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Brokeback as an Anti-Gay Polemic : essay by W.C. Harris

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brokeplex:
I read all of the essays in "Reading Brokeback Mountain", ed. Jim Stacy. I urge all Brokies to read this book.

Essay # 9 "Broke(n)back Faggots: Hollywood Gives Queers a Hobson's Choice" by W.C. Harris grabbed my attention.

Harris's essay has two themes that interest me:

1) The short story "Brokeback Mountain" is not a universal love story, it is essentially a gay story. But, the film has made a departure from that mode and was heteronormed by McMurtry, Ossana and Ang Lee. Many of the additions added in the screenplay show aspects of the lives of Ennis and Jack that heteronorm the film in order to appeal to a larger audience. Harris sites an excellent article by Daniel Mendelsohn, "An Affair to Remember" appearing in the New York Review of Books on 02/23/06

www.nybooks.com/articles/18712

In Mendelsohn's article he opines that the "universality" of the "Brokeback" story is not only deniable, but also  dangerous. And by accepting its "universality" we diminish its real achievement - a beautiful and distinctively Gay love story, not easily equated with a heterosexual liaison. Mendelsohn's contention is that in denying the gay reality of the story and declaring that it is a "love" story, not a "gay" story, just "pushes them back into the closet whose narrow and suffocating confines Ang Lee and his collaborators have so beautifully and harrowingly exposed."

I urge interested Brokies to read Mendelsohn article, and a follow up from Focus Features James Schamus also on NY Rev of Books (04/0/06)

2) Also in the Harris essay under the subtitle, "An Ambivalent Polemic" Harris advances the idea that "Brokeback Mountain", both short story and film, advances an Anti-Gay polemic.

"Brokeback is an irreducibly ambivalent work. From one angle, it reads as an antihomophobic polemic against the deforming and stunting impact of homophobia. Yet it takes minimal effort to see "Brokeback's" potential to serve also as an anti-gay polemic, a cautionary tale about homosexuality not homophobia."

Harris asks, why was it necessary to kill of Jack in order for Proulx to make her point?

"Brokeback stands as an anti-gay polemic inasmuch as it depicts, albeit in the tragic register, the deleterious effects of violent homophobia as well as the heteronormative imperatives to marry, to perform one's gender and sexuality in prescribed ways. Likewise, we should be careful to distinguish the brutality of Jack's death, a brutality necessary to Ennis's terrified vision of the world, from the unnecessary brutality of Proulx's decision, as the writer, to kill off Jack, when Ennis's emotional and erotic isolation is long complete, and complete without such a price being paid."

Its an old formula in films and books that appeal to the mass market, at least one of the gay guys has to die. 

Jeff Wrangler:
Thanks for that summary, Brokeplex.

The problem I, personally, have with the idea that "the story" of Brokeback Mountain--whether "the story" of the short story or "the story" of the film--is not universal is that I see themes in both the story and the film of opportunities missed, chances not taken out of fear--as not distinctively gay themes. They are human themes.

As for Annie Proulx killing off Jack, I'm glad I'm not the only one to notice that "Brokeback Mountain" can be seen as falling into the old stereotype that if you're gay, you either wind up dead (Jack) or alone and miserable (Ennis). I noticed that as far back as 1997, and it always makes me uncomfortable to think about that.

But as for why Annie killed off Jack, well, a story has to have an end. And I would disagree that Ennis's "emotional and erotic isolation ... is complete" when he still has Jack coming up from Texas once or twice a year. The film gives us a crack in the emotional isolation as he agrees to attend his daughter's wedding. We don't see this in the short story, and I don't see Ennis in the story as having that isolation "complete" until Jack is dead.


--- Quote ---"Brokeback stands as an anti-gay polemic inasmuch as it depicts, albeit in the tragic register, the deleterious effects of violent homophobia as well as the heteronormative imperatives to marry, to perform one's gender and sexuality in prescribed ways.
--- End quote ---


I'm sorry, but, hunh?  ??? I hope he clarifies that point because I sure don't see how depicting "the deleterious efects of violent homophobia" makes the story an "anti-gay polemic."  ???

Shakesthecoffecan:
Lots of good points raised here. Why did Jack have to die?

Proulx has said the story is about the effect of rural homophobia, but viewed from another angle I can see it being an anti gay tale, along the lines of Spegleman's Maus and Maus II could be viewed as anti semetic. Neither is the case however. They speak to a certain time and place for both Jews and Homosexuals, giving glimpse into their worlds and how they delt with the horrors inflicted on them by a larger society.

Why did Jack have to die? Because people sometimes die because they are homosexuals. Matthew Shepard, attacked and left for dead in Wyoming the year following the publishing of the short story, one example.

I think what makes it a tale of hope, and not and anti gay story is that peoples hearts and minds have started to open, can you imagine the same tale being told in the 1950s?  Would there have been crowds applauding Jack's lynching? I don't know. Would it have followed in the tradition of Story Time, showing homosexuals as pathetic and to be pittied? I dunno.

myprivatejack:
The story can be seen,effectively,as an anti-gay tale emotionally speaking; I personally am fed up with these stories ending with one of the protagonists dead or,at least,parted with each other-what to say about stories with the stereotype of a effeminate gay or,worst still,a perverted gay?  >:( - .But I also understand that the "happy ending" with an idyllic landscape,flowers growing,birds singing and a marriage in Canada ( :laugh:)would not have had the same effect,let's say, exemplary against intolerance and hate.Hence these two sides;if you can't read it so,it falls into the most seen topics.But if you read between the lines perhaps the denounce would be more effective than  if it ended well,perhaps Ennis would have experimented such a change in the end-change not completely useless by the fact that Jack,his love,was dead;the change would serve for himself,no matter with whom he was from that moment  on-.MHO.

Artiste:
Brokeplex, you do bring up an interesting thread, be it negative (or not) as this subject is: anti-gay!

When I did create such a thread as maybe the BM movie was anti-gay, some were angry (or I seem to read that), some were puzzled by such a question I was posing, some did not at all want to dwell on that as a subject...
Now you all seem to be awakened with this... so maybe somehow I was awakening some of you?? The Annie story and the movie does awake us, to pro-gay and/or anti-gay as issues?? Previously, some on Bettermost even told me off when I was using the gay word or gay subjects issues!!

Regarding the W.C. Harris essay, I did not hear nor read it!! I used so far my own brains to analyse the book and movie!! And continue that way... for now.

Harris might be right!! ?? The 2 or more movies I saw on TV, recent ones during the week plus many others this year, Hollywood (other studios too) killed all the gay charators!! It was also meant to become to detest a gay charator!! So you wonder why gay men are murdered in to-day's democratic societies?? The movies tell the general population that we, gay men, are bad!! Unfortunate!!

I am still thinking as to why and how Annie did her book, and why and how the producers and the script writers plus the director did the movie!! All could have done much better, instead of being so negative against gay men, I feel and see!! Guess many of you will now be angry at me again for daring to say that??

Was LOVE in a way, the only Hollywood film which was a bit pro-gay?? Anyone seen that movie?? Or was it also a bit anti-gay too??

Famous people can help gays, surely. Inspire us gay men to be gay men!! At least, Jake did try by dressing up with a dress and sing on YouTube thanking us gay men for helping him by seeing the BM movie?? Is Jake G. straight??

Anyway, Harris has maybe a subject that needs to be examined?? !!

Hugs!! May found memories about Ennis and Jake continue in 2007 and 2008 and be wonderful gay ones!! Full of caring and hugs!!

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