Queer Sensibility in Hanif Kureishi’s Intimacy

Abstract

This thesis deals with unconventional sexual practices of the characters in Hanif Kureishi’s Intimacy and questions the contemporary normative form of heterosexuality. This novel depicts queer sensibility which is outplayed by the central character Jay and other characters being contradictory with traditional thoughts and practices of sexual relation. The protagonist is unable to decide about his sexual orientation and he experiments both heterosexuality and homosexuality. Similarly, another character Victor who is rejected by his wife plays with dildo and goes frequently to pubs and brothels to kill his sexual instinct. Likewise, Nina’s marriage was against her will, so she avoids her legitimate sexual relationship with her husband and enjoys her illicit relationship with her boy friend Jay and cousin brother Victor. Ian breaks familial relation to his wife and starts gay relation with his friends. Moreover, the characters even perform abnormal and group sex. Thus, the novel is an outstanding depiction of subversion of heterosexuality by various form of sexuality like multiple sexual relation, paraphilia, incest relation, masturbation, gay and lesbian relations. All these evidences raise the questions on the binary opposition between heterosexuality and homosexuality considering that heterosexuality is just a construct and process of socialization in the main stream.