Homosexuality and Marginalization: A Subaltern Representation in Andrew Sean Greer’s <i>Less</i>

This study investigates the marginalization of the main character, Arthur Less, due to his homosexuality in Andrew Sean Greer's novel, <i>Less</i>. This analysis applies Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak's foundational paper "Can the Subaltern Speak?" as a theoretical framework. A qualitative research approach-that is, textual analysis-has been applied to the selected excerpts of the novel <i>Less</i>. The goal is to deconstruct and explore various dimensions of <i>Less</i>, the protagonist and his marginalization, including professional exclusion, personal insecurity, societal prejudice, and internalized homonegativity. The analysis concludes that a significant part of Less's marginalization is related to his oppression in a society that has established negative views on homosexuality. In turn, these views, grounded in the concept of internalized homonegativity, underline the level of his subalternity. Decentering Less based on Spivak implies applying this marginality to the position of the gay author. The findings of the analysis reflect the situation in which Less's contribution as a writer is systematically devalued by the dominating literary discourse. Besides, the extracted thematic is meant to demonstrate the intersectionality of Less's marginality, as other aspects of his identity-namely, age, professional status, and personal weakness-endorse his subaltern status.