What does it mean to “queer” literature? How did Queer Theory transform the study of identity, gender, and desire within literary criticism? And why does this field remain central to contemporary debates about culture and power?

In this episode of Literary Rides, we explore the intellectual foundations and literary applications of Queer Theory — from Michel Foucault’s analysis of sexuality and discourse to Judith Butler’s groundbreaking theory of gender performativity. The discussion examines how queer criticism destabilises fixed categories of identity while opening new ways of reading literature, history, and culture.

The episode analyses texts such as The Picture of Dorian Gray, Renaissance drama, queer modernist writing, and postcolonial narratives to show how literature encodes desire, repression, resistance, and social power. We also investigate debates surrounding heteronormativity, censorship, queer temporality, intersectionality, and the global dimensions of queerness beyond Western frameworks.

Designed for students, researchers, teachers, and serious readers of literary theory, this episode offers a comprehensive introduction to one of the most influential and contested fields in modern humanities scholarship.

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