Defying Normativity: Reclaiming a Narrative of Queer Resistance in Young Adult Literature

Author

Christopher Morabito, The Graduate Center, City University of New YorkFollow

Date of Degree

6-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Program

English

Advisor

Carrie Hintz

Committee Members

Matt Brim

Mark McBeth

Jessica Wood

Subject Categories

Children's and Young Adult Literature | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies | Literature in English, North America | Rhetoric and Composition

Keywords

Literacy Practices, Homonormativity, Queer Adolescence, Queer Literacy

Abstract

At the heart of this dissertation lies a single question: how Queer is Queer Young Adult Literature? As many scholars have argued, Queerness is, in many ways, a literacy, and literature is one of the greatest sponsors of Queer Literacy. While there is certainly no one comprehensive definition of what it means to be queer, it is also true that the general understanding of queerness has changed quite drastically in the last few decades. What was once used as a term to describe someone who is outside of social conventions has slowly begun to lose its sense of “otherness,” and with this shift comes the loss of all efforts to resist the pressures of normativity.

Defying Normativity opens by analyzing the shifting narrative of queerness in mainstream culture. I argue that efforts to convince the general public that queer people are just like them has resulted in a version of queerness that looks to conform to, rather than challenge, normative ideologies. If queerness truly is a literacy, this narrative is fostering a culture of aliteracy. In my first chapter, I examine the ways in which this narrative is represented in contemporary QYA novels. In each of the subsequent chapters, I highlight novels, both contemporary and classic. that embrace a different aspect of Queer Literacy that can help us to return to a narrative of resistance. Ultimately, this dissertation serves as a call to reclaim this narrative of queer resistance in young adult literature so that adolescent readers are empowered to resist the pressures of social conventions, and fight to change society instead.

Recommended Citation

Morabito, Christopher, "Defying Normativity: Reclaiming a Narrative of Queer Resistance in Young Adult Literature" (2024). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/5749