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Chapter 16 - Ancient Egypt

from Part III - In the Name of Time

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2025

Sarah Parker
Affiliation:
Loughborough University
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Summary

This chapter examines how ancient Egypt was represented across Michael Field’s oeuvre, contextualising such depictions via the wider literary culture of the fin de siècle, from the aesthetic and decadent movements to popular fiction. In comparison to the classical world, which held a more privileged place in education and literature, Egypt symbolised the exotic, dark, and ‘other’. Through close readings of Michael Field’s Egyptian sonnets, their verse drama Queen Mariamne, and references to Egypt in Bradley and Cooper’s diaries, the chapter explores the erotic allure of ancient Egypt and the limits – in Bradley and Cooper’s minds – to its queer potentialities. It also investigates how mummified remains, goddesses, and figures like Cleopatra VII were used to navigate themes of power, desire, and gender, ultimately positioning Egypt as a fertile ground for reimagining gender fluidity, femininity, and transgressive sexuality around the turn of the century.

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  • Ancient Egypt
  • Edited by Sarah Parker, Loughborough University
  • Book: Michael Field in Context
  • Online publication: 03 October 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009382670.020
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  • Ancient Egypt
  • Edited by Sarah Parker, Loughborough University
  • Book: Michael Field in Context
  • Online publication: 03 October 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009382670.020
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Ancient Egypt
  • Edited by Sarah Parker, Loughborough University
  • Book: Michael Field in Context
  • Online publication: 03 October 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009382670.020
Available formats
×