Re: Jeeves & Wooster fandom confessions

(Anonymous) 2019-08-21 10:13 am (UTC)(link)
I don't know if it's been recommended here already because I haven't kept perfectly up with all the threads, but in case it hasn't:

One of my favourite insights into gay life during that time is Better Angel by Forman Brown (published under an alias in 1933). It's a great insight on coming to terms with sexuality in a time when almost no information was available, falling in love,unrequited and requited, angst (but not a lot of internalised homophobia and self hatred). It's not sexually explicit but sex explicitly takes place, if that makes sense- you don't have to read between the lines. It mostly takes place in the USA but because NYC and Europe feature a bit I think it's relevant. There is one character who comes across very Wodehousian (except for his sexual openness and fluidity of course).
It's also totally worth reading about the author:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forman_Brown

free public domain text: https://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00075711/00001

free public domain audio book: https://librivox.org/better-angel-by-richard-meeker/