NEITHER ANGLICAN NOR FEMALE: ANDROGYNY, TRUE RELIGION, AND THE TOWERS OF TREBIZOND

This essay reassesses Rose Macaulay’s novel The Towers of Trebizond (1956) in light of its protagonist’s androgyny. It begins by exploring how Macaulay inscribes her main character with an androgyny that, in contrast to many other literary portrayals of androgyny, is rhetorical and theological rathe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Religion & literature 2019-03, Vol.51 (1), p.47-68
Main Author: Hoogheem, Andrew
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This essay reassesses Rose Macaulay’s novel The Towers of Trebizond (1956) in light of its protagonist’s androgyny. It begins by exploring how Macaulay inscribes her main character with an androgyny that, in contrast to many other literary portrayals of androgyny, is rhetorical and theological rather than political. Next, it argues that this androgyny reframes the novel’s religious concerns, replacing simple binaries with a more complex matrix of desire and recognition of difference. Finally, it situates the novel in a postmodern, postsecular landscape, arguing that it suggests a vision for recovering an authentic spirituality in circumstances where true religion is often tantamount to special effect.
ISSN:0888-3769
2328-6911
2328-6911
DOI:10.1353/rel.2019.0012