Tragicomedy in contemporary english language literature: the case of Queenie, by Candice Carty-Williams

Abstract

This paper analyzes the construction of the protagonist in Candice Carty-Williams’s 2019 novel Queenie through specific mechanisms of tragicomedy. The study questions how the author employs aspects of tragicomedy in shaping the protagonist and to what extent these aspects challenge traditional representations of identity, race, and gender, while also positioning the work as a representative example of contemporary English-language fiction. Methodologically, the research adopts a qualitative and descriptive textual analysis. It employs close reading of selected excerpts based on the theories of Verna A. Foster (2016) and John Orr (1991), as well as the feminist perspectives of bell hooks (2002; 2015). The analysis reveals that the protagonist is constructed as a “comic figure within a tragic universe,” utilizing the grotesque and “risible horror” to reveal systemic objectification of the Black female body. In addition, the narrative’s “double vision” encourages the reader to maintain both emotional engagement and critical distance from her struggles. It concludes that Queenie stands as a representative example of contemporary fiction, establishing tragicomedy as a key framework for articulating the complex reality of the Black female experience.