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| author |
Frank Sedita III
| | title |
Hope and Healing in the Gutter: The Graphic Narrative as a Source of Agency, Identity, Voice, and Social Justice for the LGBTQIA+ Community in Fascist and Contemporary Italy
| | abstract |
The narrative serves as a universal element that unites individuals across time and space such as when considering a series of events that have unfolded outside of the setting in which they are being interpreted. Despite this unifying outcome, social, political, and economic factors at times impede upon the power of the narrative to serve as a source of liberation by attempting to marginalize, and in some instances silence, various experiences and how they are recounted. An awareness of this form of oppression necessitates a close examination and engagement with narratives that have been ignored, as well as the alternative mediums that have been deemed inferior to the traditional literary canon to which many subscribe. An oppressive silence has persisted in regard to narratives that capture the tumultuous experiences of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) community. The transformative nature of one particular medium, that of the graphic narrative, overcomes this oppression by effectively capturing the plight of homosexual men both in a historical and contemporary sense. The power of the graphic narrative to provide voice to this marginalized population is evidenced in the complementary works In Italia sono tutti maschi by Luca de Santis and Sara Colaone, as well as La generazione by Flavia Biondi. These narratives afford one the opportunity to engage with text and image in a manner that ultimately allows them to draw vital parallels between various dichotomies. By considering the unique narratives of each work's protagonist, one is afforded the opportunity to contemplate their plight beyond solely lines of gender identity and/or sexuality. Instead, regardless of their identity, one may relate to some degree with the protagonists of these works to ultimately recognize a larger struggle for human rights. Through these works, one may reclaim what is often lost when individuals are marginalized and persecuted as a result of their presumed differences. In this sense, the graphic narrative assumes an empowering role that addresses the unique challenges facing homosexual males; highlighting the universality of this medium to reflect upon past, present, and future realities.
| | school |
The Caspersen School of Graduate Studies, Drew University
| | degree |
D.Litt.
(2024)
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| advisor |
Sloane Drayson-Knigge
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| committee |
Sloane Drayson-Knigge
Emanuele Occhipinti
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| full text | FSedita.pdf |
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