Inaseriesoflengthyletters,theunsettledandunrulyEthelSutherlandwritestoaninitiallyunnamedandungenderedcorrespondent,andpatientlydisclosesthetroubledhistoryofherpastromanticattachmentstobothmenandwomen.NotuntilthethirdletterdoessherevealthathercorrespondentisErnest,themantowhomsheisengagedtobemarried.Wantingtomakehimunderstandhowallofherpastlovesareincludedandsublimatedinherloveforhim,sheespeciallywantstoexplainhow“womenoftenloveeachotherwithasmuchfervorandexcitementastheydomen“;andalthoughthisloveiscuriously“freedfromallthegrosserelementsofpassion,asitexistsbetweensexes,“neverthelessit“retainsitsenergy,itsabandonment,itsflush,itseagerness,itspalpitation,anditsrapture.“MargaretJaneMusseySweat(1823-1908),anativeofPortland,Maine,andwifeofaUnitedStatescongressman,publishedEthel’sLove-Lifein1859.Thebookissometimescreditedasanearly--eventhefirst--“lesbian“Americannovel,butsuchalabel,ChristopherLoobyobservesinhisIntroduction,somewhatmisrepresentswhatisdistinctiveandsurprisingaboutthebook.Ethel’sLove-Lifeconfoundsourreceivedbinarydistinctionsbetweenthespiritualandthecarnaland,indeed,betweenthesexualandthenonsexual--theboundariesbetweensuchcategoriesbeingnotnearlyaswell-policedatthetimeastheylaterbecame.Itisherereprinted,alongwithSweat’sVerses(1890)andfiveofherpublishedessays,onCharlotteBront禱,GeorgeSand,thecontemporarynovel,andthefriendshipsofwomen.
