Review
"A captivating book. . . A scholarly gem. . . Cleves’s book is a must read for people interested in the history of sexuality, the history of youth, the history of family, and the history of Italy." ― Canadian Journal of History
“Cleves has opened up a space to re-examine sensitively the history of pederasty. . . Cleves meditates on the difficulty of studying a sexual practice universally viewed as abhorrent today, ultimately insisting that historians of sexuality must put their moral reservations aside when seeking to understand how sexual mores, like definitions of childhood, have changed over time. She perceptively identifies structural factors that allowed Douglas to pursue his predilections freely.” ― History Today
“Cleves has written an exquisite biography of sexuality. . . . Unspeakable is a spellbinding account of tragedy, when one outlives their genre, toggling instead between uncelebrated and unintelligible, criminal and creep. “ ― Notches Blog
"[Rachel Hope Cleves] has produced a beautifully written, strikingly intelligent book on an important subject. Kudos to her for tackling it and to the University of Chicago Press for publishing it." ― Journal of the History of Sexuality
“Unspeakable is a brave and beautifully written book, meticulously researched and carefully and ethically handled. Despite writing about a notable early-twentieth century British author who by today’s standards is nothing more than a pedophile, Cleves has managed the remarkable feat of producing a rich, compelling, and informative work of both history and biography that is as balanced and dispassionate as one can imagine possible.” ― Steven Angelides, author of The Fear of Child Sexuality
“A major achievement. Cleves has meticulously recreated the history of a widely practiced sexual culture that will shock readers. Perhaps most startling is just how common and how recent was the celebration of pederasty among public figures like Norman Douglas and his friends. Like other groundbreaking work in the history of sexuality, this bookdemonstrates that both sexual practices and attitudes toward them—even those seen as most taboo—are as subject to reversal as anything else in the broader culture.” ― Nicholas L. Syrett, author of American Child Bride: A History of Minors and Marriage in the United States
“Unspeakable is deeply original, nuanced, and bold. In sharp and often witty prose, Cleves uses the life of Norman Douglas as a way to pry open deep-seated (although relatively recent) assumptions about sex, age, and power. This book will appeal to literary scholars, modernists, historians, and the growing numbers of people focused on sexuality studies, childhood studies, and issues of gender.” ― James R. Kincaid, University of Southern California
“People will be talking about Unspeakable for a long time to come. Not only does it raise questions that are crucial for the history of sexuality, but it sets new standards for literary biography of an intractable subject.” ― Richard Cavell, University of British Columbia
Winner ― Canadian Historical Association, Wallace K. Ferguson Prize
About the Author
Rachel Hope Cleves is professor of history at the University of Victoria.
