A Sewing "School for Scandal"
1888
John T. Wheelwright
Boston : Walter H. Baker and Co.
American
Short Story
34pp
Decadence, Satire, Gay Men
It is, of course, an impertinence to tear away the veil which shrouds the Eleusinian mysteries of the Sewing Circle a ring which no power of man can shatter [...].
Summary
A group of women gather at a New England sewing circle for bad philanthropy and worse gossip. An artistic, feminine dandy attends, arousing the satirical amusement of the women, then is overshadowed by the entrance of a local clergyman.
More Info
Published in George Riddle's Readings (1888) edited by George Riddle, pages 61-95.
Women dominate the conversation, interrupt and guide the men, and string the men along into direct insults or flirtations. In contrast, Mr. Limpkins and Mr. Lowkerk never resort to masculine anger or demands, remain subserviently polite, and are unreceptive or blushing virginly towards their romantic teases. By entering a space that no man may enter, they are narratively positioned as something other than men—not quite one of the girls, but a class unable to fulfill a traditional relationship.
Content & Trigger Warnings
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Editions
Riddle's anthology includes a copyright notice for the story with F. E. Chase. I have't located the related publication yet.