Chapter 1 Introduction Jonathan Earl Franzen, an American writer, is one of the most acclaimed novelist and essayist of today’s era. Born in Western Springs, Illinois on August 17, 1959 this prolific writer has contributed greatly in the industry of literature by producing number of creative pieces of work throughout his writing career. Franzen was brought up in Webster Groves, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. In 1981 he graduated from Swarthmore College with a degree in German. His…
hetero-normative ideals and in fact challenges homophobic views: “Boys Don’t Cry” is perhaps the only film addressing the issue of female Masculinity by a self-described queer filmmaker” (Cooper, B. 49) Kohnen argues that Boys don’t cry and Brokeback Mountain, although hailed as progressive for the LGBTQ community actually aren’t a breakthrough as neither movie challenges ideas of sexuality or race and both movies “render the representations of queer desires and identities non-threatening to…