Algernon Charles Swinburne’s poem “Love and Sleep” depicts both sexual desire and BDSM in such a way that intertwines the context as being sexual and aggressive.  One could note that Swinburne is “lying asleep” and could be, perhaps, dreaming of his lover “leaning over [his] sad bed” (1-2).  If it weren’t a dream, he would be lying awake.  He continues to go into detail about his lover’s features such as “smooth-skinned and dark” and “perfect coloured” (4-6).

Swinburne’s choice of vocabulary reflects BDSM in that, he states, that her neck is looks good enough to bite (4).  In this respect, he is insinuating an aggressive sexual connection with his lover.  Within this time period, it was somewhat unusual to be aggressive in bed.  Sex was supposed to be passionate and emotional, not exactly aggressive.

What suggest sexual desire is depicted throughout the poem as a whole, however, he says “[his] soul desire” in the last line (14).  It is pretty interesting how Swinburne structured this poem.  From what I have read within the other texts that were given, I often noted that the writer was homosexual but Swinburne indicates that he is heterosexual, whom his lover is a woman.  This changed my perception of queerness in a way that allows be to think of queerness as more than just LGBTQ.  It allows me to think that queerness can be aggressively sexual and to have increasing desire for a person.  I find it interesting that, after reading some of my classmate’s blog posts, that writers of this time period found it extremely difficult to express their desires; whether it’d be for someone of the opposite or same sex.  I find many similarities in those quarrels with queerness in today’s generations.  Sexual aggression can be taken as rape or harassment OR it it could be taken as something pleasant.  In the same context, I can see that it is still difficult for people to come out and express their sexual preferences in the same ways these writers have found it difficult.