Radclyffe Hall’s Gender Outlaw: Queer Shame and Gender Performativity in The Well of Loneliness

Since The Well of Loneliness’ publication in 1928, critics have notoriously understood Radclyffe Hall’s sexually inverted protagonist as a lesbian character. Nevertheless, despite its reputation as the lesbian novel for the majority of the early and mid-twentieth century, Stephen Gordon has been heavily criticised in lesbian circles for her hyper-masculine, “mannish”, and melancholic lesbian representation. With the rise of the queer and trans movement, some contemporary critics have started arguing that Stephen’s experiences correspond more accurately to that of a queer, trans person. Grounded in Queer theory, especially Judith Butler’s conceptualisation of gender performativity as well as Feminist and Queer literary criticism, the purpose of this essay is to explore how queer gender identity and sexuality are presented, explored, and negotiated during the early twentieth century. Embedded in this literary exploration, I will also turn to affect theory to analyse notions of shame, loss, pride, and resistance in relation to queer experiences and identity formation, as well as its correlation to societal norms regarding gender and sexuality. I claim that Hall’s protagonist should be read as a trans “genderqueer” character rather than a cisgender lesbian. Stephen Gordon both subverts and endorses gender norms in her exploration of her queerness in accord with the socio-cultural and political climate of her time, which ultimately contributes to how and why her queer identity is formed the way it is. Thus, by focusing on Stephen´s experiences of being queer, treating her as a trans character that embodies both transmasculine, lesbian and female experiences, this essay aspires to untangle the complex relationship between gender, sexuality, and shame in a non-essentialist way. The concept of “genderqueer” enables me to situate the novel in a larger and more fluid discourse of queer identities and experiences and thus contribute to a better understanding of how queer ident