Gender/Queer Theory
An offshoot of feminism, gender/queer theory is focused on the ways in which gender and sexuality are discussed. Many gender/queer theorists discuss gender in non-binary terms; that is to say, they do not talk about gender as only feminine or masculine. To them, gender is a social construct, so it is determined by the gender you perform, i.e. the way that you behave. As an extension to that, queer theorists also look for ways in which sexuality is portrayed, often interpreting moments of ambiguity in a text as a possible commentary of characters' sexuality. With a small but significant increase in LGBT literature, many theorists are exploring the way in which these new works might reinterpret established works and/or repurpose archetypes while telling new stories and looking at gender and sexuality in new ways.
An offshoot of feminism, gender/queer theory is focused on the ways in which gender and sexuality are discussed. Many gender/queer theorists discuss gender in non-binary terms; that is to say, they do not talk about gender as only feminine or masculine. To them, gender is a social construct, so it is determined by the gender you perform, i.e. the way that you behave. As an extension to that, queer theorists also look for ways in which sexuality is portrayed, often interpreting moments of ambiguity in a text as a possible commentary of characters' sexuality. With a small but significant increase in LGBT literature, many theorists are exploring the way in which these new works might reinterpret established works and/or repurpose archetypes while telling new stories and looking at gender and sexuality in new ways.