How did queer theory examine explicit and implicit portrayals of homosexuality in literature?

Queer theory functions as an approach to literary and cultural study that rejects traditional, normative categories of gender and sexuality. Rather than simply cataloging explicit or implicit portrayals of homosexuality, the theory seeks to dismantle the dichotomous binaries—such as heterosexual versus homosexual or masculine versus feminine—that underpin traditional literary analysis.12

By problematizing these binaries, queer theory argues that they reify hierarchy and reinforce the notion that non-heterosexual identities are abnormal or inferior. Instead of viewing homosexuality as a fixed category to be identified in a text, the theory examines how literature performs or subverts these boundaries. For example, it may analyze figures like the dandy to highlight the performative aspects of identity and the fluidity of gender roles. Ultimately, the goal is to disrupt the boundary separating heterosexuality from homosexuality, opening space for multiple identities and discourses that exist outside of assumed social norms.23