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Gynaikeion (Thomas Heywood)

This1624 English medical text recounts a story of a 2nd century Athenian woman who cross-dresses to become a surgeon.

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LHMP entry

LHMP #145 2001 Andreadis

Preface

Early Modern England (16-17th century) was developing a vocabulary and symbology to describe and express intimacy between women and female non-normative sexuality. This was taking place in various genres, including travel narratives, medical texts, and works of marital advice. At the same time, women were developing an evasive coded language to express such desires in their own lives. In this context, Sappho was invoked not only as a symbol of female lyricism, but also to represent and make reference to erotic bonds between women.

Lesbian Historic Motif Project: #108 Schleiner 1996 “Cross-Dressing, Gender Errors, and Sexual Taboos in Renaissance Literature”

In considering various types of transgressive cross-dressing (e.g., for theatrical purposes), Schleiner begins by looking at some literary models available within that context that focus around logistical gender disguise.

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