Queer Subversion and Mobility in Contemporary Taiwanese Fiction

Abstract

Queer literature in Taiwan has a subversive potential, expressed through genre experimentation. Mobility, both in terms of physical travel and the exchange of ideas, has played a crucial role in shaping Taiwanese queer literature since the 1990s. This thesis aims to explore the implications of mobile subversion on queerness, examining how travel, displacement, and class mobility impact queer identities.

The five key texts analyzed in this thesis all subvert traditional genres, challenging and updating literary conventions to accommodate queer expression. This cultural movement creates an imaginative space for queer identification and fosters a queer community before a more visible community-building strategy can be established. In essence, genre subversion by queer authors is significant, acting as a cultural movement essential for Taiwan's LGBT-rights activism, allowing for self-expressed queerness and a positive queer imaginary.

By participating in this cultural movement, the authors' queer subversion delves into various aspects of movement, offering insights into Taiwan's postcoloniality, capitalism, class, gender order, and international visibility from a queer perspective. Through these subversions, the texts problematize Taiwan's national narratives, cultural legacy, and modernity. Ultimately, the thesis suggests that queer literature serves as a cultural movement seeking to expand nonnormative expression and criticize standardized narratives of Taiwan.