• Anuradha Sarkar

This paper is a scholarly examination of Ann Bannon’sBeebo Brinker Series and Rita Mae Brown’s semi-autobiographical novel Rubyfruit Jungle that includes investigating their production details and historical background, as well as providing a close reading of their unique lesbian narrative techniques and effects. Interestingly, men comprised the primary readership of this genre of fiction, and the men around the protagonists are shown to have had crucial influence in the development of their sexuality, and yet male characters are often neglected in academic studies on lesbian pulp fiction. My research is aimed at a critical analysis of the male characters (father, cousin, brother and gay friends of the protagonist) in this genre of fiction and their relationship with the lesbian protagonist. My research proposes to be different from existing research on lesbian pulp fiction on the following counts. First, I focus on the male characters in lesbian pulp fiction, which has hardly been done so far; second, I also bring into focus Rita Mae Brown’s works along with Ann Bannon’s – thus bringing in, under the rubric of one study the two stalwarts of the genre, which is also lacking in existing research in this area. I have done a close textual reading of the Beebo Brinker Series and Rubyfruit Jungle with an emphasis on the male characters and their influence on the protagonists. The idea has been to read the male characters as well as the novels subversively, keeping in mind the social and historical background of their production. The major hypothesis of my study is to reveal the concealed messages delivered through the male characters sketched for analyzing the predicament, action and behaviour of the lesbian characters in Bannon’s and Brown’s fiction. However, this is not to strip them off their lesbian identity, which is central to lesbian print culture.

Homophobia, Lesbian, Pulp Fiction

"Homophobia and Stereotyping Lesbian in Pulp Fiction", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no.807-823, June-2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1906D28.pdf

"Homophobia and Stereotyping Lesbian in Pulp Fiction", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no. pp807-823, June-2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1906D28.pdf