Definition of Terms

The following terms were defined conceptually and operationally for better

understanding of this study:

Character refers to work of fictions means two things: (1) the person in a work of

fiction, and (2) the characteristics of a person (Literature 1 – Literatures of the

Philippines, MSU Gensan).

Operationally, this term refers to the stories of different individuals that will be

getting from the authors’ novels.

Formalistic Approach to literature examines a text by its "organic form" - its

setting, theme, scene, narrative, image and symbol. It is often referred as "a scientific

approach to literature," because it advocates methodical and systematic readings of

texts. Excluding any external elements or outside information (i.e author's personal life

or the social, historic background of the time the text was written or the reader's bias) in

criticism, the formalistic approach aims to analyze merely the text itself. Therefore, all

interpretations must be supported by evidences found in the text (A Basic Approach to

Reading and Understanding Literature, 2011).

Operationally, this term will be used as a primary approach to get one character

in each novel to be analyzed in this study.

Psychological Criticism, also known as Psychoanalytical Criticism, is the

analysis of an author’s unintended message. The analysis focuses on the biographical

circumstances of an author. The main goal is to analyze the unconscious elements

within a literary text based on the background of the author.

Operationally, this will be the term used to examine which of the recurring

themes in the portrayal of the characters reinforce homonormativity.

Homonormativity is the privileging of heteronormative ideals and constructs

onto LGBT culture and identity.It is predicated on the assumption that the norms and
values of heterosexuality should be replicated and performed among homosexual

people. Homonormativity selectively privileges cisgendered homosexuality (that is

coupled and monogamous) as worthy of social acceptance.

Heteronormativity is the belief that heterosexuality, predicated on the gender

binary, is the default, preferred, or normal mode of sexual orientation. It assumes that

sexual and marital relations are most fitting between people of opposite sex.

LGBT, or GLBT, is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and

transgender. In use since the 1990s, the term is an adaptation of the initialism LGB,

which began to replace the term gay in reference to the broader LGBT community

beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s