Joseph and His Friend: A Story of Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Joseph and His Friend: A Story of Pennsylvania is an 1870 novel by American
author Bayard Taylor
.
she takes for cosmetic reasons.
' in America. It has also been noted for its enigmatic treatment of homosexuality. Roger Austen notes "In the nineteenth century Bayard Taylor had written that the reader who did not feel 'cryptic forces' at play in Joseph and His Friend would hardly be interested in the external movement of his novel."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author Bayard Taylor
Bayard Taylor
Bayard Taylor was an American poet, literary critic, translator, and travel author.-Life and work:...
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Plot introduction
Joseph, a young man, marries Madeline, to his friend Philip's dismay. The latter lives vicariously through their marriage until she dies by overdosing on the arsenicArsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
she takes for cosmetic reasons.
Literary significance and criticism
Joseph and His Friend has been deemed the 'first gay novelGay novel
A gay novel deals with homosexual love between men. Novels that deal with homosexual love between women are usually referred to as lesbian novels....
' in America. It has also been noted for its enigmatic treatment of homosexuality. Roger Austen notes "In the nineteenth century Bayard Taylor had written that the reader who did not feel 'cryptic forces' at play in Joseph and His Friend would hardly be interested in the external movement of his novel."