Analysis Of Rachel Lee Rubin's Well Met

Rachel Lee Rubin’s Well Met, chronicles the history of the Renaissance Pleasure Faire, a cultural wellspring in 1960s Los Angeles. Through her research, Rubin shows the reader how the Faire affects our lives today politically, sexually, and culturally. The Faire is set in the time of the English Renaissance, when brilliant minds like Shakespeare began to write his work. One early attendee drew her own connection about the faires setting and the time that it was developed: “The Faire… had an intellectual focus on the history of an era of awakening from the Dark Ages (as we were awakening from the Dark Ages of McCarthyism) (Rubin 23). The Renaissance Faire was a hotspot for change in the United States, healthier body image was promoted, as was open sexuality, and the influence of some of the most famous entertainers of all time. The Pleasure Faires influences on culture, sexuality, and politics had changed the US norms, making homosexuality, for example, seen in a more positive light.

Unknown to many, the Renaissance Pleasure Faire formed large ripples on 1960s pop culture and fashion trends at the time. To effectively recreate the 15th-century environment, a majority of the entertainment was done through theater; mime shows and plays were most common. In particular was a mime show performed by Rob Shields, an LA dancer. Michael Jackson went to his mime show as a young adult, these shows inspired him to develop his military jacket and white glove wardrobe and his most famous