What a Man's Gotta Do: The Masculine Myth in Popular Culture

194 Pages·1990·5.039 MB·English

by  Antony Easthope

What aM anis Gotta Do

What aM anis Gotta Do
THE MASCULINE MYTH IN POPULAR CULTURE
Antony Easthope
ROUTLEDGE
NEW YORK· LONDON
Published in 1990 by Unwin Hyman
Paperback Reprinted in 1992 by
Routledge
An imprint of Routledge, Chapman and Hall, Inc.
29 West 35 Street
New York, NY 10001
Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane
London EC4P 4EE
Copyright © 1986, 1990 by Antony Easthope
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Easthope, Antony.
What a man's gotta do: the masculine myth in popular culture/
Antony Easthope
p. cm.
Reprint. Originally published: London: Paladin Grafton Books, 1986.
Includes bibliographical references (p.
ISBN 0-04-445739-1
ISBN 0-415-90638-5 (pbk.)
1. Men in popular culture. 2. Men - Psychology. 3. Masculinity
(Psychology) I. Title. II. Title: What a man's gotta do.
[HQI090.E281990] 90-12167
305.31-dc20 CIP
British Library Cataloguing information also available
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vii
1
INTRODUCTION
PART I: BASIC MASCULINIIT
THE MYSTERIOUS PHALLUS 11
17
FATHERS AND SONS
27
BOYS WILL BE BOYS
PART II: THE MASCULINE EGO
35
THE CASTLE OF THE SELF
45
MAN AND NATURE
THE MALE BODY 50
MAN AND NATION 55
PART III: MASCULINIIT IN ACTION
61
MEN AT WAR
69
PLAY THE GAME
74
THE MAGIC KEG OF BEER
(1): 78
MASCULINE STYLE CLARITY
86
MASCULINE STYLE (2): BANTER
MASCULINE STYLE (3): OBSCENITY 93
PART IV: THE SAME SEX
103
MASCULINE OR HOMOSEXUAL
vi Contents
PART V: MASCULINE/FEMININE
EXCHANGING WOMEN (1): MARRIAGE 115
EXCHANGING WOMEN (2): JOKES 123
THE MADONNA AND THE WHORE 128
THE IDEA OF THE WOMAN 134
BEING IN LOVE 142
FAME, WEALTH, AND THE LOVE OF WOMEN 151
156
JEALOUSY
161
GOOD OBJECT/BAD OBJECT
THE MASCULINE MYTH 166
LIST OF TEXTS 175
FURTHER READING 179
180
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
181
INDEX
ACKNOWLEDG MENTS
I would like to thank Rob Lapsley and Mike Westlake for criticism
and ideas over a period of time that have contributed materially to
all parts of this book. In addition I am grateful for discussions,
containing both agreement and disagreement, with Jonathan Dolli
more, Caroline Henton, Toril Moi and Alan Sinfield.
I would also like to acknowledge the help of the men and women I
have worked with for some years in the area of cultural studies -
Margaret Beetham, Stewart Crehan, Sue Furniss, Elspeth Graham,
Alf Louvre, Tony Martin and Pam Watts. Of course what goes
into a book is one thing and what comes out ofit is another.
I am also grateful to the following for giving pennission for the
reproduction of copyright material:
the Staatliche Museum, Berlin; Galleria dell' Accademia, Florence;
the Priests of the Sacred Heart, Hales Comers, Wisconsin; Bibli
oteca Ambrosiana, Milan; Martin Kemp and his book Leonardo ria
Vinci, published by J. M. Dent & Sons; Philip Morris Ltd; AlI
Sport; Daily Mail; Greenall Whitley Ltd; Daily Express; Thames
Television International; Daily Telegraph; Associated Press; Popper
foto; Robert Graves; The Sun; AT V Music Ltd and Point Music
Ltd; Michael Linnit Ltd; TV Times; Virgin Music (publishers) Ltd;
©
Kiss Me Deadly 1953 by E. P. Dutton & Co, reprinted by
permission of New English Library Ltd.
For Lilian, Carol-Ann, Diane, Annabeth,
Catherine and Kelynge
INTRODUCTION
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God created he him;
male and female created he them.
Genesis I
It is time to try to speak about masculinity, about what it is and
how it works. This collection of essays looks at the images of
masculinity put forward by the media today and analyses the myth
of masculinity expressed through them.
Despite all that has been written over the past twenty years
on femininity and feminism, masculinity has stayed pretty well
concealed. This has always been its ruse in order to hold on to its
power.
Masculinity tries to stay invisible by passing itself off as normal
and universal. Words such as 'man' and 'mankind', used to signify
the human species, treat masculinity as if it covered everyone.
The God of Genesis is supposed to be all-powerful and present
everywhere. He first makes 'man' in his own masculine image
before going on to create male and female. If masculinity can
present itself as normal it automatically makes the feminine seem
deviant and different.
In trying to define masculinity this book has a political aim. If
masculinity can be shown to have its own particular identity and
structure then it can't any longer claim to be universal.
An ancient myth of masculinity, going back to the Greek gods of
the sun, equates maleness with light. In Genesis there are certainly
men and women but only because he created them. Masculinity
has always tried to be present everywhere as the source of