Hernandez 1

WGS/ENG253
DanielleHernandez
Prof.Berg
11/14/14
ApplestoOranges
Halperinarguesthatthesexualityofantiquityisnotsexualityatallandcannotbeviewed
withamodern,Western,eye.AlthoughmodernscholarsofsexualitylookbacktoancientGreece
asashiningexampleofmalehomosexualacceptance,thecitizensofAthensdidnothavea
conceptofhomosexualityoranysexualityatall.Thisattempttoclassifytheancientwitha
moderneyeisnotlimitedtoacademia,butisanactallhumansareguiltyof.Whetheritspans
thousandsofyearsorasinglegeneration,whetheritcrossesoverseasorjustovercommunity
lines, humans constantly attempt to classify what they see with their own experiences and
vocabulary.ThepresentpaperwilldemonstratehowHalperintearsdownthemethodologyof
modernsexualityscholarsandusethislenstoanalyzehowAllegraGoodmansimilarlydiscredits
themethodologiesoftheordinaryindividualsinourfamiliesandcommunities.
Sexuality,likegender,isasocialconstruct.Modernscholarsbattleendlesslytoattribute
sexualitytoDNA,togenes,ortoenvironmentalcausation.Theyseesexualityasanecessaryand
inherentlyhumanattributelikehairoreyecolor,andassuch,theyseekouttheforbiddenand
forgottenhistoryforit.Findingexamplesofhomosexualityinhistorycanbeanimportanttoolin
theprocessofnormalization,howeverqueertheoristDavidM.Halperinarguesthatthissearchis
futile.Whatanyscholarobservesinthepastthatmayappeartobehomosexualinnature,may
verywellhavenotbeenconsideredhomosexualincontext.Alackofworldtravellinganda

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biasedpointofview distorts historyintowhatwewantittohavebeenratherthanwhatit
actuallywas.HalperinnotesthatinAtheniansex,penetrationbyphalluswasthedefinitionof
sex,andreceivingobjectwasunimportant.Hedescribesthismentalityasaheterosexuality
indifferenttoitsobject(Halperin,421)andatteststhat,aslongasthemanwasassertingsocial
dominance,sexwithyoungmenandboysdidnotearnhimthehomosexuallabel.Sexualitywas
usedasasocialtoolofestablishinghierarchyandwasnotsomethingthatmadeupyouridentity.
Infact,sinceitbecamemoredifficulttosexuallydominateanothermale,whatweseetodayas
homosexual relations would be considered a very masculine conquest and heterosexual
achievement. Therefore, paederasty springs not from the insufficient but from the
superabundantsupplyofsexuallyavailablewomen(Halperin,421)andsexwithwomenwas
stillaneasyoption.Itwasnotsex,butsexrolereversal,orgenderdeviance(Halperin,422).
whereantiquitydrewtheline.Dominantsexactsweremasculine,butsubmissiveorreceptive
sexactswerefeminineand,therefore,unsuitableforanadultmale.Microcosmsofgenderasa
powerdynamicstillexisttoday.TheexampleusedbyHalperinisthemodernsexsegregated
prisonsysteminwhichrapeisutilizedasacontroltacticandwherewhatdeterminesgenderis
notanatomicalsexbutsocialstatusandpersonalstyle(Halperin,425).Pointincase,Halperin
pointstothedefinitionsofsexandgenderinantiquitytoshowthatmoderndefinitionsarenot
onlyunsuitable,butcompletelyincompatible:Beforescientificconstructionofsexuality
therewasnoconceptualapparatusavailableforidentifyingapersonsfixedanddeterminate
sexualorientation,muchlessforassessingandclassifyingit(Halperin,423).
Incompatibleexperiencesaboundoutsideofmodernityversusantiquityscholarship,as
well.Onamicrocosmiclevel,AllegraGoodmancharacterizessomeimportantandcommonplace

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incompatibilities.Inhernovel,TheFamilyMarkowitz,Goodman,althoughyoungatthetimeof
authorship,displaysakeenanalysisofgenerationaldifferences.Thefirstobviousgenerational
differenceariseswhenthematriarchoftheMarkowitzfamily,Rose,isgivinganoralhistoryfor
ayoung,ambitiousstudent,Alma.Almaisconductingresearchinthehopesofsupportinga
thesispertainingtohowdifficultitwastobeawomaninRosesgenerationandJewishdiasporic
background.However,justasHalperinatteststotheinabilitytostudysexualitywhensexuality
was not yet a construct, Alma finds it nearly impossible to ascertain the modern feminist
evidence she is searching for in the lives of these elderly women. Another generational
difference,althoughsmall,is anexcellentsecondexample.InachapterfocusingonRoses
favoritedaughterinlaw,Sarah,weseeaninterestingmixtureofperspectivesandinteractions
throughSarahsadulteducationclassatherlocalJCC.Whenanolderwoman,Ida,ofRoses
generationwritesashortstoryfortheclassaboutherdisapprovalofherdaughtermarryinga
gentile,Debbie,acockyyoungwomanandafeministofAlmasgeneration,offersascathing
reviewofthepiece.DebbierakesbackherlonghairandsaystoIda,Well,shesgottomake
herownchoices,andthenoffersherownexplanationtotheincongruityIguessitsanage
thing,shesays(Goodman,220).
Both of these instances of generational incompatibility were entwined with cultural
incompatibility,aswell.Properanalysisofamemberofanoutgroup(onewhoisnotofyour
community,beitage,culture,gender,etc.)ismultifaceted.Halperin,intheconclusionofIs
ThereaHistoryofSexuality,advisesthatscholarsand,inGoodmanscase,individualsmust
interpretthetextureofpersonallifeasanartifact,asthedeterminateoutcome,ofacomplexand
arbitrary constellation of cultural processes (Halperin, 426). When we observe the

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incompatibilitybetweenRoseseldestandfavoriteson,Henry,andthegaycommunitywherehe
startsoutinthenovel,itisalsoadifferenceofage,ofculture,laterlocation,andarguablya
temporaldifference.Althoughheunderstandshissexualidentitytobehomosexual,hedoesnot
fitintothisgaycommunityhewasledtobelievewouldbehissalvation.Heisslightlyolderthan
theseothergaymen,heisofadifferentfaithand,therefore,culture,andheseeshimselfas
somethingoutofanotherera.Hisunderstandingofhisownsexualitywasnotsomethingthatwas
abletobeappliedtothecommunityinVenice,Californiaandwhatthiscommunityascertained
asgaynesswasincongruouswithhisownidentity.Withhissexualinterestinmenandhis
moreconservativelifestyle,HenrycanalmosttaketheplaceoftheancientAtheniansreveling
intheirsexualexploitsbutneverbeingsordid.However,hisviewofthecommunitymightbe
whatHalperinwouldpredicttheviewoftheGreekswouldbeofthemoderngaycommunity.An
anachronism,HenryexclaimsthatVenice,withitsartandbeach,andallitslocalcolor,isreally
Sodom.ItisreallySodomandGomorrahputtogether(Goodman,44).Inanactionthatwould
beasimpossibletoanalyzebytheVenicegaycommunityasGreeksexwouldbetothemodern
scholarsofsexuality,Henryletsissexualitytakesecondplacetotherestofhisidentityand
entersintoacompanionatemarriageinEngland.Onewhoseeshissexualityfirstwouldnot
understandhowitcould,inaway,ceasetoanimateacrossJudaismandtheAtlanticOcean.But
ithasnotdisappeared;ithasonlybeenplacesinanothercontext.Itwasntthathewasacting
closeteditwassimplythattherewereaspectsofhispastthey[heandhiswife,Susan]didnt
discuss,but,then,thosethingsbelongedtoapartofhislifewhichhehadrarelyifeverspoken
about,evenwithinhimselfapartofhislifethathadnarrowedovertimeWithSusanitwasall

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talk.TheotherkindofpassionwasnotsomethingheandSusanassociatedstronglywitheach
other(Goodman,90).
Whetheritisanattempttoviewantiquitywithamoderneyeoranattempttoanalyzeone
generationfromanothergenerationsperspective,theincongruityisglaring.Withoutathorough
understandingofcontextandsomedegreeofextractingtheselffromtheanalysis,suchastudy
wouldbelikecomparingapplestooranges.AsHalperinobserves,itisadizzyingand,indeed,
anendlessundertaking(Halperin,426).
Goodman,Allegra.TheFamilyMarkowitz.NewYork:Farrar,Straus,andGiroux,1996.
Halperin,DavidM."IsThereaHistoryofSexuality?"TheLesbianandGayStudiesReader.
NewYork:Routledge,1993.416431.Print.