In march of 1993, transgender activist leslie feinberg published a coming of age novel titled stone butch blues. Starting in the 50s, the comingofage novel follows jess goldberg, a jewish tomboy, as she runs away from her repressive home in upstate new york, in search of community, acceptance, and purpose. Every textbook comes with a 21day any reason guarantee. In leslie feinbergs stone butch blues, the author takes us on a journey through the life of jess goldberg, a stone butch lesbian. Rent stone butch blues 1st edition 9781555838539 today, or search our site for other textbooks by leslie feinberg. This 36page guide for stone butch blues by leslie feinberg includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 26 chapters, as well as several more in. Chapter 1 summary jess goldberg, a stone butch lesbian one who dresses and behaves like a traditionally masculine man writes a letter to her longlost lover, theresa. The achievement of feinbergs awardwinning novel is not that it is the first novel to tell the story of a transgendered person, but that it is the first to embrace transgendered as an identity. Leslie feinberg, stone butch blues in leslie feinbergs 1993 novel. Chapter nineteen summary jess decides that she is done passing, that life is a man is not the answer to who she is. I never thought id spend so much of my life fighting over which. From her earliest memories, jess goldberg knew she was painfully different from other girls.
Imagine being asked on a daily basis what your gender was. A commonly asked questioned for our main character jessy. Ive worked hard to be discriminated against as a lesbian. The narrative follows the life of jess goldberg, who grows up in a working class area of upstate new york in the 1940s to 1950s. As such, it is also about crossing boundaries and seeking home.
Stone butch blues is a story about the life and identity of a butch lesbian by the name of jess goldberg. Critical analysis paper stone butch blues by leslie. If there is a sparknotes, shmoop, or cliff notes guide, we will have it. Apr 30, 2015 in march of 1993, transgender activist leslie feinberg published a coming of age novel titled stone butch blues. The news of the stone butch blues movie came out when the production company, 11b productions posted a casting call. Stone butch blues was a pioneering novel and is beloved by generations of lgbtq people, especially butch and femme lesbians, and transgender, gendernonconforming, and. Stone butch blues summary and analysis like sparknotes free. This 36page guide for stone butch blues by leslie feinberg includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 26 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis.
This does the canon of american fiction a grave disservice, because feinbergs 1993 novel stone butch blues, the cornerstone of her career, is a very good book by any measure. Stone butch blues was a gripping and consistently sad account of the life of a tough yet sensitive butch and i learned quite a bit from it. Feinberg was the first theorist to advance a marxist concept of transgender liberation. Stone butch blues was a pioneering novel and is beloved by generations of lgbtq people, especially butch and femme lesbians, and transgender, gendernonconforming, and genderfluid people.
Throughout the whole novel, suffering and anger are constantly present, even if sometimes they are just in the background. The search for identity in leslie feinbergs stone butch. Stone butch blues summary and study guide supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Extract of sample critical analysis paper stone butch blues by leslie feinburg download file to see previous pages having known these pain which the likes of jess in the novel had endured, and that they are no different from the rest of us, it would now be time for society to understand and accept them as they are.
Ariana, meredith, jessica, matthew, and caitlin power in numbers importance of jess story butch life on jess identity major ideas. Leslie feinbergs stone butch blues is a great novel. The main character jess goldberg, is always on the moveeither trying. Were here to help unpack the themes, motifs, and main ideas behind some of the greatest work of short fiction, to help you understand the stories of faulkner, hemingway, oconnor, and more. Stone butch blues is a novel written by the revolutionary communist leslie feinberg about life as a butch lesbian in 1970s america. This book touches upon what its like to stand against the common system and the norms of heterosexuality, and illustrates the resistance and carnage seen by those who stand outside of the designated cultural and societal norms. A stone butch has every reason to feel the blues in leslie feinbergs criticallyacclaimed, awardwinning novel stone butch blues. She stops taking hormones and watches her transformation back into her own self. Stone butch blues is the latest literary work adapted. Stone butch blues summary and study guide supersummary. It may be advisable to prepare students with discussions on sexuality and sexual difference, especially as concerns butchfemme relationships. Nov 24, 2014 this does the canon of american fiction a grave disservice, because feinbergs 1993 novel stone butch blues, the cornerstone of her career, is a very good book by any measure. She is happy wearing her roy rogers outfit, even in temple.
Sociology of gender stone butch blues paper gender construction and reinforcement in leslie feinbergs stone butch blues is that a boy or a girl. Buy stone butch blues study guide by ebook online at lulu. Please join freebooksummary to read the full document. Leslie feinberg, quote from stone butch blues i put on lipstick and high heels and walk down the street arm in arm with you, jess. If there is a stone butch blues sparknotes, shmoop guide, or cliff notes, you can find a link to each study guide below.
Sold by the hundreds of thousands of copies and also passed from handtohand inside. The narrative follows the life of jess goldberg, who grows up in a working class area of upstate new york in. Not only does she dress, act and think like a man, she fundamentally believes that she is a man. Near the end of the book, jess tells her friend ruth, when i was growing up, i believed i was gonna do something really important with my life, like explore the universe or cure diseases. As it turns out, no ones quite sure if 11b has the rights to the novel or not. Stone butch blues, leslie feinbergs 1993 first novel, is widely considered in and outside the u. Stone butch blues summary and analysis like sparknotes. The main character jess goldberg, is always on the moveeither trying to find a new spot to maybe fit in, or more likely. Stone butch blues, to me, is the greatest, most important queer novel in the world, because it does not only offer an insular experience of difference. This study guide consists of approximately 64 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of stone butch blues. Stone butch blues book by leslie feinberg thriftbooks. Find all available study guides and summaries for stone butch blues by leslie feinberg. Stone butch blues is most commonly described as a genderqueer narrative. This is my life, and im damn brave to love who i love.
Stone butch blues, leslie feinbergs 1993 first novel, is considered in and outside the u. Times have changed since jess made her first forays into gay bars in the early 1960s only no one used the word gay back then. It is sometimes seen as postmodern because of the ways it presents gender as a signifier lacking a fixed referent in the body, and the way jesss identity breaks down the categories of male and female. Oct 27, 2019 in the book stone butch blues, leslie feinberg engages in the discussion about gays, lesbians, transgenders, and heterosexuals. Her mom had needed to get away from the dullness of marriage however when she got pregnant she was adequately caught. I wouldnt blame you if you thought the audience for stone butch blues must be incredibly limited. Jess definitely had to walk a difficult path in life as was prophecized early on by her neighbors and caretakers. Her experiences of being ostracized, being beaten, and being repeatedly raped in retaliation for being a transgendered lesbian illustrate the degree of often unnoticed pressure to. Stone butch blues chapter 2 summary freebooksummary.
Full text of stone butch blues 20th anniversary author edition. We have you covered with 247 instant online tutoring. There are two big questions and three strong feelings that distinctly emerge from leslie feinbergs novel stone butch blues 1993. Leslie examines the challenges facing them such as harassment from the police, religious discrimination of lesbians and gays, harassment at workplaces which at times includes loss of employment, and exclusion from the. Gender fluidity even as a child, jess is aware that she does not neatly conform to a male or female identity. Because jessy did not abide by societys idea of a heteronormative appearance for a young female adolescent i. A large segment is devoted to the tribulations of being a stone butch person, and the experience of being a lesbian while identifying with masculine traits. Sold by hundreds of thousands of copies, passed handtohand inside prisons, the novel has been. Once again, people begin to stare at and harass her. The term stone butch was popularized by leslie feinberg in her 1993 novel stone butch blues, which describes the protagonists explorations of the lesbian community. Full text of stone butch blues 20th anniversary author.
A stone butch blues movie betrays leslie feinbergs legacy. Mar 30, 2018 stone butch blues, to me, is the greatest, most important queer novel in the world, because it does not only offer an insular experience of difference. Feinberg recovered the rights to her book in 2012 after a long legal battle. Leslie feinbergs stone butch blues is a great novel everyone. One is forced to recognize the violence inflicted on those who do not fit stereotypes of heterosexual, malefemale divisions. Jess is biologically a woman who chooses to live her life as a man. Stone butch blues by leslie feinberg, paperback barnes. Stone butch blues chapters 9 analysis freebooksummary. Stone butch blues, main character jess goldberg recounts her daily struggles as she navigates her way through a world in which she feels no category exists for her. She brought forth jess on a day too stormy to even think about allowing travel. This analytical essay on stone butch blues was written and submitted by your fellow student. Our study guides are available online and in book form at.
The stone butch blues study guide contains a comprehensive summary and analysis of stone butch blues by leslie feinberg. This study guide consists of approximately 64 pages of chapter summaries, quotes. The search for identity in leslie feinbergs stone butch blues. Throughout the book, she uses the term heshe to describe herself.
In pivotal moments, jess resists gender categorization that might make her life or relationships simpler. Nov 17, 2014 stone butch blues was the heartbreaking holy grail of butch perspective. You cant have stone butch blues without lea delaria, and i think shes earned the right to be butch al at this point in her career. The storyteller, jess, relates how her mom dismissed her during childbirth. Its been translated into chinese, german, italian, dutch, slovenian and hebrew. Stone butch blues was the heartbreaking holy grail of butch perspective. Apr 17, 2011 in leslie feinbergs stone butch blues, the author takes us on a journey through the life of jess goldberg, a stone butch lesbian. In telling this story, feinberg is a voice to the queer life in america. Leslie feinberg is the author of stone butch blues, and also the author of trans liberation, trans gender warriors, and transgender liberation, and is a. The entirety of the novel revolves around the butchfemme subculture. Unfortunately, in societys eyes there is only one penismasculine. Although this is sold as a novel, it reads something like a biography.
Full of pain and sadness, stone butch blues thoughtfully reflects on workingclass lesbian life in america across the twentieth centurys second half. Stone butch blues is modestly the story ofa person who, because of the callousness of our society, does not fit into the social norm. Stone butch blues quotes showing of 39 if im not with a butch everyone just assumes im straight. Butch al is the first reallife butch jess ever encounters, and lea delaria is the first example of butch queerness most of us ever got to see in mainstream entertainment. Nov 02, 2012 imagine being asked on a daily basis what your gender was. Jess goldberg, a stone butch lesbian one who dresses and behaves like a traditionally masculine man writes. Stone butch blues leslie feinberg chapters 114 vernon baskerville, chris dellena, jessica sklar, olivia speckhart, raamah vaughn overview edwin theresa jess duffy older butch role model to jess main character in her eyes i had seen the pain of being overpowered and helpless. Reach out to those struggling with similar issues stress the importance of acceptance help those who are naive overall. She has unlocked her soul to anyone who reads and showed us the fears of being different no matter how slight. Stone butch blues, main character jess goldberg recounts her daily struggles as she navigates her way through a world. It is the fictional story of a young woman named jess goldberg and the many problems she faces growing up as a butch in the late1960s. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature.
922 1590 412 988 1329 151 339 68 328 1002 754 1344 171 1315 37 924 341 115 1279 931 442 30 1121 11 396 1033 1159 1356 1482 1403