Abstract: This essay proposes a new interpretive theory called fictions of queer attachment , which refers to three synergistic forms of composition and reception: (1) works of fiction that depict queer or "forbidden" relationships; (2) audiences' imaginings of pleasurable queer bonds with works of art; and (3) vital adaptations or new artistic compositions inspired by such queer works and bonds. I analyze Jessica Hagedorn's 1990 novel Dogeaters —and three of its fictional intertexts (by Douglas Sirk, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and Manuel Puig)—to illustrate how works of fiction both depict and enable life-sustaining bonds with art, especially for marginalized artists and audiences.
Daniel Valella (Mon,) studied this question.