Masculinity in Lesbian "Pulp" Fiction Disappearing Heteronormativity?

"Using his gift for informed and inventive prose, and applying it to an unexplored topic, Paul Thompson has given us a unique view of masculinity in the lesbian-themed paperback fiction of the mid-20th Century."

Ann Bannon, author of the Laura Landon / Beebo Brinker novels

"Opening a critically neglected and often maligned archive of popular lesbian paperbacks from the mid-20th century, Thompson's clear and accessible study fundamentally reshapes our understanding of American masculinity and sexuality."

Benjamin Bateman, author of Queer Disappearance in Modern and Contemporary Fiction

"Thompson has superbly derived an interdisciplinary approach from queer theory, masculinities studies, feminist scholarship, and literary analysis to present a rich, insightful reading of the texts in demonstrating how masculinity in these novels is not an exclusive property of men but something performed, challenged, and failed at by characters of diverse genders. ... [T]he book renders a crucial intervention in the study of gender and sexuality in popular fiction."

Book Review by Sandip Paul, Men and Masculinities (2025), DOI: 10.1177/1097184X251330896