Special Themes in Literature: Queer Bodies and Texts

Cross listed with WGST 3005-01

As a term, “queer” exists as both noun and verb. It means, in one instance, to be odd, strange, peculiar; in another, it acts as an alternative to heterosexuality and binary gender. As verb, “to queer,” means to subvert or challenge what is normal and normative. It’s an action and an ethos, a sexuality and a gender. Through analysis of contemporary queer literature, this course considers all facets of these different definitions. As a class, we will consider the connections between queerness and queer form, asking how queerness as a structure or social identity might bristle against (or act in harmony with) the constraints of traditional genre. To do so, students will read memoir, science fiction, and poetry, considering how queerness and queered structure come to bear upon each genre. Authors might include Carmen Maria Machado, J. Jennifer Espinosa, Kai Cheng Thom, Justin Torres, Samuel Delaney, and Akwaeke Emezi.