Masculinity in Male-Authored Fiction, 1950–2000: Keeping it Up

231 Pages·2005·0.801 MB·English

by  Alice Ferrebe (auth.)

Masculinity in Male-Authored
Fiction 1950–2000
Keeping it Up
Alice Ferrebe
Masculinity in Male-Authored Fiction 1950–2000
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Masculinity in
Male-Authored
Fiction 1950–2000
Keeping it Up
Alice Ferrebe
School of Media, Critical and Creative Arts
Liverpool John Moores University
© Alice Ferrebe2005
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2005 978-1-4039-4550-1
All rights reserved.No reproduction,copy or transmission of this
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Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The author has asserted her right to be identified
as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published in 2005 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
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PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave
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ISBN 978-1-349-52303-0 ISBN 978-0-230-50231-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230502314
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully
managed and sustained forest sources.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ferrebe,Alice,1970–
Masculinity in male-authored fiction 1950–2000 :keeping
it up / Alice Ferrebe.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p.) and index.
1.English fiction – 20th century – History and criticism.
2.English fiction – Male authors – History and criticism.3.Masculinity
in literature.4.Sex role in literature.5.Men in literature.I.Title.
PR888.M45F47 2005
823(cid:2).91409353—dc22 2005048764
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05
For Mum and Dad
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Contents
Acknowledgements ix
1 Introduction 1
Reading: resisting resistance 3
Defining masculinity(/-ies?) 8
The masculine self 12
2 The Consolations of Conformity 16
An empirical example 19
(Middle-)classless aspirations 27
Addressivity, anxiety and influence 34
Good, clean, rational fun 42
‘Part-of-a-spending-spree and good-fun-for-all-concerned’ 49
The maletext? 58
3 The Contradictions of Philosophy 61
Outside the hero 63
A masculine philosophy? 72
Choosing to be born 76
The essentialist existentialist 82
The masculine gaze 88
4 Non-Conformity and the Sixties 104
It came from inner space 109
In sickness, not in health 122
Writing the male body 129
A teenage ball 139
A rational rebellion 150
5 Credit for Confession – Gendered Addressivity in
the Contemporary Male-Authored Novel 152
The anti-masculine text 161
The women’s decades? 163
Confessional increments 170
Hitting and telling 176
vii
viii Contents
Ladlit 181
The daddy of Ladlit 190
6 Conclusions – Reading to Belie the Binary 195
Notes 200
Bibliography 205
Index 214
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Professors Cairns Craig and Berthold Schoene for
their careful reading, comments and suggestions. Randall Stevenson
washugely generous with his time, and his encouragement and insights
informed and improved this book throughout: may the pigeons
alwaysnest on your leftwindow-sill. Most of all, thanks to Jonathan, for
always listening, and always knowing what’s important.
ix