Jane Rule - 1964 - novel - p. 205  

Later adapted into the landmark film Desert Hearts, this novel was a rare example of literary lesbian fiction in an era when lesbian pulp fiction prevailed. It tells the story of strait-laced English professor Evelyn, who comes to Reno, Nevada to procure an expedient divorce--which stipulates that she reside there for six weeks. She stays in a guest home with Frances Parker and meets Ann, the daughter of Frances’s deceased ex. Ann works at the casino, enjoys drawing, and engages in casual sexual relations with men and women. She and Evelyn become involved in spite of scrutiny and Evelyn’s fears of retribution from her husband.

Rule has stated that Radclyffe Hall’s The Well of Loneliness was instrumental in helping her understanding her own sexual identity and its place within society. She spent a summer in Reno, where she had relatives, working at a casino as research for the novel.

Key elements: homosexuality, lesbian, marriage, teacher