Are They Women?: A Novel Concerning the Third Sex

by Aimée Duc, Margaret Sönser Breen (Editor & Translator), Nisha Kommattam (Editor & Translator)

Deeply engaged in women’s rights debates and discussions of the “third sex,” Are They Women? is about the lively communities of lesbians across turn-of-the-century central Europe. It is one of the first lesbian novels written in German―indeed, in any language―and one of the very few pre-Second Wave feminist texts to provide a positive and romantic portrait of lesbians. A work of popular literature with cultural significance, Are They Women? is both highly readable and remarkably progressive for its time. This is the first complete English translation of the novel. The historical appendices provide contemporary materials on homosexuality, including fresh translations of lesbian and feminist essays, as well as compelling images from German feminist periodicals of the time.

Genres: Queer, LGBT, Lesbian

146 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1901

About the author

Pseudonym of Minna Wettstein-Adelt. She died in 1908.

Reviews

[Mareike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very early lesbian novel/novella by a German author, re-published with a scholarly introduction and suggestions for further reading.
It's not a literary masterpiece, but still very interesting historically.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a novel, this is pretty terrible. Not much plot to speak of. Everyone just sits around and pontificates about the nature of women and same-sex attraction. However, as a window into 19th-century arguments about gender, marriage, and sexuality, it is invaluable and utterly fascinating.

[Fleur.Dionys · Rating 3 out of 5]

De vier sterren vind ik verdiend, niet zozeer voor het boek an sich maar wel voor de manier waarop deze Aimée Duc in 1901 het thema van vrouwenliefde beschreef: niet als een psychologisch probleem, niet als vrouwen die uit een ongelukkige relatie komen met een man, niet vol rampen en drama. Het zijn gewoon vrouwen die van vrouwen houden, en die hier perfect gelukkig mee zijn ! Al is er gelukkig veel veranderd, zelfs 120 jaar later kunnen veel filmregisseurs hier nog wel iets van opsteken:-)

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to read such an early book about queer women. The discussions about marriage, feminism and queer women's place in society were fascinating, although those struggles were only looked at through a very middle to upper class perspective.

[Chase Podmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Are They Women?" is a fantastic novella where Aimée Duc (pen name for Minna Wettstein-Adelt) runs analysis on the changing role of women in the culture of late 19th and early 20th century Europe. I've seen this novella labelled as a "lesbian" novel, which no doubt it is, as the characters pertaining to the "third sex" are, for lack of a more complex thought here, lesbians. Their disinterest in men and so-called "traditional" marriage values, coupled with increased activism for equal access to higher education and workforce opportunities, is reflected in the feminist and early-LGBT+ literature of the time, thinking about Hirschfeld and Ulrichs here.

Literary critical analysis notwithstanding this is a really good novella and only took me, a notoriously slower reader, just over an hour to read this start to finish.

[pamreads]

Just incredibly interesting to read a turn of the 20th century take on lesbianism, gender (roles, expectations), marriage & emancipation

[Jess Tremblay · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part, this is philosophical musings dressed up in a story. Its fun and lighthearted, and there is very little plot. When there is, it feels out of place! But as this book is meant as more of an exploration of ideas, that is what I will instead focus on.

This is an interesting piece of lesbian history, about women's rights, marriage, and social norms. Many things debated between different characters are completely normal in current society, which is a very nice reminder of how far we've come.
I do wish there was more explanation on this so called "Third Sex." It seems to just mean women who don't wish to be involved with men any more than perhaps casual friends. In short, lesbians. Not very analogous to our current understanding of gender, but interesting nonetheless. There has been a long history of women being defined as serving men, and having that heavily de-emphasized nowadays has caused gender perceptions to shift.

Something I didn't like in this story is that there seems to be an implicit biphobia in this concept of the Third Sex. You either are or aren't, and the reaction to a member of a friend group of lesbians marrying a man is a feeling of betrayal, of being lied to. Claims that she was mistaken of being a member of the third sex at all. This is the issue of drawing hard lines in the sand of any concept of sexuality and gender. They are nothing but our best shot at explaining the internal reality that is ever shifting and beyond words.

[Märchenfee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting insight regarding lesbian history and early female university students, but not much of a story. A quick read, so it doesn't hurt though.

[BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bearing in mind the date of first publication of this novella, it is a very interesting book. The many ideas, given as statements by the women and men in the book, certainly sets one thinking.

My edition has a very good, 20 pages long, introduction by Lillian Faderman and Brigitte Eriksson.