Sex and the Gender Revolution, Volume 1 : Heterosexuality and the Third Gender in Enlightenment London (The Chicago Series on Sexuality, History, and Society)

Rating:
Summary: Superb synthesis of richly culled evidence
Review: "Sex and the Gender Revolution" is superb on in its well-argued synthesis of voluminous archival sources.

The posted review from "Booklist" ***mistakenly*** assumes that Professor Trumbach fails to perform a synthesis of the evidence in this dazzlingly authoritative book.

I don't know how anyone in their right mind could come to such a conclusion after seriously and carefully reading this book. (The word "careful" will come up again in my review as I believe this is what is lacking in many people's examination of deep scholarship such as this book.)

The "Booklist" reviewer also makes a curious claim about empiricism. Ha! In an age where newer modes of scholarship about gender and sexuality often retreats into theoretical claims without firsthand evidence and primary sources; in an age of where these newer modes are often more about polemics than syntheses of specific evidence, we surely need Professor Trumbach's (I do not know him) far-reaching arguments *about* his evidence.

This book is the first in a series that treats the same topic: that is, the furious cross-institutional resistance to rising compulsory heterosexuality in 18th century (etc.) London--a resistance informed by previous bouts of sexual diversity among men, women, young boys, and so forth; a resistance contested by even more rising male dominance and violence towards women.

May I suggest that the definitive review of this book is Deborah Valenze's careful discussion in the Winter 2000 edition of the Journal of Social History.

A careful and generous reader will realize right away the extreme value of Professor Trumbach's excavation for generations to come.