Alice May Oseman, Heartstopper

Malcolm Noble (Leicester Vaughan College)

Ed. by Dainy Bernstein, University of Pennsylvania
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Gina Lyle (University of York), Graham MacPhee (University of Manchester), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 2016

Places

United Kingdom (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Graphic / Comic

Cultural Identities

LGBTQ

Resources

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Alice Oseman’s queer YA graphic novel

Heartstopper

has been a recent global phenomenon with few obvious comparators. Begun as a webcomic in 2016, it is assembled as a series of chapters, each issued incrementally as parts, and subsequently published as a series of five print books to date, with the sixth and final one due in 2025. Pagination is continuous throughout the story, although not on every page (here in parentheses; square brackets are added where interpolated).

Heartstopper

has been met with critical acclaim and popularity for its nuanced representation of the full spectrum of queer sexualities, as well as its sensitive treatment of difficult topics such as self-harm and mental health. A striking feature, however, is its sense of queer joy. While Oseman’s previous novels,

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3489 words

Citation: Noble, Malcolm. "Heartstopper". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 November 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=41550, accessed 21 November 2024.]