Epistemology of the Closet

Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick (1950-2009) was a groundbreaking scholar within the fields of gender studies, queer theory, and critical theory. Aside from Epistemology of the Closet, Sedgwick is best known for her influential essays on sex, gender, and culture, and her 1985 book Between Men: English Literature and Male Homosocial Desire. Born on May 2, 1950, Sedgwick received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and a PhD from Yale. After completing her doctorate, she worked as a professor at Duke University during the period of American cultural history known as the “culture wars”—a time during which Sedgwick’s positions on gender and sexuality were perceived as being on the cutting edge of the academic avant-garde. In 2002 Sedgwick received the Brunder Prize, a lifetime achievement award for academic contributions to the field of LGBT Studies given by Yale University. Sedgwick would spend the final years of her life teaching courses at The City University of New York Graduate Center. 

Although he is now considered a canonical author, Melville (1819-1891) was not well received as a writer during his lifetime. His prose primarily focuses on man versus nature and man versus self—in fact, female characters are few and far between in his novels and tend to receive short shrift in