Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
In this seminar, we will read Andrew Holleran's astonishing 1978 debut, Dancer from the Dance. Dancer is one of the foundational texts of queer literature, the most brilliant account we have of an unprecedented world: the clubs, baths and parties of 1970s gay New York. We’ll consider how the book shows a young writer negotiating his relationship with his great forebears, especially Fitzgerald; the book’s very strange and virtuosic manipulation of time; the marriage Holleran makes between classical literary currents and queer style; his mastery of tone and extraordinarily beautiful sentences. While you don’t need to be familiar with Holleran’s other work, we’ll also discuss his later career and how Dancer both anticipates his subsequent books and remains unique in his body of work. Each class will begin with comments from me and then open up to discussion.
Reading schedule:
Class 1: Prologue, Chapters 1 & 2
Class 2: Chapters 3 & 4
Class 3: Chapters 5 & 6
Class 4: Chapters 7 & 8, Epilogue
In this seminar, we will read Andrew Holleran's astonishing 1978 debut, Dancer from the Dance. Dancer is one of the foundational texts of queer literature, the most brilliant account we have of an unprecedented world: the clubs, baths and parties of 1970s gay New York. We’ll consider how the book shows a young writer negotiating his relationship with his great forebears, especially Fitzgerald; the book’s very strange and virtuosic manipulation of time; the marriage Holleran makes between classical literary currents and queer style; his mastery of tone and extraordinarily beautiful sentences. While you don’t need to be familiar with Holleran’s other work, we’ll also discuss his later career and how Dancer both anticipates his subsequent books and remains unique in his body of work. Each class will begin with comments from me and then open up to discussion.
Reading schedule:
Class 1: Prologue, Chapters 1 & 2
Class 2: Chapters 3 & 4
Class 3: Chapters 5 & 6
Class 4: Chapters 7 & 8, Epilogue