Bertram Cope’s Year · Question
How does Bertram Cope’s Year develop the theme of Gender Roles and Sexuality?
Answer
Bertram Cope’s Year by Henry Blake Fuller develops Gender Roles and Sexuality across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
The text explores rigid gender expectations through the 'entertaining' young women and the scandalized reaction to Lemoyne's feminine portrayal, while Cope's intense bond with Lemoyne suggests a coded exploration of same-sex attraction in early 20th-century America.
Hortense's emotional outburst and Cope's rejection challenge traditional gender expectations; Hortense's critique of Cope's friendship with Lemoyne hints at societal attitudes toward male intimacy.
Lemoyne's feminine portrayal and offstage advances challenge conventional masculinity, provoking violent rejection and institutional censure.
Evidence in the book
- XXVII: Cope Escapes a Snare
Hortense's emotional outburst and Cope's rejection challenge traditional gender expectations; Hortense's critique of Cope's friendship with Lemoyne hints at societal attitudes toward male intimacy.
- XXXI: Cope Gets New Light on His Chum
Lemoyne's feminine portrayal and offstage advances challenge conventional masculinity, provoking violent rejection and institutional censure.
