Artistic representation of sexuality and identity in Ocean Vuong’s queer novel “On Earth We’re Briefly Glorious”

Abstract

The relevance of the study is determined by the need for a literary interpretation of the unique experience of discriminated groups (sexual and ethnic minorities) in Asian-American queer literature. The subject of the study is the representation of a traumatic experience that affects the shaping of various types of sexuality and identity. The purpose of the research is to study the relationship between the artistic representation of the experience of sexuality and the shaping of identity in queer prose based on the material of Vuong’s novel “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous”. The goal was achieved by using the methodology of gender and queer studies, the basics of postcolonial studies and cross-culturalism. As a result of the research, it was found that queer prose is a term that arose from literary discourse and practices of queer authors, and contains certain artistic features; the manifestations of sexuality and identity as character-forming factors of the main characters of Vuong’s novel are characterized. The peculiarities of the self-identification of the main character Little Dog, a Vietnamese-American teenager, and the process of becoming part of the queer community are outlined. The epistolary genre and autobiographical nature of Vuong’s text emphasize the close relationship between sexual experience and the process of the protagonist’s identity formation. The analysis of certain excerpts of the novel allows to understand the challenges and difficulties in the portrayal of sexuality and identity of the main character due to discrimination, both by family and society. Bullying, insults, and non-acceptance affect the formation of Little Dog as a person but do not hinder his self-discovery, well-being and gaining confidence in adulthood (in the novel finale). Considering the result, the explored manifestations of sexuality and identity in Asian-American queer prose will contribute to the spreading of concepts of tolerance and diversity; to a more thorough study of artistic texts related to the literature of ethnic and sexual minorities, which have been considered marginalized for a long time.