The Microcosm

by Maureen Duffy

Book, 1966

Publication

Penguin Books (1990), 304 pages

Content and Summary Info

Bisexual Content: While primarily a novel about lesbians, at least one supporting character could be described as bisexual.

Intersecting Marginalized Identities: Most characters are working-class.

Publisher's Summary: At the House of Shades, Matt, a bar-room philosopher, tries to make sense of the disparate lives which cross here -- of Judy who saves herself and her finery for a Saturday night lover, of Steve the gym teacher who dreads a chance encounter with a pupil in this twilight environment, and of Matt herself, who needs these vicarious exchanges despite the security of her relationship with Rae and her sense that this lesbian sanctuary is a prison too, enforcing the guilt and estrangement of the city streets beyond. Elsewhere there are women such as Marie, trapped within an unwanted marriage and unable to admit her sexuality, and Cathy, for whom the discovery that she is not 'the only one in the world' is an affirmation of her existence...

Page: 0.1161 seconds