Keywords
Galatea, Transgender, Lyly, Early Modern, Play
Abstract
John Lyly's Galatea centers the role that gender expression plays in both communal interactions and interpersonal relationships. I argue that the way in which Galatea and Phillida present themselves within the play parallels the modern interpretation of transgender theory as outlined by Judith Butler. The actions that the two take are in service of manufacturing the kind of gender expression that breaks from conventional norms. While still rooted within fundamentalist dynamics, Lyly breaks free of bioessentialist understandings of gender in favor of a more liberating approach.
Recommended Citation
Finnegan, Jubilee W.
(2024)
"The Mystification of Gender Affirmation: Galathea, Gender, and Fantasy,"
International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities: Vol. 16:
Iss.
1, Article 2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.61809/2168-0620.1009
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/ijurca/vol16/iss1/2
Included in
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons, Literature in English, British Isles Commons