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Introduction to the Gay Gothic: Forgotten Pioneers of Queer Desire in a Haunted Tradition with Justin Tate
Since the beginning, Gothic literature has thrived on sexual transgression, yet its queer undercurrents often remained hidden in subtext—until pulp paperbacks of the 1960s and 70s made them explicit.
In this talk, we'll explore how the Gay Gothic emerged from the unlikely world of pulp publishing. At the center is Peter Tuesday Hughes, whose Gay Nights at Maldelangue (1969) combines Brontëan governess tropes and du Maurier atmospherics with unapologetically gay romance and sexual discovery. While excavating this novel and its historical context, discussion will include: How were Gothic conventions reimagined in cheap, mass-market paperbacks? Why has pulp’s reputation as “trash” obscured its literary innovation? How did gay liberation shape the Gothic’s turn toward explicit queer desire? Finally, has Gothic literature always interacted with sexual revolution?
Justin Tate is a literary historian and archivist of rare and obscure books. He is the author of "Peter Tuesday Hughes: Forgotten Pioneer of the Gay Gothic" (Gothic Studies, July 2023).
