In:
Études françaises, Consortium Erudit, Vol. 55, No. 1 ( 2019-05-02), p. 17-31
Abstract:
Georges Hérelle (1848-1935) was well known, during his lifetime, for his excellent French translations of the work of the Italian author Gabriele D’Annunzio and for his research on Basque popular theatre. In our recent study, Georges Hérelle: archéologue de l’inversion sexuelle «fin de siècle» (Paris, Éditions du Félin, 2014), we’ve concentrated on the important role he played as a historian and particularly as an archivist of homosexuality, drawing from his private journal, his voyage log, his photograph albums and his unpublished manuscripts. Describing himself as “timid and a bit wild,” Hérelle admits in his journal his “fear of being indiscreet.” He decided while still very young to lead a double life. In the context of his long career as a professor of Philosophy, he maintained the public image of a conventional, modest man. It was a question of survival, according to Hérelle, because he was surrounded by a hostile and intolerant society. However, in his private life, he discretely kept company with a small group of homosexual friends. In this article, we focus on a new object of study: the letters that Hérelle wrote in the 1860s and 1870s to Paul Bourget and other close friends. Hérelle and his friends discuss the details of their daily lives, but also their romantic adventures, intimate thoughts and literary ambitions. These young people were searching for a language that would allow them to describe precisely the nature of their romantic feelings. Our analysis reveals a singularly rich image of homosexual life at a precise historical moment – the first years of the Third Republic – for which there exist very few autobiographical accounts by homosexuals.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1492-1405
,
0014-2085
Language:
French
Publisher:
Consortium Erudit
Publication Date:
2019
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2140574-8
SSG:
7,30
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