act as rugged and as manly as possibly to get by in a society that was really very much against us.” The age of communist threats, and of Joseph McCarthy’s insistence that homosexuals were treacherous, gave credence to the feeling of most society members that homosexuality was a perversion, and that one inflicted was one to not be trusted.
Sexuality is often looked down upon by mainstream society. Embedded into culture and tradition, sex itself has been made to be seen as a taboo of sorts. Prostitution was made illegal; pornography was made evil. Rooted deep within the teachings of the most common religious morality systems, sex and sexuality is often paired with punishments. Those who explore their sexuality is often shamed, and labeled with words that can ostracize such persons from society. Kant’s view of sexuality almost destroys his credibility as a philosopher by providing unclear and unreasonable points of sexuality and objectification, yet he remains keen on trying to prove that sex, outside of marriage, is the worst possible sin. However, there are those who believe that expressing sexuality is power, and is exercising autonomy. Many existentialists see sexuality as a means of self-expression, and to not be comfortable with sexuality shows that the person inhabits the morality of the sheep.
Delany, Samuel. "Aversion/Perversion/Diversion." Longer Views: Extended Essays. Hanover, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 1996
The Web. 12 May 2014. Fone, Byrne. A. Homophobia: A History of the.
Howard, Carol. "Alternative Testing Can Replace Animal Experimentation." AV Magazine CXIII (Spring 2005): 14-15. Rpt. in Animal Experimentation. Ed. Cindy Mur. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 25 Apr. 2011.
Halperin, David. "Is There a History of Sexuality?." The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. Ed. Henry
Back in my younger days, I feared to lose my social and economic privilege as being seen as a homosexual female, so I policed myself to present this ‘straight girl’ persona, to avoid being publicly and institutionally sanctioned. Reflecting on Adam’s readings, “Adult heterosexuality was not taken to be an inevitability; it was an achievement of safe passage through adolescence.” (p***) Regardless, of how I felt back when I was young, I still do “act” heterosexual (acting heterosexual is the performance of the traditional straight sexual identity). Be that as it may, now I don't distress when peers around me don’t follow the social rules of normative femininity and heteronormativity in public.”Years ago I would have shunned them, or best, ignored them” (76); and yet with several developed friendships that I have made along my life journey, and a lot of courses that bring awareness to homosexuality; I’m proud to say that “gradually my awareness...was no longer the source of my shame, but the beginning of my empowerment”. (p.75-76) I have reached the point in my life, that now I force myself to acknowledge and not fear the social retaliation of the practices and normalization of heterosexuality by the women I know. Meanwhile, I may still be self-conscious around those women who don’t fit this normative, yet I won’t be imposing my opinions on them, those opinions are up to me
Simon attempted to jumpstart his own career during this period by releasing the song “The Lone Teen Ranger” under his alias Jerry Land...
...l, where Baba was judgemental towards Amir. When Amir says, “I liked being on the receiving end of that look,” implies that after all the years of Baba being harsh to him, he happily accepts Baba’s change of mind, exemplifying how Baba and Amir’s relationship has been redeemed when in America. Khaled Hosseini intends to elaborate on how bad relationships may have a positive change, as shown with Baba and Amir’s bond.
Stein, Edward. The Mismeasure of Desire: The Science, Theory, and Ethics of Sexual Orientation. New York, NY: Oxford UP, 1999. Print. 20 Oct. 2011
All animals that are experimented do not make it out alive. In fact, many are killed after each test or are either killed by the chemicals or injuries that could have been obtain from the test. During cosmetic testing, the animals are restrained and put in dangerous test. Suffering, stressing, and feeling discomfort is what they normally face when put into research. Animals in labs are stressed out do to small cages they are put in and noises of screaming animals. It is also said that tested animals are not given any painkillers and left suffering. Animal testing is not always necessary. Editor of Animal Experimentation Cindy Mur informs