36 pages • 1 hour read
Eve Kosofsky SedgwickEpistemology of the Closet
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1990A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
What are the reasons that lead Sedgwick to claim that the closet is a metaphor that both reveals and constrains homosexual life? Why does Sedgwick remain skeptical of a view that would hold any “coming out” as purely liberating?
Why does Sedgwick believe that the discourse of “coming out” signals the central importance of homophonic oppression and the heterosexual/homosexual binary within Western culture? What role does history play in Sedgwick’s account?
What does Sedgwick see as being significant regarding Claggart’s official title in Melville’s novella Billy Budd? How does Claggart’s position on the ship magnify and exacerbate the dynamics between Billy and Claggart?
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