Showing results by author "Henry Blake Fuller" in All Categories

This novel was perhaps the most daring and affirmative LGBT literature of the first two decades of the 20th century in America. In this story, Bertram Cope is a young college instructor, about twenty-four years old ("certainly not a day over twenty-five"), who is pursued by men and women, both younger and older than himself. In writing this novel, Fuller had to carefully craft his plot schemes so as not to offend the sensibilities of publishers. As a result, today's reader is left somewhat, but not entirely, confused about the precise feelings that characters develop for one another by the end...

Nestled between the remnants of old Fort Dearborn and the bustling Board of Trade lies a fascinating, yet restricted, territory shaped by decades of commerce. Over the past fifty years, the relentless flow of business has carved deep, rugged canyons through this area, transforming it into a network of vital streets—each a conduit for the vibrant energy of urban life. Towering cliffs of brick, limestone, and granite rise higher each year, shaped by the constant erosion from the ceaseless movement of carts, carriages, omnibuses, cabs, and the throng of shoppers, clerks, and capitalists. Join ...

Dive into one of the most groundbreaking works of LGBT literature from early 20th-century America. In Bertram Copes Year, we follow the journey of Bertram Cope, a young college instructor in his early twenties, who finds himself the object of affection for both men and women of various ages. Author Fredric William Clampett Fuller faced significant challenges in crafting a narrative that would resonate without risking the ire of publishers, leading him to self-publish this trailblazing novel. Although it may leave modern readers with some questions about the characters true feelings, its impact...

In 1918, when Henry Blake Fuller was 62 years old, he completed the manuscript of a novel, Bertram Cope’s Year. Though Fuller was well known as an accomplished realist and had published 12 previous novels, this work was his first published fiction to address the topic of homosexuality. In the novel Bertram Cope, a handsome young college student, is befriended by Medora Phillips, a wealthy older woman who tries to match him with several eligible young women. However, Bertram is emotionally attached only to his friend and housemate, Arthur Lemoyne.