EXTRA CREDIT

Lesbians and gay men have written about themselves, creating a deep and rich literature. Two novels, one by a Lesbian and the other by a gay man, are available in the bookstore and on reserve in the library:

Rita Mae Brown. 1988. Rubyfruit Jungle. Bantam Books.

Stephen McCauley. 1992. The Easy Way Out. Pocket Books.

For a maximum of 10% extra credit (for a really swell paper; fewer points for a less swell job) read the two novels (both of them!) and write a paper answering the following questions, based on the stories.

What issues are different in life for Lesbians and gay men, compared to heterosexuals? What things seem to be the same?
How do social institutions (religion, family, work, etc.) hinder or assist gay people in their daily life? What evidence of institutional heterosexism do you find in the stories?
How important is gay community for the characters in these novels?
How important is the gay movement? (Think not only about the individual involvement of the characters, but also of what the movement has accomplished for all gays, even those not involved.)
What do these stories have to tell us about being gay? About gay life in general?
Why would it be important for Lesbians and gay men to have their own literature?

The more detailed and complex your analysis, the better!

DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS extra credit if you cannot manage the assigned work. Do the assigned work first, understand that material, do well on exams. It won’t do you much good to do this assignment but then fail the required tasks.

Feel free to chat with me about the books, the analysis, anything.

Last Edited 13 August, 2001
Contact ameslj@plattsburgh.edu