Closet Devotions

Series Q

by Richard Rambuss

Religion and sex, body and soul, sacred and In Closet Devotions , Richard Rambuss traces the relays between these cultural formations by examining the issue of “sacred eroticism,” the literary or artistic expression of devotional feelings in erotic terms that has repeatedly occurred over the centuries. Rather than dismissing such expression as mere convention, Rambuss takes it seriously as a form of erotic discourse, one that gives voice to desires that, outside the sphere of sacred rapture, would otherwise be deemed taboo.
Through startling rereadings of works ranging from the devotional verse of the metaphysical poets (Donne, Herbert, Crashaw, and Traherne) to photographer Andres Serrano’s controversial “Piss Christ,” from Renaissance religious iconography to contemporary gay porn, Rambuss uncovers the highly charged erotic imagery that suffuses religious devotional art and literature. And he explores one of Christian culture’s most guarded (and literal) closets—the prayer closet itself, a privileged space where the vectors of same-sex desire can travel privately between the worshiper and his or her God.
Elegantly written and theoretically astute, Closet Devotions illuminates the ways in which sacred Christian devotion is homoeroticized, a phenomenon that until now has gone unexplored in current scholarship on religion, the body, and its passions. This book will attract readers across a wide array of disciplines, including gay and lesbian studies, literary theory and criticism, Renaissance studies, and religion.

Genres: Nonfiction, Queer, Religion, Theory, History

208 pages, Paperback

First published August 5, 1998

Reviews

[Aeisele · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not a really good book. The idea was interesting: he looks at 17th century metaphysical poets like John Donne and Richard Cranshaw, and tries to place their poetry in a homoerotic sphere. It's interesting, because there is a lot of erotic language in both poets. However, he's not much of a historian; he kept switching back and forth from the poets to Anthony Serrano's "Piss Christ" series of photographs, to gay porn. It was quite shocking (I think this was the point), but not convincing.

[Neal Spadafora · Rating 4 out of 5]

This work focuses on how English devotional literature, both verse and prose, from the early to mid-17th century eroticized Christ. In particular, Rambuss centers male homoerotic Christian devotional visions of Christ, suggesting that Christianity is at odds with these excessive depictions of Christ and risks being undone by them.

[jtabz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drawing from an array of 17th century literature--including poetry, devotional handbooks, and autobiographical accounts--Rambuss boldly challenges the overwhelming critical tendency to negate or heterosexualize the erotics of early modern devotional writing, and he does so with grace, humor, and nerve.