Queer Theory Texts - In a Queer Time and Place by Judith Jack Halberstam (2005)

Ever wanted to eat dessert before dinner? Well, in this work, Halberstam says, "futures can be imagined according to logics that lie outside of those paradigmatic markers of life experience, namely birth, marriage, reproduction and death."

In other words: there isn't one natural order of life. So: go nuts with your food choices. And with all of your other lifestyle choices, because queer bodies experience lives that are fundamentally out of order.

Now, how could you analyze characters in Middlemarch using this idea? What about other classic novels?

Keep in mind that queer characters need not be of an alternative sexuality. They can simply be doing things that go against the prevailing attitude of the day. In which of your favorite books do you see characters behaving in ways that break the rules of mainstream society?

We here at Shmoop are partial to Chuck Palahniuk, but we bet you've got some pretty good ideas of your own.