Authors

Discussion

The paper presents a preliminary analysis of same-sex relationship between a celebrated Soviet Lithuanian poet Janina Degutytė and her partner Bronė Jacevičiūtė. I apply close reading, i.e. detailed analysis of language, imagery, and structure of the passages in (auto)biographies of Janina Degutytė that discuss their relationship. Given that only heterosexual marriage was considered a legitimate co-habitation practice in the USSR, in my analysis I ask what rhetorical tools were used to discuss the intense relationship between the two women (which today is often considered to be a lesbian relationship). My analysis is informed by writings of Blanchot (1955), Barthes (1970), and Iser (1978) who argue that the reader actively constructs the meanings by engaging not only with the information that is expressed, but also with the omissions i.e. the information that is left unsaid. With that in mind throughout my analysis I ask: What can the reader infer about the relationship between Janina and Bronė, when they read about their relationship?