Jeffrey Bennett
As contributor
As commenter
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In the Context of Sports
Thanks for your post. Like Melanie and Andrew, I had never heard of this episode. I find the context of sports to be especially interesting here. Magic Johnson announced his HIV-positive status in 1991 and, perhaps not coincidentally, the player on the co ... -
Love the Dreamscape...
Like Melanie, I was really struck by your observation about the dream-like nature of the sex scene. Brilliant close reading! Kramer's recollections are not always so dreamy and your post really has me thinking through the politics of crafting his sta ... -
Thanks for your post!
I really enjoyed your write-up on the vampire trope. Some of my colleagues have talked about the vampire-zombie dialectic and the ways each metaphor becomes more visible during specific historical moments. I wonder which might be more prominent today, in ... -
Great Way to Start Off the Week!
Thanks for a great post to kick off the week. I really enjoyed the clip you selected to accompany your essay, as I had forgotten some of the details of this scene. The conclusion of the segment, where coming out of the closet and moving away from gay sham ... -
Reoccurring Forms
Thanks for your kind and productive comments, Kathy. I agree- the scene in The Normal Heart where Julia Roberts is standing before a room of unruly queers is eerily similar to the one that plays out here. The trope of social denial is strong in both and o ... -
It's a Compelling Narrative
Oh, you should watch the film. Despite my criticisms, it's really compelling in its execution. I think this is why it makes so many scholars nervous- the truth it seems to convey is so easily consumable. ... -
Even Shilts Disavowed the Film
The film is certainly troubling in many respects (even Randy Shilts denounced some of its representations), but as I noted to Taylor, the partial truths of history make for an interesting viewing. I think two-and-a-half hours passes by very quickly. The f ...