Department of European Studies and Modern
Languages, The University of Bath
Paper to ASMCF Conference, University of Portsmouth,
03-05 September 2009
ABSTRACT
From
the photography of van Gloeden to current gay filmic shorts, on page as well as
screen, the Mediterranean has long served as a place of encounter – furtive or
open, acknowledged or allusive – between members of the LGBT 'community'. What
explains this phenomenon, and what do we learn of changing or fixed perceptions
of homosexuality from outwith and within the 'community', in consequence?
Following
an introductory definition of the parameters of discussion, this paper intends
to explore these issues with reference to Francocentric written and filmic
texts with the aim of tracing the importance of the Mediterranean (in general)
and more specific locations in particular. Fantasy and reality, past and
present, shall be compared and contrasted in order to engage with a proposed
status quo of the contemporary situation.
Dr Steve Wharton, Department of
European Studies and Modern Languages, The
University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
Page last updated 17 July 2009 by SW