The History of Sir Richard Calmady

her work. If the review has intrigued you, please check out it on Project Gutenberg (though please note the book is pretty long).

Of particular interest to me was how Malet dealt with sexuality/gender in the novel. The character Richard Calmady is 'feminine' in some ways, in that he is acutely aware of the 'gaze' and wishes for a child to live his life through. The three main female characters are also very interesting. Honoria, one of the love interests, is involved in political causes (women's suffrage, I believe). In contrast, Richard's cousin (I can't remember her name off the top of my head) is very 'bad' in the sense that she has affairs, but also because she is very cruel. However, I don't think she was every explicitly punished for this, which is different from other books of the time period. Finally, Richard and his mother have a relationship with incestuous subtext, which matches particularly well with the Gothic themes of the novel.

I also thought this book was unique because I have never read one of the time period that dealt with disability in any comprehensive or non-stereotypical way. For example, Richard has all the experiences of an English gentleman, including becoming an excellent horseman, studying at Oxford, and living a dissolute life in Europe after disappointments in love. Particularly interesting to me was how characters like his cousin fetishized his disability and how this was critiqued. However, I would add, since I am temporarily able-bodied, I may be missing something in how stereotypical this book is in context to current and past ideas about disabled people. It does seem to me, though, that I have seen worse portrayals in currents stories and that the book at least would be a very interesting comparison to other books from the time period.

I also thought this novel seemed 'queer' in some ways, not in the sense that there were explicitly gay characters, but the overall tone of the novel seemed to have to do with 'perversity' of various kinds. There is various discussions on celibacy and incest, as well as small focus on romantic friendship.

I was first made aware of this book in an essay from Demons of the Body and Mind if you are ever interested in more information.