'It is a poorly kept secret that the queer subject, historically speaking, existed before it was legally permitted to. While queerness - particularly sexual deviancy - May not be made explicit in historical texts as a consequence of their contemporary censorship regulations, queer identifications are encountered as points of recognition. Often, recognised queerness takes the form of an accepted stereotype - the male body carrying feminine coding, or the female body carrying masculine coding, for instance. When combined with physical and dialogic signifiers, the textual body presents an image that can be interpreted as having queer resonance. While I would not suggest that characters be read strictly as 'sexually deviant' based on these signifiers alone, I do propose that analysing the deployment of queer signifiers in archival texts can lead to a deeper understanding of the cultural attitudes at play.' (Publication abstract)
