Books: The Secret History ; Strangers by Graham Robb PICADOR Pounds 18.99 (336Pp) Pounds 16.99 (Plus Pounds 2.25 P&p per Order) from 0870 800 1122

Arditti, Michael, The Independent (London, England)

Ever since the pioneering work of Michel Foucault, the prevailing assumption among academics has been that homosexual identity was a product of the late 19th century, when the term first appeared in medical discourse. This "social constructionist" approach has long been absurd to anyone who has studied figures as varied as Christopher Marlowe and the "Mollies" of Georgian London, let alone the same-sex unions sanctified by the medieval church. Graham Robb, in this comprehensive account of homosexual love in the 19th century, now scotches the idea completely.

Robb's aims in Strangers are to show that a rich same-sex culture existed in the first part of the century (and …

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Publication information: Article title: Books: The Secret History ; Strangers by Graham Robb PICADOR Pounds 18.99 (336Pp) Pounds 16.99 (Plus Pounds 2.25 P&p per Order) from 0870 800 1122. Contributors: Arditti, Michael - Author. Newspaper title: The Independent (London, England). Publication date: November 7, 2003. Page number: 24. © 2009 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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