“Queer Soulmates”: The Nonnormative Properties of American Queer Autofiction. The Boy and the Bot: an Autofiction

Hussain, Khuram (2024) “Queer Soulmates”: The Nonnormative Properties of American Queer Autofiction. The Boy and the Bot: an Autofiction. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

This thesis provides a critical-creative exploration of ‘queer’ both as an identity and a narrative form within the genre of contemporary queer self-writing. Part One features a critical essay employing phenomenology and queer theory to analyze the representation of non-normative sexualities in current literary works. It examines Garth Greenwell’s What Belongs to You, Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts, and Ocean Vuong's On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous through the autofictional frame. The synthesis of current autofiction and queer phenomenology forms an expansive framework for examining identity’s subtleties, narrative construction, and self-portrayal, emphasizing autofiction’s capacity for articulating queer personhood while dissecting the formal elements of the chosen texts. The critique weaves together queer theory and literary criticism to unpack each text’s political dimensions, showing how each champions queer identities and their atypical relationship with space, time, and desire.

Part Two introduces The Boy and the Bot, an original autofiction narrative that applies the theories discussed to depict queer selfhood and belonging within the American context. The story scrutinizes the queer experience of space, time, and desire against the backdrop of a technology-infused contemporary setting. Set in present-day New York and Fire Island, the narrative contrasts physical and digital realms to interrogate the notion of a queer utopia and its impact on self-formation. The novel contributes to the discourse on the evolving nature of the American dream and the definition of ‘queer’ in today’s culture.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	09 Oct 2024 09:44
Last Modified:	09 Oct 2024 09:55
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/96968
DOI:

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