Having elucidated my usage of the term "lesbian," I must provide my definition of
"lesbian literature." In contemplating its meaning, I encountered as many
problems and questions as I confronted in attempting to define "lesbian." What are
the criteria for lesbian literature? Is lesbian literature fiction about lesbians written
for lesbians? Must the author necessarily be lesbian herself? Can a male author
write lesbian literature? Who is the lesbian in lesbian literature? Must the text
contain self-identified lesbians? Is there a particular function which renders a
work of literature lesbian? What makes literature or, more specifically, a narrative
lesbian?