Journal article review: ‘'A Girton Girl on a Throne': Queen Christina and Versions of Lesbianism, 1906-1933’ by Sarah Waters in Feminist Review, No. 46, Sexualities: Challenge & Change (Spring, 1994)

Today's blog post takes a look at an article that author of the month, Sarah Waters did for the journal Feminist Review. The article entitled "'A Girton Girl on a Throne': Queen Christina and Versions of Lesbianism, 1906-1933" examines Queen Christina of Sweden and the ambiguity around her gender and sexuality. From reading the article I have discovered that queen Christina was many things, including ‘something of a misogynist - she claimed she liked men, not because they were men but because they weren't women - she spent time with women who, like her, had a reputation for cleverness.’¹ This surprised me considering that she went through a lot and I never considered her a snob, nor a hater of women. Especially as she had affections women as well as men. Christina was expected to find a man to marry and produce an heir.

But this was not what she wanted. One of the people she had an attraction to was a woman called Ebba Spare. There were men too which highlights an ambiguity to her sexuality. There was never any clear labelling to her sexuality or gender. From Waters' article, it seemed that she was not one to conform to a societal expectations: ‘she dressed sometimes in men's clothes, sometimes in women's

often in a careless mixture of the two’.² Regarding her sexuality, there was never a universal identity or label that she was placed with. This I think is aided by her often boyishness and masculine attitude it would have seemed. Biographers ended up constructing ‘a whole string of sexual identities: transsexual, asexual, bisexual, heterosexual - celibate and profligate’.³ The need for putting a label on her sexuality, meant that she was illustrated in various ways and only adds to the mysteries surrounding her.

I found that I understand Christina a bit and how she was, even I didn't like the sound of her. This is because the journal article that Sarah Waters has written is in depth and engaging without having it drag on or providing unnecessary information. It is structured well and she clearly makes her points; I am giving this a 8.5/10.

Until next time,

Thomas (they/them).

Footnotes:

¹ Sarah Waters, "'A Girton Girl on a Throne': Queen Christina and Versions of Lesbianism", 1906-1933,’ Feminist Review, No.46 (Spring, 1994): 2. https://doi.org/10.2307/1395418.
² Waters, "'A Girton Girl", 2.
³ Waters, "'A Girton Girl", 15.

Bibliography:

Waters, Sarah. "'A Girton Girl on a Throne': Queen Christina and Versions of Lesbianism", 1906-1933,’ Feminist Review, No.46 (Spring, 1994): 2, 15. https://doi.org/10.2307/1395418.