Student Theses and Dissertations
Date of Award
Winter 12-16-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
B.A. with honors
Honors Designation
yes
Program of Study
English
Language
English
First Advisor
Allison Deutermann
Abstract
This thesis will focus on queer representation in literature, going all the way back to the works of Milton and Shakespeare and include an exploration of contemporary text Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. I will trace queer representation back to these authors from the canon to show that queer representation in literature and societies’ hysterical reaction to it are neither new nor emergent. Chapter 1 addresses the trending outrage towards books that include LGBTQ+ representation, framing it as a “new” and “emergent” occurrence. Chapter 2 refutes the claims that LGBTQ+ representation is either of those things by introducing Milton’s angels— fluid, unconstrained, and nonbinary entities. In Chapter 3, the concepts of the true and social natural are presented and the difference between the two highlighted by referring to Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. To conclude, this thesis discusses the harms of the social natural on the self, and the importance of queer representation in literature in conversation with Kobabe’s graphic novel Gender Queer.
Recommended Citation
Torres, Kenia, ""A special cause of corrupting their youth": The Long History of Censorship, Hysteria, and the Representation of Queer Desire in Literature" (2023). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/bb_etds/181