A Baltic Antinous : queer affirmation in Carl Robert Egells’ Rubi, 1879

Pretsell, Douglas

Abstract

This chapter discusses Rubi, by Carl Robert Egells, a historically important novella published in 1879. Rubi contains a self-affirming narrative of same-sex attraction, ahead of its time in German literature. Set on the Baltic coast, the novella explores the love between a golden youth, Rubi, and the brooding dark-bearded doctor Heinrich Wilbordt. The central love affair is a contemporary reworking of the Antinous legend, and the author uses images of Antinous to signify same-sex love at several points in the narrative. The novella draws on new ideas about same-sex sexual love that were circulating in Germany at the time.

Citation

Pretsell, D. (in press). A Baltic Antinous : queer affirmation in Carl Robert Egells’ Rubi, 1879. In Rewriting Gender in an Age of Transition, 1880-1940. London: Routledge

• Acceptance Date: Oct 27, 2024
• Deposit Date: Jan 28, 2025
• Publisher: Routledge
• Book Title: Rewriting Gender in an Age of Transition, 1880-1940
• Chapter Number: 2
• Public URL: https://keele-repository.worktribe.com/output/1052578