Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World is an example of the growing body of LGBTQ Representation in YA literature. As a novel firmly situated in the genre of YA literature, Aristotle and Dante is written with teenage audiences in mind. The novel utilizes common themes in the genre, such as young love, familial relationships, identity, friendship, and coming-of-age. Within this broader genre exists subgenres—in this case, LGBTQ YA—that build upon common themes to depict underrepresented identities; for example, Ari’s coming-of-age focuses on his journey as a Latino teenager who is gay. As YA literature is largely concerned with portraying the challenges that are inherent to being an adolescent in the process of growing up, Aristotle and Dante depicts the challenges specific to growing up in a world that does not value marginalized identities.

The novel follows in the footsteps of its contemporaries in LGBTQ YA literature in several ways. Perhaps most notably, the novel features several “coming out” plotlines. Though Ari first comes to grips with his orientation in the first novel of the series, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, the sequel is indicative of the fact that coming out is an ongoing process. Ari’s coming out to himself and his parents in the first novel enables him to continue to explore this part of his identity and share it with his loved ones in the second novel. That several characters throughout the novel aside from Ari (such as Rico, Gerald, Julio, and Emma’s late son) are explicitly stated to be gay also speaks to the growth of LGBTQ representation in literature throughout history. That the novel references Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) is no coincidence. Unlike Dorian Gray, published during a time when being gay was considered a crime in England, Aristotle and Dante need not shy away from discussions about being gay. Whereas literature of the past might have settled for offering representations of the gay community via subtext, Aristotle and Dante falls into a line of contemporary young adult fiction that openly represents gay people and discussions about being gay.

Also notable is the novel’s use of first-person narration. By opting for a first-person narrative over that of a third person, the novel effectively gives Ari a voice. Sáenz’s decision to tell this story from the perspective of its gay protagonist is indicative of a growing body of LGBTQ representation in YA literature and the intentions behind championing that representation. Sáenz’s contemporaries in the genre, such as Becky Albertalli (Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda) and Emily M. Danforth (The Miseducation of Cameron Post) champion telling stories from the perspectives of gay people, as their works also utilize first-person narration.