Fernández, 1979140 - From Margins to Mainstream: Tracing the Evolution of Sapphic Literature Through The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Its Social Media Resurgence.

Abstract

What defines sapphic literature, and what criteria characterise a novel as sapphic? How has the term “sapphic” evolved over time? Despite the historical challenges of homophobia and censorship, writers have persisted in creating works that faithfully represent sapphic identities and experiences, solidifying sapphic literature as a distinct genre within the literary world. The emergence of social media platforms such as BookTok and Bookstagram has further contributed to the visibility and circulation of sapphic novels, promoting greater engagement and accessibility of these stories in a contemporary context. This thesis examines the evolution of sapphic literature from marginalized and censored representations to its contemporary widely commercially successful by analysing Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017). In order to further prove the rise of sapphic novels in contemporary literature, this thesis will also explore how the social media community known as BookTok has contributed to their resurgence. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, though it may initially appear to follow a heteronormative narrative, centres on the sapphic relationship between two queer women, set against the framework of Hollywood’s golden era in the 1950s and 1960s. The novel allows the exploration of the ways sapphic relationships were treated during the mid-1900s, while also highlighting their evolution towards contemporary society. The novel has acquired significant attention on social media, particularly on TikTok, through its subcommunity, BookTok. Until recently, most LGBTQ+ novels focused primarily on MLM (male-loving-male) narratives, presenting novel recommendations focused only on gay male relationships. This thesis will examine how the rise of social media, specifically the BookTok subcommunity, has contributed to the increased visibility and popularity of sapphic communities, helping to promote a more diverse range of women-loving-women narratives. In this thesis, I will be employing close reading and literary analysis approaches of the novel to examine the themes, cultural contexts, and narrative structures of sapphic literature. Moreover, I will draw on queer theory to explore how these texts challenge heteronormative structures, specifically through queer histography and queer temporality, using perspectives from academics such as Michel Foucault’s The History of Sexuality (1976), Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble (1990), and Jack Halberstam’s The Queer Art of Failure (2011). In addition, Adrienne Rich’s Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence (1980) will be used to support the analysis of feminist literary theory, examining how sapphic literature challenges patriarchal narratives and expands representations of queer female experiences.