The Enigmatic Christina Stead: A Provocative Re-Reading by Teresa Peterson

Book Description

Secondhand. Very good condition. Minor wear to book corners and edges.

This work seeks to unravel an enigma in Christina Stead's (1902-1983) fiction.

Why are Stead's female characters unhappy and unfulfilled? Why are they afraid of sexual relationships with men yet obsessed with finding a man? Why is there such a strong impetus toward heterosexual relationships and marriage, which inevitably fail?

Overtly, Stead posits a heterosexual norm as the paradigm par excellence. Petersen argues that it is a facade that masks both lesbianism and male homosexual desire. The author challenges conventional scholarship and shifts our view of both Stead's work and her life. (back cover)