Trans / Lit / Now

This seminar will introduce students to the field of contemporary transgender literature in an array of genres including fiction, poetry, and essay. With an eye towards form and image—and with the help of key theoretical interventions from transgender studies—we will trace the range of ways that trans authors are responding to coercive societal demands around visibility and legibility. What happens when a text subverts expectations around coming-out narratives, monstrosity, and respectability? What are the risks and rewards of defying inter- and intra-community taboos? How are different literary genres uniquely capable of loosening up restrictive tropes? Potential authors include Cameron Awkward-Rich, Torrey Peters, Andrea Long Chu, Cecilia Gentili, and more.