My analysis of the expression and repression of desire in German lesbian
narratives is informed by texts from sexology, psychoanalysis, feminist and
lesbian criticism, as well as queer theory. It entails a close examination of the
narrative strategies, elements, and styles used by the authors to inscribe the lesbian
The point of departure for my investigation of the representation of desire
in German lesbian narratives is an exploration of contemporary theories of lesbian
identity and literature. After defining my parameters and theoretical framework
for investigating the selected literary texts, I examine the development of various
18th- and 19th-century discourses in Germany treating gender and sexuality. I
provide a brief introduction into the history of the birth of sexology in Germany
and its effects on epistemologies of lesbianism, as is relevant to contextualize my
analyses of the literary texts. Integral to an investigation of lesbian desire in
literature are, of course, the psychoanalytic explorations of and responses to
Sigmund Freud, whose theories on female sexuality resonate in all subsequent
psychoanalytical theories of lesbianism. However, an investigation of literary
representations of lesbian sexuality and the various discourses surrounding lesbian
desire first begs two fundamental questions: What is a lesbian, and what is lesbian
literature?
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