LE3 .A278 2019

2019

Quéma, Anne

Acadia University

Master of Arts

Masters

English

English & Theatre Studies

There is minimal scholarship focusing on Rubyfruit Jungle (1973) by Rita Mae Brown, Stone Butch Blues (1993) by Leslie Feinberg, and Tomboy Survival Guide (2016) by Ivan E. Coyote. In an attempt to remedy this lack in existing research, my thesis explores the temporal relationship between the three queer narrators of these texts and their failures to embody heteronormative ideals of happiness and success. The literary analyses of these texts are informed by a theoretical framework that is predominantly comprised of Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble, Jack Halberstam’s The Queer Art of Failure, and Sarah Ahmed’s The Promise of Happiness. I demonstrate that each narrator has memories of their repeated failure to be made happy by heteronormative ideals, and that these past experiences continue to affect them in the future. In addition, I demonstrate that, while the narrators attempt to forget their painful pasts of failure and their consequences, forgetting is an impossible task. Nevertheless, while forgetting is not an effective means for them to move on from these experiences, collective action is represented as a way for the narrators to cope with their memories of failure and pursue a hopeful future. However, their ability to connect with collectives is influenced by their respective sociopolitical moments.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:3346