On The Well of Loneliness (1928)

Some thoughts on The Well of Loneliness (1928) from Alison Hennegan’s introduction to the 1982 Virago edition of the novel.

The Well of Loneliness ‘has an undisputed place in the history of literary censorship. Its successful prosecution in 1928 established that books rather than authors are the defendants in obscenity trials. (And since an inanimate book clearly cannot call witnesses, none of the bevy of waiting experts ever gave testimony on the novel’s behalf: in effect, the case went undefended.)

The lurid and extensive publicity which surrounded the trial focused the British public’s attention upon lesbianism to a degree unknown before or since. Many people learned for the first time that sexual relations between women were possible. Those who turned to the book in prurient anticipation or even in a spirit of honest enquiry, however, often retired baffled: “… and that night they were not divided” is all Radclyffe Hall had to say about the actual consummation of her heroine’s first affair.

For many lesbians of the period, the very fact of the book’s existence was a source of strength. The publicity, sensational and fiercely hostile though it often was, nevertheless gave many homosexual women their first awareness of each other’s existence. With a satisfying irony, those critics and moralists who most noisily condemned the book, its author, and her subject matter were doing their best to ensure that the Well would never be so lonely again. Even though the British ban lasted until 1948 when the book sidled cautiously back into print, determined readers managed to obtain copies imported from America and France. For a good four decades it held undisputed sway as the lesbian novel.’

Alison Hennegan will lecture on The Well of Loneliness in our Women Writers Season, 2021.