Editing Jane Rule

{{short description|Canadian-American writer (1931–2007)}}
{{Infobox writer
| name          = Jane Rule
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|CM|OBC|size=100%}}
| image         = Jane Rule by Alex Waterhouse-Hayward.jpg
| image_size    = 
| alt           = 
| caption       = 
| pseudonym     = 
| birth_name    = 
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1931|03|28}}
| birth_place   = [[Plainfield, New Jersey|Plainfield]], [[New Jersey]], U.S.
| death_date    = {{death date and age|2007|11|27|1931|3|28|df=yes}}
| death_place   = [[Galiano Island]], British Columbia, Canada
| resting_place = 
| occupation    = [[Author]]
| language      = 
| nationality   = 
| ethnicity     = 
| citizenship   = 
| education     = 
| alma_mater    = [[Mills College]]
| period        = 
| genre         = [[Fiction]], [[non-fiction]], [[essays]]
| subject       = [[Lesbian fiction]]
| movement      = 
| notableworks  = ''[[Desert of the Heart]]'' (1964)
| spouse        = 
| partner       = Helen Sonthoff
| children      = 
| relatives     = 
| influences    = 
| influenced    = 
| awards        = 
| signature     = 
| signature_alt = 
}}

'''Jane Vance Rule''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|CM|OBC}} (28 March 1931 &ndash; 27 November 2007) was a [[Canadian Americans|Canadian-American]] writer of [[lesbian]]-themed works. Her first novel, ''[[Desert of the Heart]]'', appeared in 1964, when gay activity was still a criminal offence. It turned Rule into a reluctant media celebrity, and brought her massive correspondence from women who had never dared explore lesbianism. Rule became an active anti-censorship campaigner, and served on the executive of the Writers' Union of Canada.

==Early life==
Born in [[Plainfield, New Jersey|Plainfield]], [[New Jersey]], Jane Vance Rule was the oldest daughter of Carlotta Jane Hink-Packer and Arthur Richards Rule.<ref name=":0">"Jane Rule" in the 1940 United States Federal Census (Year: ''1940''; Census Place: ''Hinsdale, DuPage, Illinois''; Roll: ''m-t0627-00797''; Page: ''19A''; Enumeration District: ''22-38)''</ref> Both her parents were college educated and her father worked in the military.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Jane Rule {{!}} The Canadian Encyclopedia|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/jane-vance-rule|access-date=2020-07-29|website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca}}</ref> Rule described her mother as "a materially spoiled and emotionally depraved only child".<ref>{{Cite web|last=CaseytheCanadianLesbrarian|date=2016-05-19|title="how to live with the baggage of life": A Review of Jane Rule's Memoir TAKING MY LIFE|url=https://caseythecanadianlesbrarian.com/2016/05/19/how-to-live-with-the-baggage-of-life-a-review-of-jane-rules-memoir-taking-my-life/|access-date=2020-07-29|website=Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian|language=en}}</ref> Rule was also the middle of three children, with an older brother and a younger sister.<ref name=":0" />

Because she grew up in a military family, Rule moved frequently—to [[Hinsdale, Illinois]],<ref name=":0" /> and later to [[California]] and [[Missouri]], and then back to California where her father served in the Pacific during [[World War II]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last=Martin|first=Sandra|date=28 Nov 2007|title=Jane Rule, 76|work=The Globe and Mail|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/jane-rule-76/article20406320/?page=all|access-date=2020-07-29}}</ref> She says she was a [[tomboy]] growing up and felt like an outsider for reaching six feet tall by age 12 and being [[dyslexic]]. When she was 15 she read ''[[The Well of Loneliness]]'' and wrote later that she, "suddenly discovered that [she] was a freak."<ref name=":2" />

Rule earned a [[Bachelor of Arts|BA]] in [[English literary studies|English]] from [[Mills College]] in California in 1952.<ref name=":1" /> Almost immediately after graduation, she sailed in the [[RMS Queen Mary|Queen Mary]]<ref>"Jane V. Rule" in the U.S., Departing Passenger and Crew Lists, 1914-1966 (The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Series Title: ''Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels and Airplanes Departing from New York, New York, 07/01/1948-12/31/1956''; NAI Number: ''3335533''; Record Group Title: ''Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004''; Record Group Number: ''85''; Series Number: ''A4169''; NARA Roll Number: ''81)''</ref> to spend a year in [[London]], following a female lover. There, she was an occasional student at [[University College London|University College, London]], and began work on her first novel.

Rule returned to the U.S. to work at the writing department at [[Stanford University]], but she quit after a few months because of "the competitive, commercial atmosphere of the school, the condescending attitude toward women students". She then lived at home with her parents until 1954.<ref name=":2" />

Beginning in 1954, Rule taught at [[Concord Academy]] in [[Massachusetts]] where she met [[Helen Sonthoff]] (September 11, 1916 - January 3, 2000), a fellow creative writing and literature teacher. The two fell in love, but at the time of their meeting, Sonthoff was married.<ref name=":2" />

Worried about politics and McCarthyism of the 50s in America, Rule moved with her friend and literary critic, [[John Hulcoop]], to [[Vancouver|Vancouver, British Columbia]] in 1956. While there, she worked at the [[University of British Columbia]], as well as wrote her first novel.

While living together, Rule and Hulcoop's relationship became romantic. However, that became complicated by the arrival of the woman Hulcoop would marry, as well as the arrival of Helen Sonthoff. Sonthoff was recently divorced and went to Vancouver for a vacation, which turned into a life-long relationship with Jane Rule.<ref name=":2" />

== Career ==
Although Rule had finished writing her first novel, ''[[Desert of the Heart]],'' in 1961, it was not published until 1964, after 22 rejections from publishers. The book features two women who fall in love, and ends overall-positively for the two. It caused Rule to be inundated with letters from desperate women discovering their lesbianism, as well as fearful and chilly reviews surrounding the homosexual theme. It was, after all, published five years before the decriminalization of [[homosexuality]] in Canada.<ref name=":2" /> Therefore, Rule became the spokesperson of all issues surrounding homosexuality in Canada, and she later wrote "I became, for the media, the only lesbian in Canada. A role I gradually and very reluctantly accepted and used to educate people as I could."<ref name=":2" />

Rule wrote 11 more novels in the 70s and 80s, including her book ''Lesbian Images'', a study of lesbian writers. Her other works during this time included fiction novels, essays, and short stories. In all of her work, she has become known for her eloquence in describing human relationships, both hetero and homosexual.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Proud Life - Jane Rule: 1931 - 2007|url=https://www.dailyxtra.com/proud-life-jane-rule-1931-2007-38848|access-date=2020-07-29|website=Xtra Magazine|date=27 November 2007 }}</ref> Rule's wish was to be remembered as a Canadian writer, more-so than a lesbian or woman writer.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jane Rule, 'Desert of the Heart' Novelist|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17129101|access-date=2020-07-29|website=NPR.org|language=en}}</ref>

Rule served on the executive of the [[Writers' Union of Canada]].<ref name=":3">Compiled by Hives, Christopher. Revised by Pitblado, Beth, et al. "Jane Rule Fonds." University of British Columbia Archives, last modified 2016, accessed 21 Jul 2020, http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/u_arch/janerule.pdf</ref> She was an outspoken advocate of both [[free speech]] and [[gay rights]], included in the various controversies surrounding the gay magazine ''[[Body Politic (magazine)|The Body Politic]],'' which she wrote for regularly, along with ''[[The Ladder (magazine)|The Ladder.]]'' She was also a prominent anti-censorship figure (specifically about the seizure of gay and lesbian books).<ref name=":1" />

In 1989, Rule donated a collection of her writings to the [[University of British Columbia]].<ref name=":3" /> The collection was updated with more writings in 2016, and Helen Sonthoff's papers now also belong to the University of British Columbia.

Rule was inducted into the [[Order of British Columbia]] in 1998, and into the [[Order of Canada]] in 2007, both award ceremonies taking place, at Rule's initiative, in her home community of [[Galiano Island]]. Rule remarked "I chose Canada over 50 years ago. So it is very nice to have Canada choose me", about receiving the latter honor.<ref>Shilling, Grant. "Order of Canada: Gay Author Lauded: Island den mother Jane Rule 'touched' by prestigious honour." '' The Globe and Mail'' (Canada);
 July 11, 2007 :Pg. S1</ref>

Rule received the [[Bill Whitehead Award]] for Lifetime Achievement from [[Publishing Triangle]] in 2002.<ref name=":1" />

''[[Desert of the Heart]]'' was the inspiration for the now cult-classic lesbian 1985 film ''[[Desert Hearts]]'', directed by [[Donna Deitch]].<ref name=":1" />

Rule was also the subject of [[Lynne Fernie]] and [[Aerlyn Weissman]]'s 1995 documentary film ''[[Fiction and Other Truths: A Film About Jane Rule]]''.<ref>[[Rick Bébout]], "Jane rules". ''[[Xtra!]]'', January 2, 1995.</ref>

== Personal life and death ==
Rule and Helen Sonthoff lived together from 1957 until Sonthoff's death in 2000. Sonthoff also taught at the [[University of British Columbia]]. The two became Canadian citizens in 1960.<ref name=":2" />

Rule surprised some in the gay community by declaring herself against [[gay marriage]], writing "To be forced back into the [[heterosexual]] cage of coupledom is not a step forward but a step back into state-imposed definitions of relationship. With all that we have learned, we should be helping our heterosexual brothers and sisters out of their state-defined prisons, not volunteering to join them there."<ref name=":2" />

In 1976, Rule moved to [[Galiano Island]] along with Helen Sonthoff; the two remained there until the end of both their lives. They were well-known and loved on the island; Helen and Jane would give loans to the island's residents in need, as well as teach all the neighborhood children how to swim in their backyard pool.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|title=Galiano Island remembers Jane Rule|url=https://www.dailyxtra.com/galiano-island-remembers-jane-rule-38818|access-date=2020-07-29|website=Xtra Magazine|date=6 December 2007 }}</ref>

By age 60, Rule was plagued with chronic arthritis, which ultimately dulled her desire to write. In 2007, she was diagnosed with liver cancer. She refused any radical treatment and instead continued swimming and living her life as usual. Prior to her death, Rule had already had two "living wakes" and felt that because of this, she would die elegantly.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2007-12-07|title=Jane Rule Wrote of 'Jailable' Love|url=http://thetyee.ca/Books/2007/12/07/JaneRules/|access-date=2020-07-29|website=The Tyee|language=English}}</ref> She died later that year, at the age of 76 on November 28, 2007, at home on Galiano Island. The ashes of Jane Vance Rule were interred in the Galiano Island Cemetery next to those of her beloved Helen Sonthoff.<ref name=":4" />

The manuscript of Rule's memoir was found and published posthumously, ''Taking My Life'', published in 2011. The manuscript was discovered by [[Linda M. Morra]], who edited and annotated the book.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Forrest |first1=Katherine |author-link1=Katherine V. Forrest |title='Taking My Life' by Jane Rule |url=https://lambdaliterary.org/2011/09/taking-my-life-by-jane-rule/ |website=Lambda Literary |access-date=29 March 2022 |language=en |date=26 September 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Taking My Life |url=https://quillandquire.com/review/taking-my-life/ |access-date=29 March 2022 |work=Quill and Quire |date=2 August 2011 |language=en}}</ref>

==Works==
{{div col}}
* ''[[Desert of the Heart]]'' (1964)
* ''This Is Not for You'' (1970), [[Naiad Press]]
* ''Against the Season'' (1971), Naiad Press
* ''[[Lesbian Images]]'' (1975), [[The Crossing Press]]
* ''[[Theme for Diverse Instruments]]'' (1975)
* ''[[The Young in One Another's Arms]]'' (1977), Naiad Press
* ''[[In the Attic of the House]]'' (July 1979), [[Christopher Street (magazine)|Christopher Street magazine]] 
* ''[[Contract with the World]]'' (1980)
* ''[[Outlander (Jane Rule novel)|Outlander]]'', (1981) Naiad Press
* ''[[Inland Passage and Other Stories]]'' (1985), Naiad Press
* ''[[A Hot-Eyed Moderate]]'' (1985), Naiad Press
* ''[[Memory Board]]'' (1987), Naiad Press
* ''[[After the Fire (novel)|After the Fire]]'' (1989), Naiad Press
* ''[[Loving the Difficult]]'' (2008), [[Hedgerow Press]]
* ''Taking My Life'' (2011), [[Talonbooks]]
* ''A Queer Love Story:  The Letters of Jane Rule and Rick Bébout'' (2017), [[UBC Press]]
{{Div col end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
*[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/arts/09rule.html?ref=americas "Jane Rule, Canadian Novelist Dies at 76" in The Times, 13 December 2007]
*[http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/u_arch/sonthoff.pdf "Helen Sonthoff Fonds" by Hernandez, Erica, in University of British Columbia Archives, 2000]
*[http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/u_arch/janerule.pdf "Jane Rule Fonds" compiled by Hives, Christopher. Revised by Pitblado, Beth, et al. University of British Columbia Archives, last modified 2016, accessed 21 Jul 2020]
*[http://www.herizons.ca/node/483 "Jane Rules: Reflections on Living and Loving" by Bealy, Joanne, Herizons.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923124019/http://herizons.ca/node/483 |date=2020-09-23 }}
*[[Ellen Bosman]]. "Jane Rule Publishes ''Lesbian Images''." in ''Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Transgender Events''. Pasadena, CA:  Salem Press, 2006. 287–289. {{ISBN|9781587652646}}
* Marilyn R. Schuster, Sonya L. Jones (editor). ''Gay and Lesbian Literature Since World War II: History and Memory'', "Inscribing a Lesbian Reader, Projecting a Lesbian Subject." Routledge, Haworth Press, 1998. p.&nbsp;87–113. {{ISBN|078900349X}}
* [[Linda M. Morra]]. ''Unarrested Archives: Case Studies in Twentieth-Century Canadian Women's Authorship'', Chapter 4: "Jane Rule and the Archive of Activism: Negotiating Imaginative – and Literal – Space for a Nation." Toronto University Press, 2014. {{ISBN|9781442626423}}, {{ISBN|9781442648814}}, {{ISBN|9781442617742}}
* Marilyn R. Schuster. ''Passionate Communities: Reading Lesbian Resistance in Jane Rule's Fiction,'' NYU Press, 1998. 
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rule, Jane}}
[[Category:1931 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American educators]]
[[Category:20th-century American novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century American women writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian women writers]]
[[Category:21st-century American women writers]]
[[Category:American emigrants to Canada]]
[[Category:American expatriate writers in Canada]]
[[Category:American free speech activists]]
[[Category:American lesbian writers]]
[[Category:American LGBTQ rights activists]]
[[Category:American women novelists]]
[[Category:Canadian activists]]
[[Category:Canadian free speech activists]]
[[Category:Canadian lesbian writers]]
[[Category:Canadian LGBTQ novelists]]
[[Category:Canadian LGBTQ rights activists]]
[[Category:Canadian women novelists]]
[[Category:Concord Academy faculty]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in British Columbia]]
[[Category:Deaths from liver cancer in Canada]]
[[Category:Lambda Literary Award winners]]
[[Category:Lesbian novelists]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of British Columbia]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of Canada]]
[[Category:Mills College alumni]]
[[Category:Novelists from New Jersey]]
[[Category:Writers from Plainfield, New Jersey]]
[[Category:LGBTQ people from New Jersey]]