Why read Epistemology of the Closet?

Book cover of Epistemology of the Closet

Book description

Since the late 1980s, queer studies and theory have become vital to the intellectual and political life of the United States. This has been due, in no small degree, to the influence of Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's critically acclaimed "Epistemology of the Closet". Working from classic texts of European and American…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Epistemology of the Closet as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Merrill Cole

Author

A foundational text of queer theory and queer literary reading practices, Epistemology of the Closet is absolutely irreplaceable.

Originally also an intervention in the AIDS crisis and in late-twentieth-century homophobia, the updated version places the original argument in historical context. The book elaborates on an influential practice later termed “closet reading,” wherein the reader analyzes homoerotic meaning that for various reasons, including censorship, legal repercussions, and social norms, the author couldn’t or wouldn’t state directly.

Sedgwick offers sharp and illuminating interpretations of such writers as Friedrich Nietzsche and Oscar Wilde. The sweep of the book extends from law, public policy,…

From Merrill's list on The best queer theory books to gain a working understanding of the field.