Confederate sympathies : same-sex romance, disunion, and reunion in the Civil War era / Andrew Donnelly.

Author/creator Donnelly, Andrew, 1987- author.
Format Book
PublicationChapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press, [2025]
Description287 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.
Subjects
Male homosexuality in literature--Political aspects.
Men, White, in literature--Political aspects.
Male friendship in literature--Political aspects.
Male homosexuality--United States. --History. --19th century.
American literature--19th century. --History and criticism.
Homosexualité masculine--États-Unis. --Histoire. --19e siècle.
Littérature américaine--19e siècle. --Histoire et critique.
United States--History. --Civil War, 1861-1865. --Literature and the war.

Portion of title Same-sex romance, disunion, and reunion in the Civil War era
SeriesGender and American culture
Gender & American culture. ^A228874
Contents The conservative, cross-sectional symbol of intimate male friendship in antebellum politics -- The propaganda of male intimacy in the proslavery novel -- Pretty, dead, young Confederates as erotic emblems of the Lost Cause -- Andersonville prisoners of war and the racial competition of victimhood -- Chums before the war: how two versions of homosexuality made meaning of Civil War history -- Corruption, ingenuousness, and manly honesty: Henry James's attractive white Southerners -- The sexuality of historiography and the premodern South.
Abstract "The archive of the Civil War era is filled with depictions of men's same-sex affections and intimacies. Across antebellum campaign biographies, proslavery fiction, published memoirs of Confederate veterans and Union prisoners of war, Civil War novels, newspaper accounts, and the war's historiography, homoerotic symbolism and narratives shaped the era's politics, as well as the meaning and memory of the war. The Civil War, in turn, shaped the development of homosexuality in the United States. In a book full of surprising insights, Andrew Donnelly uncovers this deeply consequential queer history at the heart of nineteenth-century national culture. Donnelly's sharp analytical eye particularly focuses on the ways Northern white men imagined their relationship with white Southerners through narratives of same-sex affection. Assessing the cultural work of these narratives, Donnelly argues that male homoeroticism enabled proslavery coalition building among antebellum Democrats, fostered sympathy for the national retreat from Reconstruction, and contributed to the victories of Lost Cause ideology. Linking the era's political and cultural history to the history of homosexuality, Donnelly reveals that male homoeroticism was not inherently radical but rather cultivated political sympathy for slavery, the Confederacy, and white supremacy"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references and index.
LCCN 2024051348
ISBN9781469685588 hardcover
ISBN1469685582 hardcover
ISBN9781469685595 paperback
ISBN1469685590 paperback
ISBNelectronic book
ISBNelectronic book

Availability

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Joyner General Stacks PS217 .H65 D66 2025 ✔ Available Place Hold
Joyner NC Stacks PS217 .H65 D66 2025 ✔ Available Place Hold