Reimagining Decadence and Building Queer Relationalities in Richard Bruce Nugent’s “Smoke, Lilies and Jade” and “Geisha Man”
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Richard Bruce Nugent openly expressed his same-sex attraction at a time when racial uplift leaders emphasized the racial and sexual propriety of black people, so Nugent has been recognized as a key figure in the field of black queer studies. This essay contends that Nugent reimagines decadence not only to resist identifying with the heteropatriarchal authority that racial uplift promoted but also to make decadent aesthetics better envision a queer assemblage that encourages multiple linkages with those who do not fit the uplift ideals. The second section reads “Smoke, Lilies and Jade,” claiming that the protagonist Alex’s immersion into decadence eschews the Freudian Oedipus complex in defining his relationship with his father, and that refusal enables him to open himself up to a diverse array of relationships. The third section focuses on the feminine splendor that saturates the surface text of “Geisha Man,” arguing that the story challenges the gender politics of imperial Orientalism and invites attention to campy, bold self-expressions that embrace fluid gender performance. Ultimately, this essay holds that Nugent’s racially marginalized protagonists’ penchant for outlandish beauty allows them not only to openly explore their same-sex desires but also to oppose taking up the role of heteropatriarchal masculinity in favor of the joy of being part of an assemblage that encourages relationalities that transcend restrictive norms and societal hierarchies.
Abstract
Richard Bruce Nugent openly expressed his same-sex attraction at a time when racial uplift leaders emphasized the racial and sexual propriety of black people, so Nugent has been recognized as a key figure in the field of black queer studies. This essay contends that Nugent reimagines decadence not only to resist identifying with the heteropatriarchal authority that racial uplift promoted but also to make decadent aesthetics better envision a queer assemblage that encourages multiple linkages with those who do not fit the uplift ideals. The second section reads “Smoke, Lilies and Jade,” claiming that the protagonist Alex’s immersion into decadence eschews the Freudian Oedipus complex in defining his relationship with his father, and that refusal enables him to open himself up to a diverse array of relationships. The third section focuses on the feminine splendor that saturates the surface text of “Geisha Man,” arguing that the story challenges the gender politics of imperial Orientalism and invites attention to campy, bold self-expressions that embrace fluid gender performance. Ultimately, this essay holds that Nugent’s racially marginalized protagonists’ penchant for outlandish beauty allows them not only to openly explore their same-sex desires but also to oppose taking up the role of heteropatriarchal masculinity in favor of the joy of being part of an assemblage that encourages relationalities that transcend restrictive norms and societal hierarchies.
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