The first book-length study to explore the importance of genre for the body of literature we call lesbian modernism.Popular fiction is seen as a staple of late-twentieth-century and contemporary lesbian cultural production, but this has largely been perceived as a recent development. Elizabeth English breaks new ground by providing a kind of pre-history to lesbian cultural identity, where popular genre fictionspresented an alternative creative strategy against censorship. The Well of Loneliness trial and consequent ban forced writers to question how they could and should represent the lesbian, and English argues that popular fiction played a crucial role in providing an alternative outlet for expression.This discovery necessitates a re-evaluation of what constitutes lesbian modernism and, by extension, introduces a hitherto neglected network of writers from diverse backgrounds who make an important contribution to the body of lesbian literature.
