GAYWYCK

(New York): Avon, 1980. First printing. Very good plus.. First edition of the first conscientiously gay gothic romance: meditative, otherworldly, intimate, and allusive. Gay novels with gothic and horror elements began to appear in the American market primarily in the 1970s, with Don Holliday's THREE ON A BROOMSTICK (1967) considered the earliest. But Virga departed from these publications in seeking to write squarely within the established conventions of romance.

GAYWYCK looked to recreate the style and atmosphere of time-stamped classics like JANE EYRE, WUTHERING HEIGHTS, and REBECCA. The conscious imitation of, and allusions to, canonical gothics was part of a larger goal Virga hoped to accomplish in GAYWYCK: making space for gay romance by using, and essentially subverting, the same structures and conventions of heteronormative romance. As described by Virga, "It was my intention to write a novel in a genre I loved with gay characters in order to show that genres know no gender. Gaywyck is a literary game. I used all of the literary devices I could steal from all of the great gothics and larded the text and dialogue with dozens of quotes [from] works of art that deal with heterosexual love exclusively." Indeed, Virga fits his characters neatly into established gothic conventions, simply substituting the typical heroine in distress with his innocent young gay hero, Robert, "almost too beautiful to be alive." Virga told Kathryn Falk that he sought to "break old role patterns. Women don't want to be thought of just as 'ladies,' and I don't think men want to be locked into tight, narrow categories, either" (Falk 246-7). Retrospectively, it's clear that Virga's book did accomplish what he hoped: it became an inspiration and model for later gay fiction.

First printings are increasingly elusive on the marketplace. 7'' x 4''. Original color pictorial wrappers, 75820, priced at $2.95. All edges stained red. [8], 376 pages. Light edgewear, some toning and dustiness. Leaves toned. Tight.