LE3 .A278 2022

2022

Pinder, Kait

Acadia University

Bachelor of Arts

Honours

English

English & Theatre Studies

This thesis examines the characters of Cal and Nate Jacobs and Jules Vaughn in HBO’s Euphoria to expound on the ways in which the show presents queerness as natural and heterosexuality as enforced. Judith Butler’s term “heterosexual matrix” (2376), José Esteban Muñoz’s argument that “queerness is always in the horizon” (11), and my subversion of W.H Auden’s idea of quest narratives into a conception of queer quests are central to my analysis of the characters’ journeys. Chapter One investigates the ways in which Cal brings heteronormative ideas of queerness into his queer sexual relationships. I employ Sigmund Freud’s theory on fetishism to analyse Cal’s fetishistic relationship with queerness. This chapter outlines the ways in which Cal taints his queer interactions with heteronormativity. Consequently, his queer quest becomes convoluted. Chapter Two is interested in Nate’s repression of his queer desires and how his repression catalyses internalised homophobia in him. I employ Freud’s theory of the uncanny to analyse the uncanny presence of Nate’s internalised homophobia in his life. I contend that Nate’s internalised homophobia and compulsive need to be heterosexual obstructs his queer quest. Chapter Three examines Jules’ movement from heterosexual femininity to queer femininity – femme-inity. I delve into her radical rejection of heteronormative ways to be a feminine girl as she embarks on a queer quest. Jules’ queer quest is defined by her exit from the heterosexual matrix as she finds herself in pursuit of a queerness that is in the horizon. My thesis emphasises Euphoria’s complex, intersectional and nuanced representation of queerness. Euphoria successfully demonstrates that heterosexuality is enforced, performative, and frail whereas queerness can be natural and liberating.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:3813