Queer Identities in The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Karunatilaka ( 2022) and The Song of Achilles by Miller (2019): A Comparative Analysis from a South Asian Perspective

Abstract

This research study attempts to present a comparative analysis of the queer identities portrayed in The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Karunatilaka (2022) and The Song of Achilles by Miller (2019) from a South Asian perspective to examine how cultural, historical, and socio-political aspects of their respective geographical settings influence such identities in both novels and to identify the narrative techniques and characterizations used in them to portray their queer relationships. Moreover, the central questions that guide this study are: 1) how queer do the identities depicted through their main characters appear to be; and 2) and what similarities and differences emerge in the portrayal of their queer relationships. To achieve these objectives, a qualitative research approach is adopted where the data is collected by subjecting the respective novels to a thorough critical reading and extracting the relevant evidence from their narratives using critical discourse analysis. The data is analysed using techniques developed from queer theory, semiotics, and critical discourse analysis. Finally, this research attempts to reveal from a South Asian perspective the author’s expectation for the queer identities portrayed in the two relevant novels while illuminating on the fact that they both appeal for an inclusive society.