Song of the Loon
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Song of the Loon
Loon Songs Trilogy 1. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Song of the Loon , please sign up. Lists with This Book. Jan 05, Jesse rated it really liked it Shelves: While at first glance Song of the Loon seems to be little more than an overripe sexual picaresque, very quickly the physical journey that structures the narrative begins taking on deep psychospiritual resonances as each handsome and hunky man the main character encounters helps him understand and embrace some part of his physical attraction to other men.
The intentionally grandiose tone and mythic aspirations can seem rather overwrought and more than a bit silly when read today; perhaps even mor While at first glance Song of the Loon seems to be little more than an overripe sexual picaresque, very quickly the physical journey that structures the narrative begins taking on deep psychospiritual resonances as each handsome and hunky man the main character encounters helps him understand and embrace some part of his physical attraction to other men.
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The intentionally grandiose tone and mythic aspirations can seem rather overwrought and more than a bit silly when read today; perhaps even more difficult to tolerate is the representation of Native American culture and individuals, which is the stuff of "noble savage" archetypes. It makes complete sense that Amory's book became such a touchstone for an entire generations of gay men.
Directed by Andrew Herbert. With John Iverson, Morgan Royce, Lancer Ward, Jon Evans. The journey of 19th-century frontiersman Ephraim MacIver and the. Song of the Loon has ratings and 27 reviews. Jesse said: While at first glance Song of the Loon seems to be little more than an overripe sexual picar.
To be quite honest, I kind of regret that my own generation hasn't really been capable of retaining a space for this type of thing within our own tenuously maintained queer culture. Jan 24, Sarah Sammis added it Shelves: I read the first thirty or so pages but it was like reading James Fenimore Cooper writing slash. I don't like Cooper's style of writing on a good day.
Today is not a good day. A lone wanderer takes on the American West of the late 19th Century, meets all kinds of men from all kinds of cultures one at a time, and ends most chapters with the sharing of ideals and orgasms. One oft-quoted description of the book describes it as a mash-up of James Fenimore Cooper and Jean Genet, to which I might add Jean-Jacques Rosseau, because the "savages" encountered are quite noble indeed.
The overarching theme seems to be that true love at least, the same-sex kind is impossible within the constraints of Victorian-American "culture" and Judaeo-Christian "civilization.
Middle-class aspirations are a trap. It all sounds very Sixties, doesn't it? As silly as it sounds, there's a sweetness to this book that has beguiled several generations of gay readers since it was first published in LOON does get repetitious and formulaic, but there's nothing like this book, including its lack of exploitation or oppression. Be sure to read it, but feel free to skip the softcore film adaptation from Aug 11, Gerry Burnie rated it really liked it Shelves: Gerry B's Book Reviews - http: Imagine, therefore, that the Song of the Loon, by Richard Amory [re-released by Arsenal Pulp Press, May 1, ] was first published three years before Stonewall, and 16 years before the Bathhouse Raids.
That make it a true artefact, and as an unapologetic homoerotic novel, it is also somewhat of a legend.
However, they were generally badly written, and could only be purchased through P. Although I was aware of Song of the Loon, and remember the making of the , motion picture version, starring John Iverson, Morgan Royce and Lancer Ward, I never got around to reading the novel until now. I was struck, therefore, by the amount of sexual content albeit not as explicitly written as today and the gutsyness of the both the author and publisher in publishing it.
The plot and style are noteworthy, as well. This is not to belittle the story in any way, for I think we have all wished for a Garden of Eden existence where the inhabitants are all hunky and horny, the risks are minimal, and homophobia does not exist. If you are looking for the ultimate feel good story, you should give this one a try. May 09, Patrick Gibson rated it it was ok Shelves: A couple short stories over the years, maybe.
Not really had any interest. In fact, I am surprised by the unabashed frankness of the sex. Not by the sex itself but that it is explored without guilt, worry over disease, cultural angst, stigmatization, or even xenophobia Indians are hot horny buggers. The lack of torment is what surprised me the most. I would have expected fundamentalist preachers to show up and condemn the queers to hell, and then local outraged folk to run them out of town with pitchforks, after having the shit beat out of them by the macho descendants of Eve.
But none of that happened. It is simply nice little book of erotic literature—which stands out because it is not heterosexual. After I finished reading, I Googled the title and was surprised to learn this novel was so popular there were a couple sequels and a movie adaptation. Aug 20, Hannah Givens rated it liked it Shelves: I never know how to rate a historical novel.
The book itself was kind of boring? But I love it. It was probably the most well-known gay books of the 60s, an insta-classic. So I love that it's extant, that it's been republished, and that the new edition has such awesome extra material included. Interviews with the author shortly after it was published, a great introduction from Michael Bronski, etc.
And actually, even though I was bored, by the end I'd started to understand the author's perspec I never know how to rate a historical novel. And actually, even though I was bored, by the end I'd started to understand the author's perspective and the statement he was trying to make. The "Indians" are entirely made-up, he explicitly states in his author's note that real Native American tribes don't act like this at all and it's purely fantasy That wouldn't be acceptable now, and it shouldn't have been then, but it was and he used it to say really extraordinary things about gay sex and love and happiness.
His interviews and articles at the end made the whole book worth it, to get that insight on the industry at the time and the way he wanted it to be, the kinds of books he was trying to write and the kinds of changes the publishers made. So, problematic fave to the max I guess, but five stars for the fact that this edition exists! Dec 18, Karl rated it really liked it.
Song of the Loon; a gay pastoral in five books and an interlude
I first read this book back in the day. It is amazing that this book was first published three years before Stonewall! I can't think of any other book that is so celebratory about gay sex and gay identity. And it is remarkably well written. A must read for anyone who has any interest in the development of gay literature. And this edition has some wonderful supplementary material included that helps place the book in perspective in regard to its place in gay literature. Nov 30, Colin Meldrum rated it liked it. My husband asked me to read this years ago, so I did.
I'm not sure if I would have bothered to finish it otherwise, but in retrospect it was worth reading, if for no other benefit than the conversations it triggered between us about different types of relationships and the significance of a book like this one in American gay history, which I had initially under-estimated. Mar 10, Jennifer rated it really liked it Recommends it for: Alright well, I've been looking at a number of books recently, republished books put out by 'Little Sister's Classic's', recently.
Someone else actually mentioned this book a while back. So I finally decided to pick up a copy of it. I find this book fascinating, because I feel that to some extent it is something more serious wrapped up in the guise of something less serious. I actually read the introduction after reading the novel, which only made me feel more strongly about that SlashReaders LJ: I actually read the introduction after reading the novel, which only made me feel more strongly about that point.
While you can read this novel as something light hearted and fun, sex and growing up ect. Through the wisdom that Ephraim MacIver exhibits from time to time.
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I feel as if it is in this book to prove a point. It is curious to find popular themes in literature that are annoying, taken and used for another purpose. So going back to the introduction that was published at the beginning of the reprinted edition put out by 'Little Sister's'. While it is dated to fit the time period with when 'Song of the Loon', was originally published there are concepts in it that span past that time. It still has merit on what I see in gay themed literature today and even in general literature.
There is a quote towards the end of the article that I would like to share with you. This quote was written by Douglas Dean and published in May It is my contention that the reason for this, in the final analysis. May be found in the attitude of the gay readers themselves. Most gay readers do not want "good" gay literature; they couldn't care less about novels and short stories that are honestly written. What they want is, for the most part, crap - and that's why the publishers go on giving it to them.
That's why the "fuck" books, ground out by some publishers in the way that a butcher grinds out hamburger, are good sellers, and it is also why a writer who tries to elevate the tone of the gay paperback novel is doomed to a certain and never ending battle," Song of the Loon: I feel that this touches on some of my own frustrations with finding things that are good reads. What with the explosion of under edited, "fuck" books as Dean puts it. Writings that are put together for nothing more then sex. They lack characterization; they lack even the semblance of a decent plot or any thought put into anything other then course and uninteresting detailed sex scenes that are unimaginative and repetitive.
For example, I'm not a big fan of body hair. However I was thinking while reading Amory's book that it is much more realistic--to some extent. I could poke a few holes in that too but I'll pass for the moment. However my point is that in most books both characters are a good looking b usually have large dicks or at least one of them does , c at least one if not both are well muscled. But how often do authors mention anything about body hair? Really do the main characters in all books shave all their body hair off? It's not about the reality of the matter it's not about truth.
It's about a stylized meeting of stereotypes in an over sexed literate population.
This is all not to say that sex can be well done, but I think we try and do it too much. To the extent that it is overdone. That is because sex is so prevalent in our literature, in our TV shows in our movies, and on our computers. That sometimes authors do better not to try and give details because the details become crass and over used.
They become stereotypes of 'sex' in and of themselves. Things you could go and find in any bit of fan fiction or RPG. We want to know everything in this day and age, we don't want things left to the imagination. But in trying to put in all this detail we lose the magic of that moment that we are trying to portray we ruin it. Yes, there can be good sex scenes that are well done.
However often I find they are the ones that don't spell out who does what with their mouth and their cock to the extent that nothing is left to the imagination. The book itself is tedious. The hero sails downstream, meets an Indian, they have sex.
Within the first hour of their being together they tell each other they love each other and have never loved another more. They recite long drawn-out poetry to each other. Then the hero moves on downstream and the process begins again. There is really no description of native life to keep you intere I finished it. Just clumsy sex scenes and clumsier dialogue about love said by people who just met. This book is held up as one of the gay pulp classics and an example of the author overcoming the pulp medium to produce literature. For me this is the wrong book to hang that hat on.
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