Forbidden Desire in Early Modern Europe
Male-Male Sexual Relations, 1400-1750
Gathering disparate records together, Noel Malcolm’s history text addresses male-male relationships from 1400 to 1750 within their historical context.
Analyzing literature, newspapers, and court records to explain what was once called “sodomy,” the book’s chapters focus either on an element of culture, like law and literature, or on a region, like England and the Ottoman Empire, seeking evidence of male-male relations. This work begins with a collection of witnesses to two men found kissing, working to bridge the gap between such occurrences and contemporary understandings of homosexuality. It also addresses how such men were met with varying degrees of affection and persecution for their relationships.
At first dry, the book thrives on its keen analyses of a wide variety of primary sources, including colloquial phrases suggesting that Italian and Turkish societies accepted men being with men; there are love poems focused on men’s beauty as well. Possible biases and prejudices are made clear throughout, including in historians’ analyses; no sources are taken at face value. A picture of male-male relations, though not ubiquitous, forms, though neither love nor cultural acceptance are clear in the existing records.
Throughout the book, terms are defined in historical and regional contexts, helping to differentiate between early modern European and contemporary cultures. This makes visible contemporary limitations to understanding historical relationships, such as whether men dressing as women in English taverns were the beginning of a subculture, a representation of trans existence, or a signal that such men were willing to be with other men. And the book makes room for counterarguments, rebutting some using the available evidence.
With its comprehensive analyses of varied sources and search for deeper understanding, Forbidden Desire in Early Modern Europe’s investigation of one part of gay history is illuminating, sharing evidence of men in intimate relationships with other men.
Reviewed by
Addissyn House
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