Closets and Claustrophilia

I've started reading Cary Howie's Claustrophilia: The Erotics of Enclosure in Medieval Literature. I don't think the book's merits could quite be captured/ illuminated/enclosed (?) in our usual discussions, so I'm not suggesting that we discuss it as a group, but I do think it's a fascinating meditation on queerness, desire, phenomenology, the sense of touch, and "unhistorical" approaches to literature (to quote Madhavi's term). It's an odd book, but one that's fun to read. (Think: Povinelli).

Don't just take my word for it: the folks over at In The Middle *love* it. Karl Steel calls it a "heartbreaking" book, and Eileen Joy writes: "The thought and writing of Howie’s book is so radiant, I hesitate to do more than simply urge its reading. Like a secret and profanely holy letter, his book should not be reviewed as such [summarized, evaluated, judged, and perhaps killed], but should, rather, be passed, quietly and with the urgency of desire, from friend to friend." (See http://jjcohen.blogspot.com)

So, friends, I pass it along. (In the spirit of cultivating--i hope--a Judy Blume's Forever kind-of-vibe, rather than say a Bridges of Madison County one).