Queer Identi ti es in The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Karunati laka (2022) and The Song of Achilles by Miller (2011): A Comparati ve Analysis from a South Asian Perspecti ve

Abstract

This research study att empts to present a comparati ve analysis of the queer identi ti es portrayed in The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunati laka (2022) and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (2011) from a South Asian perspecti ve to examine how cultural, historical, and socio-politi cal aspects of their geographical setti ngs infl uence such identi ti es in both novels and to identi fy the narrati ve techniques and characterizati ons used in them to portray their queer relati onships. Moreover, the central questi ons that guide this study are: 1) how queer do the identi ti es depicted through their main characters appear to be; and 2) and what similariti es and diff erences emerge in the portrayal of their queer relati onships. In order to achieve these objecti ves a qualitati ve research approach is adopted where the data is collected by subjecti ng the respecti ve novels to a thorough criti cal reading and extracti ng the relevant evidence from their narrati ve using criti cal discourse analysis. The data is analyzed using techniques developed from queer theory, semioti cs, and criti cal discourse analysis. Finally, this research att empts to reveal from a South Asian perspecti ve the author’s expectati on for the queer identi ti es portrayed in the two relevant while illuminati ng on the fact they appeal for inclusive society.