Left to Themselves Valancourt Classics edition by Edward PrimeStevenson Eric L Tribunella Literature Fiction eBooks
Download As PDF : Left to Themselves Valancourt Classics edition by Edward PrimeStevenson Eric L Tribunella Literature Fiction eBooks 
The rare boys' adventure story that marked the first-ever gay young adult novel republished for the first time in over a century
Edward Prime-Stevenson (1858-1942) has been described by one critic as "the first modern gay American author," and his novel Imre A Memorandum (1906) has been cited as the first openly gay American novel. But fifteen years earlier, Stevenson published another milestone work, Left to Themselves (1891), a young adult novel described by its author as "homosexual in essence," the first such book ever published.
A thrilling, fast-paced boys' adventure tale in the tradition of R. M. Ballantyne and Horatio Alger, Left to Themselves follows young Gerald Saxton, en route from New York to meet his father in Nova Scotia, chaperoned by the older youth Philip Touchtone. Along the way, Gerald and Philip's romantic friendship will blossom as they contend with a number of extraordinary events and obstacles, including a shipwreck that leaves them island castaways, and a mysterious, predatory figure who dogs their steps and will stop at nothing to get his hands on Gerald.
Out of print for over 120 years and long unobtainable, Stevenson's book returns to print at last in this highly anticipated new edition, which is introduced and annotated by Prof. Eric L. Tribunella. This edition also features an appendix of supplementary materials, including contemporary reviews of the novel and selections of other writings by Stevenson.
"A wonderful addition to gay studies in general, and in particular to the continuing 'resurrection' of Edward Prime-Stevenson." - Prof. James Gifford
Left to Themselves Valancourt Classics edition by Edward PrimeStevenson Eric L Tribunella Literature Fiction eBooks
A serendipitous encounter between seventeen-year-old Philip Touchstone and twelve-year-old Gerald Saxton leads to a unique friendship and a series of adventures for the two boys in Edward Prime-Stevenson’s Left to Themselves: Being the Ordeal of Philip and Gerald (1891; 247 pp. including an Introduction by Professor Eric L. Tribunella and numerous appendices in the 2016 reprint edition of the novel by Valancourt Books). Left to Themselves is described as a work “written primarily for young people, but also with a particular aim of meeting sympathetic interests from adults” in a contemporary review. With that description in mind, curiously, Left to Themselves is also a novel that can be approached in two very distinct fashions.On one level Left to Themselves is a rollicking fine boys’ adventure novel falling within a tradition of such for well over a century. Philip stumbles upon Gerald being harassed by a tramp when alone fishing. Without hesitation, the older and physically fit Philip effectively comes to the younger and gentler boy’s defense. Prime-Stevenson writes:
“We may keep our lives and thoughts under a lock and key as tightly as we like until the day comes when, somewhere along this crowded highway called Life, we all at once run square against some other human creature who is made by fate to be our best friend. Then, take it my word for it, whether he is younger or older, he will find out from our very own lips every thing in the bottom of our hearts that he chooses to ask about; and, what is more, we ought to find ourselves glad to trust such a person with even more than the whole stock that is there.”
Such is the bond that is formed between Philip, an orphan, and Gerald, the son of a less than affectionate father after time spent together and many “mutual confidences.” In a fortunate and timely fashion, Philip’s guardian, Mr. Marcy, a hotel proprietor where Gerald is living while his father is on vacation, receives a request from Gerald’s father that the boy be sent to him from school via a servant (“like a package of goods to be forwarded by express,” Marcy reflects). Having observed the budding friendship between Philip and Gerard, Marcy asks Philip to deliver the boy safely to the wealthy businessman. Such begins an unforgettable adventure for the two boys as what should be a tranquil yet colorful journey from New York to Canada becomes one thrilling and dangerous exploit after another.
The all but forgotten writer Edward Prime-Stevenson (1858-1942) tells his tale in the most suspenseful of fashions with event after event (both man-made and natural), along with heart-break, frustration, and life-threatening danger nearly overcoming the two boys in rapid succession during their journey. Frequently placed in perilous positions through no fault of their own (and sometimes with a bit too much reliance upon coincidence by the author), Prime-Stevenson adds another twist to the plot almost immediately as the boys leave the safety of Marcy’s hotel. They appear to be followed by a mysterious and sinister stranger, “a strikingly handsome and well-dressed man of about forty years of age.” Appearing at the most odd and inopportune of times, often under the guise of a different name and/or identity, the boys quickly (and rightfully) assume the man is a part of some sort of predatory, “villainous conspiracy” which they must avoid. Thus, Left to Themselves contains all of the elements any reader, regardless of their age, is bound to find captivating.
There is, however, as alluded to earlier, another level to Left to Themselves. In his Introduction to the novel Professor Eric L. Tribunella (which includes notes and sources) goes to great lengths to convincingly propose and support his position that Left to Themselves “could be described as quite possibly the first avowedly ‘gay’ American children’s book.” Tribunella declares that “[b]y trafficking in familiar tropes of homosocial and homoerotic boyhood friendships, Left to Themselves appears to be indistinguishable from many other nineteenth-century boys’ books while nonetheless anticipating the more explicitly gay literature of the twentieth century.” Edward Prime-Stevenson, who is credited with writing “the first openly gay American novel,” Imre (1906), is quoted as writing that his work for children was “homosexual in essence” and Tribunella thoroughly analyzes both Left to Themselves as well as writing conventions of the times and the work of other critics to explore the homoerotic, sometimes “coded” elements to be found in Left to Themselves.
The gay (to reference the modern term not in use at the time of the novel’s publication) elements of Left to Themselves are often subtle with emphasis placed upon the relationship between Philip and Gerald as friends—certainly not physical lovers by any means. Like a heroic defender of a woman’s honor and well-being in a conventional romance, Philip’s care for and commitment to Gerald is absolute—exceeding the bounds of ordinary friendship. The astute reader is left to discover for him/herself and interpret the gentle and loving glances between the two boys and the affection they have for each other as well as some of the author’s more revealing insightful descriptions of the two. Fascinatingly, there is never any real declaration of love between the two boys nor any self-identification of their sexual orientation, but some of the greatest revelations of the truth that exists between Philip and Gerald often comes from other adult characters in the work who either perceive or intuitively realize the level of devotion between the two boys. Some of the most telling comments come not just from Mr. Marcy, but from a simple farm wife who, along with her husband, come to the succor of the boys at an hour of their greatest need. Frightening, considering the character’s actions and possible motive (although the latter is left shrouded in ambiguity), Philip and Gerald may very well not be the only gay character in the novel. Thus, reading Left to Themselves one hundred and twenty-five years after its first publication (it has long been out of print) turns the reader into a bit of a detective even as they appreciate the stirring yarn.
Included with the text of the novel there are thirteen pages of notes defining words some readers might not be familiar with from the work as well as further historical references. The appendices included in the Valancourt Books edition consist of contemporary reviews of the novel, a short selection from the pivotal work Studies in the Psychology of Sex: Sexual Inversion (1897) by Havelock Ellis and John Addington Symonds, excerpts from other works by Prime-Stevenson including his non-fiction study of homosexuality entitled The Intersexes (1908) and his novel, Imre, and a short story that might be seen as an early model for Left to Themselves entitled “A Question of Taste” (1884), the focus of which is two youthful, same-age, male characters bound on a shorter, more realistic adventure than in Prime-Stevenson’s later novel.
Of considerable interest is that Prime-Stevenson may have been considerably ahead of his times by addressing homoerotic/homosocial themes in his fiction well before other American writers, but unlike so many writers that followed him for the next seventy years or so who wrote about gay characters, saw no need for the gay men and women of their fiction to live lives of desperation and/or have their lives end in tragedy. All in all, the scholarly Valancourt edition of Left to Themselves: Being the Ordeal of Philip and Gerald is quite the intriguing eye-opener: both a valuable, recovered piece of excellent adventure prose and a too long forgotten, very early glimpse into American gay fiction.
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Left to Themselves Valancourt Classics edition by Edward PrimeStevenson Eric L Tribunella Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
This book has such a poor and simplistic plot, even for a child's book. Do not waste your time with this book for there are definitely many better alternatives; this one is simply over-rated and under-executed. Perhaps this book has some historic significance but it surely has very little literary value. It is a flat, boring, simplistic, slow, and childish story. The author makes generous and liberal use of far too convenient coincidences in order to drive much of the plot. The plot is almost simply consistent of a series of lucky (or unlucky) coincidences.
I loved It
This is a very good story. One has to be especially interested in older writings - the language takes a while to get the hang of but before long you get swept up in it.
If I had a young boy I would certainly want them to read this - that being said it would be benificial to hide the review/study portion of this specific book until after they had read the story! It's also important to remember how old this story is - the point of interest is that the author openly spoke about the story being a portrayal of a gay relationship between the two boys. Very interesting.
A serendipitous encounter between seventeen-year-old Philip Touchstone and twelve-year-old Gerald Saxton leads to a unique friendship and a series of adventures for the two boys in Edward Prime-Stevenson’s Left to Themselves Being the Ordeal of Philip and Gerald (1891; 247 pp. including an Introduction by Professor Eric L. Tribunella and numerous appendices in the 2016 reprint edition of the novel by Valancourt Books). Left to Themselves is described as a work “written primarily for young people, but also with a particular aim of meeting sympathetic interests from adults” in a contemporary review. With that description in mind, curiously, Left to Themselves is also a novel that can be approached in two very distinct fashions.
On one level Left to Themselves is a rollicking fine boys’ adventure novel falling within a tradition of such for well over a century. Philip stumbles upon Gerald being harassed by a tramp when alone fishing. Without hesitation, the older and physically fit Philip effectively comes to the younger and gentler boy’s defense. Prime-Stevenson writes
“We may keep our lives and thoughts under a lock and key as tightly as we like until the day comes when, somewhere along this crowded highway called Life, we all at once run square against some other human creature who is made by fate to be our best friend. Then, take it my word for it, whether he is younger or older, he will find out from our very own lips every thing in the bottom of our hearts that he chooses to ask about; and, what is more, we ought to find ourselves glad to trust such a person with even more than the whole stock that is there.”
Such is the bond that is formed between Philip, an orphan, and Gerald, the son of a less than affectionate father after time spent together and many “mutual confidences.” In a fortunate and timely fashion, Philip’s guardian, Mr. Marcy, a hotel proprietor where Gerald is living while his father is on vacation, receives a request from Gerald’s father that the boy be sent to him from school via a servant (“like a package of goods to be forwarded by express,” Marcy reflects). Having observed the budding friendship between Philip and Gerard, Marcy asks Philip to deliver the boy safely to the wealthy businessman. Such begins an unforgettable adventure for the two boys as what should be a tranquil yet colorful journey from New York to Canada becomes one thrilling and dangerous exploit after another.
The all but forgotten writer Edward Prime-Stevenson (1858-1942) tells his tale in the most suspenseful of fashions with event after event (both man-made and natural), along with heart-break, frustration, and life-threatening danger nearly overcoming the two boys in rapid succession during their journey. Frequently placed in perilous positions through no fault of their own (and sometimes with a bit too much reliance upon coincidence by the author), Prime-Stevenson adds another twist to the plot almost immediately as the boys leave the safety of Marcy’s hotel. They appear to be followed by a mysterious and sinister stranger, “a strikingly handsome and well-dressed man of about forty years of age.” Appearing at the most odd and inopportune of times, often under the guise of a different name and/or identity, the boys quickly (and rightfully) assume the man is a part of some sort of predatory, “villainous conspiracy” which they must avoid. Thus, Left to Themselves contains all of the elements any reader, regardless of their age, is bound to find captivating.
There is, however, as alluded to earlier, another level to Left to Themselves. In his Introduction to the novel Professor Eric L. Tribunella (which includes notes and sources) goes to great lengths to convincingly propose and support his position that Left to Themselves “could be described as quite possibly the first avowedly ‘gay’ American children’s book.” Tribunella declares that “[b]y trafficking in familiar tropes of homosocial and homoerotic boyhood friendships, Left to Themselves appears to be indistinguishable from many other nineteenth-century boys’ books while nonetheless anticipating the more explicitly gay literature of the twentieth century.” Edward Prime-Stevenson, who is credited with writing “the first openly gay American novel,” Imre (1906), is quoted as writing that his work for children was “homosexual in essence” and Tribunella thoroughly analyzes both Left to Themselves as well as writing conventions of the times and the work of other critics to explore the homoerotic, sometimes “coded” elements to be found in Left to Themselves.
The gay (to reference the modern term not in use at the time of the novel’s publication) elements of Left to Themselves are often subtle with emphasis placed upon the relationship between Philip and Gerald as friends—certainly not physical lovers by any means. Like a heroic defender of a woman’s honor and well-being in a conventional romance, Philip’s care for and commitment to Gerald is absolute—exceeding the bounds of ordinary friendship. The astute reader is left to discover for him/herself and interpret the gentle and loving glances between the two boys and the affection they have for each other as well as some of the author’s more revealing insightful descriptions of the two. Fascinatingly, there is never any real declaration of love between the two boys nor any self-identification of their sexual orientation, but some of the greatest revelations of the truth that exists between Philip and Gerald often comes from other adult characters in the work who either perceive or intuitively realize the level of devotion between the two boys. Some of the most telling comments come not just from Mr. Marcy, but from a simple farm wife who, along with her husband, come to the succor of the boys at an hour of their greatest need. Frightening, considering the character’s actions and possible motive (although the latter is left shrouded in ambiguity), Philip and Gerald may very well not be the only gay character in the novel. Thus, reading Left to Themselves one hundred and twenty-five years after its first publication (it has long been out of print) turns the reader into a bit of a detective even as they appreciate the stirring yarn.
Included with the text of the novel there are thirteen pages of notes defining words some readers might not be familiar with from the work as well as further historical references. The appendices included in the Valancourt Books edition consist of contemporary reviews of the novel, a short selection from the pivotal work Studies in the Psychology of Sex Sexual Inversion (1897) by Havelock Ellis and John Addington Symonds, excerpts from other works by Prime-Stevenson including his non-fiction study of homosexuality entitled The Intersexes (1908) and his novel, Imre, and a short story that might be seen as an early model for Left to Themselves entitled “A Question of Taste” (1884), the focus of which is two youthful, same-age, male characters bound on a shorter, more realistic adventure than in Prime-Stevenson’s later novel.
Of considerable interest is that Prime-Stevenson may have been considerably ahead of his times by addressing homoerotic/homosocial themes in his fiction well before other American writers, but unlike so many writers that followed him for the next seventy years or so who wrote about gay characters, saw no need for the gay men and women of their fiction to live lives of desperation and/or have their lives end in tragedy. All in all, the scholarly Valancourt edition of Left to Themselves Being the Ordeal of Philip and Gerald is quite the intriguing eye-opener both a valuable, recovered piece of excellent adventure prose and a too long forgotten, very early glimpse into American gay fiction.
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