I agree that you need to "read in" the queer. The representation is there, but it is often presented as aberrant behavior in some way.
One thing I'd add to the list of themes that are in line with the queer experience is the relationship between Rand and Mat. There's this scene in the Eye of the World where the two of them are traveling from village to village, alone and scared, huddled together in a barn somewhere as Mat deteriorates from Shadar Logoth. I kind of think back to their friendship in those very early days and then how badly it changed later. From the end of the EotW/beginning of TGH, Mat is doing all he can all the time to get away from Rand after finding out who and what Rand is. Mat doesn't ultimately succeed in physically avoiding Rand forever, but he doesn't ever really seem like he's friends with him again, not in the way that Rand and Perrin actually seem to be friends at the end. The last scene we get with Rand and Mat is in the Seanchan palace, which is not exactly the moment for an intimate chat. The early sense of intimacy and trust between them never seems to be restored.
I get that there's a lot of situational humor in Mat's character, and much of that is in his proclaiming he won't do something, only to grudgingly do it (and often more). But the friendship strain between Rand (the analogously queer character here) and Mat (the straight friend who can't deal with learning what his friend is) feels pretty familiar. This is not to imply an actual queer relationship between them, but I think it's another queer theme that can be "read in."
Queer Themes in the Wheel of Time
in Books and eBooks
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I agree that you need to "read in" the queer. The representation is there, but it is often presented as aberrant behavior in some way.
One thing I'd add to the list of themes that are in line with the queer experience is the relationship between Rand and Mat. There's this scene in the Eye of the World where the two of them are traveling from village to village, alone and scared, huddled together in a barn somewhere as Mat deteriorates from Shadar Logoth. I kind of think back to their friendship in those very early days and then how badly it changed later. From the end of the EotW/beginning of TGH, Mat is doing all he can all the time to get away from Rand after finding out who and what Rand is. Mat doesn't ultimately succeed in physically avoiding Rand forever, but he doesn't ever really seem like he's friends with him again, not in the way that Rand and Perrin actually seem to be friends at the end. The last scene we get with Rand and Mat is in the Seanchan palace, which is not exactly the moment for an intimate chat. The early sense of intimacy and trust between them never seems to be restored.
I get that there's a lot of situational humor in Mat's character, and much of that is in his proclaiming he won't do something, only to grudgingly do it (and often more). But the friendship strain between Rand (the analogously queer character here) and Mat (the straight friend who can't deal with learning what his friend is) feels pretty familiar. This is not to imply an actual queer relationship between them, but I think it's another queer theme that can be "read in."