Shiloh Romero

Abstract: This thesis is a critique on the characterization of queer young adults as main characters in coming-of-age novels over the last forty years, and how the heteropatriarchal stereotypes have altered their portrayal, with an emphasis on erasure. The consumption of white heterosexual masculinity in literature is inevitable as these hegemonic norms dominate Western culture; in tandem with such a parochial perception of representation, there has been an incredible erasure of intersectional identities, even within the genre of LGBTQ+ literature. This thesis demonstrates how it exacerbates the potentially devastating consequences of hegemonic fiction. To illustrate this, a close reading analysis on "Call Me by Your Name" by André Aciman and "Last Night at the Telegraph Club" by Malinda Lo will be presented to offer a critical commentary of the effects of these stereotypes in juxtaposition to how the novels interact with race, class, gender, and sexuality.

13th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium | April 7th 2023 | Florida Atlantic University

Bio: Shiloh Romero (they/them) is an English and Political Science double major in the English honors program. Their research interest lie within multicultural and gender studies; their current work being presented today is their first formal research paper, and focuses on intersectionality and representation within queer literature.