Our friend Mike Mazza, who recommended the novel we discussed last Wednesday--Better Angel, by Forman Brown (writing as Richard Meeker)--was kind enough to share his extensive notes. I found them useful in recalling the book and believe some of you will, too. Just note that the citations (e.g., loc 35+, 2%, etc.) below refer to the Kindle edition, not the paperback.
To say I'm once again impressed with Mike's diligence and meticulousness is a real understatement. Kudos!
Better Angel notes - revised 20241103
New notes, 20241103
My question to readers in 2024: Is this book, now over 90 years old, still relevant and still worth being read and discussed? If so, why?
Another question—could you see this being adapted into something like a Netflix miniseries? If so, any ideas on casting?
I am fascinated how one discussion between two characters about a prospective American novel about gay life seems to prefigure the theme and structure of John Rechy’s great classic City of Night. See page 225. Interesting to consider this link in light of the link to a book from the past, Love’s Coming of Age, which almost provides an ideological foundation for Better Angel.
Overall observations
—I was struck by how ahead of its time this book feels—it seems to anticipate both the spirit of the Stonewall uprising as well as the post-Stonewall pride movement. There is even a hint of a concept of same-sex marriage, as well as a very intriguing “coming out” episode.
—The book also considers the issue of gay youth and the idea of a safe haven in schools for gay youth.
—also noteworthy: the police entrapment incident.
—I don’t recall any specific dates being cited in the story, but some references, such as to “the new psychology,” Jung, Freud, etc. help establish a general chronological setting. See also a reference to Prince Henry and the Duke of Connaught: loc 2663. See also my note below about Love’s Coming of Age.
Special note about the book Love’s Coming of Age, by Edward Carpenter, which is specifically referenced by this book’s main character:
—Book published 1896.
—Carpenter book has a chapter entitled “The Intermediate Sex.” This chapter uses the terms Urnings and Uranians to reference people we could also describe as gay and lesbian.
—The themes of LCoA are echoed in Better Angel. I see a defense of homosexuality as not intrinsically pathological or immoral.
—Carpenter writes of the place of the “Uranian” in larger society.
—he references the phenomenon of Uranian men having an inclination towards poetry, music, the fine arts—we see this also in Better Angel.
—Carpenter notes that the existence of Uranians can be verified from history and literature. At the very end of the essay he provides a list of Uranian forbears, both male and female, including Sappho and Shakespeare—again, this content is echoed in Better Angel—even in the book’s title!
Overall, I see the author (of Better Angel) both reaching back for acknowledgement of homosexuality in prior literature and history, while also cannily forecasting future trends and issues in the gay rights movement.
Main notes about the book with detailed chapter by chapter overview follows.
— book first published in 1933: loc 32. Author lived 1901 to 1996.
Foreword by John Szabo: loc 35+.
—Forman Brown used pseudonym Richard Meeker.
.—publication history; 1980s Alyson edition: 62. Funny story!
Better Angel
Part One
[Chapter] I: Loc 95: p 11; 2%.
—teenage Kurt reading about the friendship of Herakles and Hylas.
—called sissy at school: 167.
—young Kurt displays “the anarchic note of pride in difference”: 212. Important!
—his mother supports his pride in difference: 229.
—Arthur “Nob” Bronson introduced: 339-41.
—Kurt: avid reader with a theatrical bent; likes to play female roles.
—he prefers books with elements of the fantastic: 386-88.
—his father’s furniture store.
—his solitary nature: 427. A secret life.
[Chapter] II: Loc 449; p 33; 9%.
—Kurt turns 13.
—he discovers masturbation.
—Bible: 532.
—anti-masturbation pseudoscientific propaganda: 572.
—snake oil medicine.
[Chapter] III: Loc 588;p 42; 12%.
—Mr. Sprightly; Sunday school teacher: 603.
—evangelistic revival at their church.
—revival preacher preached against masturbation in men and boys’ meeting: 739.
—Kurt answers altar call.
[Chapter] IV: Loc 857; p 59; 18%.
—Kurt a freshman in high school.
—Nob and Kurt discuss their anxiety over masturbation: 939-47.
Part Two
Part Two, [Chapter] I: Loc 958; p 69; 20%.
—Kurt a college graduate; Chloe introduced.
—they discuss her brother Derry.
—Kurt on loneliness: 1017; timeless/timely!
—Kurt’s musical creativity: 1020-23.
Part Two, [Chapter] II: Loc 1060; p 74; 22%.
—backtrack to discuss the start of Kurt’s State University experience.
—how Kurt came to live with the Grayling family.
—geographical note: change from Barton to Ann Arbor [Michigan]: 1113; note earlier reference to state University.
—Kurt and Derry Grayling: masturbating together?: 1137-47.
—Epworth League [Methodist young adult association]: 1151.
—Derry has a totally different attitude than Kurt to their sex play.
— the idea that he was in love with Derry never occurs to Kurt: 1183; important!
—Chloe tells Kurt her marriage plans.
Part Two, [Chapter] III: Loc 1266; p 87; 27%.
—Kurt’s return home and his farewell to the Graylings.
—Kurt starts to read “the new psychology,” including Carpenter: 1305.
—Plato: 1308.
—Kurt’s acknowledgement of the love that dare not speak its name.
—a life demanding secrecy and silence: 1340.
—Kurt learns of Derry’s new friend David Perrier: 1345.
—his letter to Derry: 1365+. He admits his love.
Part Two, [Chapter] IV: Loc 1408; p 96; 30%.
—Kurt returns to Ann Arbor for the wedding.
—Kurt meets David: 1434. Visits the apartment where he lives. Kerry asks David to put Kurt up for the evening.
—David tells Kurt he loves him: 1568.
—my note: this section has a bit of a romance novel feeling.
—David complains of society’s intolerance of homosexuality: 1607.
—Kurt’s plans to go to New York. His departure.
Part Two, [Chapter] V: Loc 1685; p 111; 36%.
—Kurt in NYC. He continues to study music.
—the letters he receives from friends and family: 1721+.
—Kurt visits the Graylings: Chloe tells him of her unhappy marriage to Roy.
—Chloe talks of divorce: 1828+.
Part Two, [Chapter] VI: Loc 1854; p 120; 39%.
—Kurt home with his parents for Christmas.
—notification of his implication in Chloe’s divorce action: 1886-88.
—Kurt and Roy have a talk.
Part Two, [Chapter] VII: Loc 2112; p 134; 45%.
—a letter from Chloe: 2144.
—Chloe’s divorce is effective.
—Kurt receives a scholarship to spend a year in Europe: 2170.
—Chloe arrives in NYC.
—she gets a job in the office of the registrar at Columbia: 2214.
—Kurt has a pleasant friendship with Chloe; he ponders his own sexuality: 2249.
—A kiss from Chloe confirms to Kurt his orientation.
—cut off from the “democracy of love”: 2330.
—Chloe confesses to Kurt that she loves him.
—to explain his sexuality to Chloe, Kurt references the book Love’s Coming of Age [by Edward Carpenter]: 2352.
—Chloe is accepting and their friendship strengthened.
—my note: this is a significant “coming out” scene in LGBTQ literature!
—Kurt, David and Derry as a priesthood: 2495.
—David departs on the boat while his three friends see him off.
Part Three
Part Three, [Chapter] I: Loc 2461; p 155; 52%.
—Kurt in France. He rents a room.
—a letter from Chloe gives an update on Derry and David in NYC: 2576. Her words of caution.
—telegram from Tony McGauran: 2595.
—backtrack to tell how Kurt met Tony, an actor, on his shipboard voyage.
—Tony arrives in France to visit Kurt.
—Tony extols a sexually libertine lifestyle and says he is a “pagan”: 2768.
—Tony tells Kurt of a youthful kiss he had with another male, and they have a frank discussion of homosexuality.
—Tony discusses his sexual history with both men and women: 2915.
—Tony and Kurt debate the issue of sex without love.
Part Three, [Chapter] II: Loc 2959; p 182; 62%.
—Breakfast with Tony.
—Tony tells Kurt that he thinks he knows David; they discuss David’s “guardian,” Ozzy Brosken: 2987-91.
—Tony describes Ozzy as an American Oscar Wilde: 2999.
—Kurt’s landlord Rubin and his wife Georgia described: 3064.
—after altercation with Georgia, Kurt and Tony rent a new place: 3139 to 3158.
—Introduction of Stephen Daedalus, puppy adopted by Tony and named after a Joyce character: 3146.
Part Three, [Chapter] III: Loc 3169; p 193; 67%.
—Kurt and Tony move from Sauvergne to their new rental home in St. Paul.
—They decide to keep their relationship non sexual despite their earlier sexual liaison.
—Kurt makes progress in his musical composition work: 3214.
—Kurt plays part of his suite for Tony and Stephen: 3220.
—Kurt and Tony collaborate on a musical play: 3244. Title—“The Duchess Decides.”
—Kathleen Horan, Irish water color painter, introduced: 3339.
—out for dinner, Kurt and Tony discuss Frank Harris, a biographer of Wilde: 3348-56.
—Kurt speaks philosophically of love, lust, sexual orientation, and society: 3388+. He cites literary examples of same sex love —David and Jonathan: 3392.
—after encountering the Rubins in the restaurant, Kurt is upset.
Part Three, [Chapter] IV: Loc 3437; p 208; 73%.
—Kurt has finished the piano score for “The Duchess.”
—Kurt back in Paris: 3440.
—He encounters Miss Horan: 3465.
—he recalls the embarrassing scene in the restaurant with the Rubins.
—Kurt sees a puppeteer with puppets (interesting in light of real life career of author): 3488-90.
—Kurt reads a batch of letters he has received: 3490+. Note the importance of letter writing in this story.
—Kurt accosted by a seller of pornographic photos: 3513. Later by a pimp.
—Kurt attends a “nauseating” stage show: 3540+.
—Kurt’s dissatisfaction with the “whole vile world”: 3551.
Part Four
Part Four, [Chapter] I: Loc 3588; p 219; 76%.
—Kurt returns to the US; greeted by Chloe, Derry and David.
—reference to dada movement: 3615.
—Kurt and David have time alone together.
—David tells Kurt about his history with Ozzy.
—insight into gay subculture: 3698 to 3701.
—David describes his writing success: 3714+. Note recurring theme of artistic creativity by gay men.
—important discussion of literature and homosexuality; ambition of David to write a book defending gay love: 3717+.
—Queer reading of Shakespeare sonnets: 3729.
—David’s desire for a specifically American
-set literary vindication of homosexuality to stand with works by European authors like Gide: 3736. My supplemental note: Compare this section to Love’s Coming of Age.
Part Four, [Chapter] II: Loc 3773; p 228; 80%.
—Kurt makes plans, including a visit home to see his parents.
—David visits Tony.
—Kurt visits Korlov at the Conservatory: 3805.
—Orlov lets Kurt know of a possible teaching position at Brookway School: 3648.
—Chloe tries to convince Kurt he is not really homosexual; she states her dislike of David: 3879-85.
Part Four, [Chapter] III: Loc 3908; p 235; 83%.
—Kurt visits Brookway School in Connecticut.
—Kurt accepts the job offer at the school.
—David tells Kurt that he has broken with Ozzy: 3952.
Part Four, [Chapter] IV: Loc 4037; p 241; 85%.
—Kurt visits his parents in Barton.
—the “wall” between Kurt and his parents: 4058.
—Kurt’s desire for literary/historic forbears like Plato and Michelangelo: 4070.
—Korlov, via letter, sends Kurt feedback on his musical composition “Greenfield Mountain Suite”: 4088-90.
—Kurt returns to New York; anticipation of departure for Brookway School: 4131.
Part Four, [Chapter] V: Loc 4159; p 248; 88%.
—Kurt at Brookway School.
—Kurt’s pleasant life and work at the school.
—his fellow instructor Scott: 4190.
—David visits Kurt at Brookway.
—Kurt learns via mail that his composition will be included in a musical program: 4231.
—Kurt encourages David to finish his previously proposed book project: 4248. Important.
—Kurt tells David how he caught two of the students in a compromising situation and tried to ease their minds about the incident.
—They discus societal intolerance towards the homosexual: 4300.
—Kurt and David learn that Derry has been arrested; they go to the responsible police station.
—Derry describes an act of police entrapment targeted at “pansies”: 4394-98.
—Note Kurt’s outrage at this injustice. My note: this novel prefigures the spirit of the Stonewall uprising.
—Derry acquitted: 4449.
—Kurt ponders whether his relationship with David is comparable to a marriage: 4480. My note: a book truly ahead of its time!
—Tony tells Kurt that their play, “The Duchess,” has been sold: 4500.
Part Four, [Chapter] VI: Loc 4516; p 267; 95%.
—Advance royalties on “The Duchess Decides” received by Kurt.
—Ford Clayton, the student he had caught in a compromising situation, visits Kurt: 4531. Kurt acts as a kind mentor.
—Clayton gives Kurt the gift of a miniature of Donatello’s David as a gift
—Kurt returns to New York—the situation with Ozzy intrudes on his happiness.
Part Four, [Chapter] VII: Loc 4661; p 276; 98%.
—Kurt back in his room at the school.
—He recalls his regrettable attempt at sexual intimacy with Chloe in the wake of his anxiety over David.
—After reading a telegram from David, Kurt has a renewed hope for his ideas about their future together.
—He reads a poem about Herakles and Hylas: 4708. My note: this cultural reference brings the book full circle.
—end of novel.
