When Identity Terms Fail: Representing Same-Sex Desire in Literature

In this thesis, I explore how narrative can be used creatively to represent same-sex desire. Drawing on queer theory, intersectionality, and the ideas of Derrida, I explain why identity terms are unsuitable for conveying the same-sex desire present in each of these texts. I then analyze how forms of same-sex desire that exist beyond the bounds of language are nonetheless conveyed through various narrative features, including narrative gaps, genre-crossing, and comic form. I argue that these texts should be held as examples for generating more intersectional and queer-sensitive representations of same-sex desire