Domesticity and Masculinity in the Queer Spaces of D.H. Lawrence’s The Fox

Although seemingly presenting a narrative of queer failure and heteronormative success, The Fox is rife with ambivalence, as is characteristic of Lawrence’s œuvre, and should not be read as evidence of homophobia. Far from presenting a happily ever after in its conversion of an independent queer wom...

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Main Author: Jo Jones
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Presses Universitaires de Paris Nanterre 2024-11-01
Series:Études Lawrenciennes
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/lawrence/3853
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author Jo Jones
author_facet Jo Jones
author_sort Jo Jones
collection DOAJ
description Although seemingly presenting a narrative of queer failure and heteronormative success, The Fox is rife with ambivalence, as is characteristic of Lawrence’s œuvre, and should not be read as evidence of homophobia. Far from presenting a happily ever after in its conversion of an independent queer woman into a tractable wife, the married couple’s future is troubled by the lack of a home: the denouement highlights how a shared space of their own remains intangibly on the horizon, pessimistically unknown and untested.In examining the novella and the 1967 film adaptation, this article argues for a queer reading of both pairings on the farm – a same-sex butch/femme relationship between Banford and March within the farmhouse, and a queer masc-for-masc relationship between Henry and March in its farmyard and outbuildings – facilitated by Lawrence’s refusal to see manhood as an exclusively male attribute.
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spelling doaj-art-224828d74f23414cba8915b2bdf40e2f2025-08-20T02:21:38ZengPresses Universitaires de Paris NanterreÉtudes Lawrenciennes0994-54902272-40012024-11-015610.4000/12olyDomesticity and Masculinity in the Queer Spaces of D.H. Lawrence’s The FoxJo JonesAlthough seemingly presenting a narrative of queer failure and heteronormative success, The Fox is rife with ambivalence, as is characteristic of Lawrence’s œuvre, and should not be read as evidence of homophobia. Far from presenting a happily ever after in its conversion of an independent queer woman into a tractable wife, the married couple’s future is troubled by the lack of a home: the denouement highlights how a shared space of their own remains intangibly on the horizon, pessimistically unknown and untested.In examining the novella and the 1967 film adaptation, this article argues for a queer reading of both pairings on the farm – a same-sex butch/femme relationship between Banford and March within the farmhouse, and a queer masc-for-masc relationship between Henry and March in its farmyard and outbuildings – facilitated by Lawrence’s refusal to see manhood as an exclusively male attribute.https://journals.openedition.org/lawrence/3853sexgenderhousequeerlesbianfemale
spellingShingle Jo Jones
Domesticity and Masculinity in the Queer Spaces of D.H. Lawrence’s The Fox
Études Lawrenciennes
sex
gender
house
queer
lesbian
female
title Domesticity and Masculinity in the Queer Spaces of D.H. Lawrence’s The Fox
title_full Domesticity and Masculinity in the Queer Spaces of D.H. Lawrence’s The Fox
title_fullStr Domesticity and Masculinity in the Queer Spaces of D.H. Lawrence’s The Fox
title_full_unstemmed Domesticity and Masculinity in the Queer Spaces of D.H. Lawrence’s The Fox
title_short Domesticity and Masculinity in the Queer Spaces of D.H. Lawrence’s The Fox
title_sort domesticity and masculinity in the queer spaces of d h lawrence s the fox
topic sex
gender
house
queer
lesbian
female
url https://journals.openedition.org/lawrence/3853
work_keys_str_mv AT jojones domesticityandmasculinityinthequeerspacesofdhlawrencesthefox