Queer Between the Lines: A Case for the Use of Queer Literature in Queer Historical Studies

When conducting research on the history of queer individuals between the 1960s and the 2000s, historians have infrequently utilized queer literature to inform their studies. Historians have examined queer life in the late twentieth century by emphasizing queer pessimism and optimism, the AIDS crisis and the Stonewall Riots, and social issues addressing race, ethnicity, and poverty. However, these ideas are commonly addressed separately, often failing to fully capture queer livelihood. Instead, this article offers historians an example of how incorporating queer literature can strengthen interpretations of queer life between the 1960s and 2000s. In particular, this article will primarily analyze The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai, My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson, We the Animals by Justin Torres and On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. By examining these works, the essay will provide historians with a more comprehensive framework on how to understand the different attributes of queer life, such as race, community, and sexuality. By incorporating more literature like those provided, historians could help develop a picture of queer life that is imitated in popular literature.