Essays on Sedgwick

Washington Street, penned by Henry James, is a work of realist fiction, which takes on the cliché plot line of a traditional romance. In essence, a plain, naive, and inherently good young woman is pursued by an older man with ulterior motives. From within this traditional plot structure, James explores the nature of relationships, with a particular interest in marriage. Overall, he presents marriage as a troupe established for social purposes and essentially forming a simplistic social contract, with romance removed, or ruined by the interplay of social demands and questionable motives. This can be directly contrasted with the ...

Speaker Note

Queer theory is defined as a field of post-structuralist critical theory that emerged in the early 1990s out of the fields of queer studies and women's studies. It challenges “essentialist notions of homosexuality and heterosexuality within the mainstream discourse and instead posits an understanding of sexuality that emphasizes shifting boundaries, ambivalences, and cultural constructions that change depending on historical and cultural context.” (Queer Theory, 2016) “To queer” means to consider “normal” sexuality as strange, to reconsider the notion heterosexuality as a natural social and sexual norm and advocate the notion of “non-straightness,” protesting agaisnt the hegemony of “straight” ideology. ...

There have been dozens of amazing and fascinating cultures that have existed throughout history, many still exist today, while others fell or faded in the past. Cultures all across the globe introduce people to unique and diverse traditions, social norms, laws and belief systems. Religion has always played a huge role within cultures. Some are more familiar than others. The Ancient Greeks are remarked for their art, architecture and philosophy, but their Gods have, also, been adopted into the modern paradigm. The Greek pantheon of Gods has been popularized in literature, television and film. However, there are other pantheons ...