“we’se’ll stick togedder always”

Male Desire in Frank Parker Day’s <i>Rockbound</i>

Abstract

This article reads Frank Parker Day’s Rockbound (1928) queerly. To do so, I use Sedgwick’s concept of the erotic triangle, paired with historical context of male relations in the early-twentieth century, to argue that desire between men is more complex within isolated male work spaces in Atlantic Canada than may be assumed. The article begins with a discussion of how Rockbound has been read and received to date, with attention to ideas of authenticity and the illegibility of queer desire in the past. Then, I map the development of relations between David Jung and young Gershom Born in the novel, in turn urging readers to consider alternative ways of reading their relationship outside of traditional binaries.