Joseph and His Friend: A Story of Pennsylvania


The protagonist in Joseph and His Friend: A Story of Pennsylvania, by Bayard Taylor, is an intelligent and educated young farmer who has led a sheltered life. An unfortunate marriage to a somewhat older and much more experienced woman leads him first into financial and then legal difficulties, from which a male friend who lives nearby rescues him. The friends' deepening intimacy becomes a key element in the shaping of Joseph’s difficult journey to maturity. It is hardly surprising that in our own world, where men conceal their emotions and touch one another only in hand-shaking, football field exuberance, and violence, the author’s inclusion of physical tenderness in depicting masculine friendship has earned his book the reputation as the first gay novel. To readers who resist this outlook, the ending, though bittersweet, is far from unhappy. (Summary by Thomas Copeland)