Aging Masculinities in Contemporary U.S. Fiction
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Beschreibung
‘Are older men interesting? This volume insists, and demonstrates, that they have been central figures for many intriguing writers of fiction.’
—Margaret Morganroth Gullette, Women’s Studies Research Center, Brandeis University, USA
‘Revisiting contemporary US fiction by focusing on cultural representations of aging masculinities not only encourages a reassessment of such texts in terms of dominant cultural beliefs that challenges prevailing perspectives on gender and age, but more importantly offers insights into how the form influences our perceptions by either supporting or subverting preconceived notions of masculinity.’
—Roberta Maierhofer, Center for Inter-American Studies, University of Graz, Austria‘A much-needed and impressive contribution to the fields of age studies and gender studies, both of which have overlooked the study of men and masculinity. Focusing on representations of aging and old men in U.S. fiction, contributors produce a rich array of images and interpretations that challenge the dominant masculinity script and redress the cultural invisibility of older men.’
—Thomas R. Cole, McGovern Chair in Medical Humanities and Director of the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics, University of Texas, USA
This book focuses on representations of aging masculinities in contemporary U.S. fiction, including shifting perceptions of physical and sexual prowess, depression, and loss, but also greater wisdom and confidence, legacy, as well as new affective patterns. The collection also incorporates factors such as race, sexuality and religion. The volume includes studies, amongst others, on Philip Roth, Paul Auster, Toni Morrison, Ernest Gaines, and Edmund White. Ultimately, this study proves that men’s aging experiences as described in contemporary U.S. literature and culture are as complex and varied as those of their female counterparts.
JosepM. Armengol is Professor of U.S. Literature and Gender Studies at Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. He is the author of Masculinities in Black and White: Manliness and Whiteness in (African) American Literature (2014), among others, and is Director of the project ‘No Country for Old Men? Representations of Masculinity and Aging in Contemporary U.S. Fiction’.
This book focuses on representations of aging masculinities in contemporary U.S. fiction, including shifting perceptions of physical and sexual prowess, depression, and loss, but also greater wisdom and confidence, legacy, as well as new affective patterns. The collection also incorporates factors such as race, sexuality and religion. The volume includes studies, amongst others, on Philip Roth, Paul Auster, Toni Morrison, Ernest Gaines, and Edmund White. Ultimately, this study proves that men’s aging experiences as described in contemporary U.S. literature and culture are as complex and varied as those of their female counterparts.
Illustrates how social notions of masculinity not only affect their cultural representations, but also how such representations may, and indeed do, effect social change, providing alternative models of aging masculinities that challenge social prejudices of the same Draws upon both an interdisciplinary and intersectional methodology, examining not only the interrelationship of age and gender, as well as aging and gender studies, but also cultural variations by factors like race, ethnicity, sexuality, and religious affiliation Questions the widely held assumption that aging is less of an issue for men through close readings of contemporary works
Autor*in
Josep M. Armengol
Themen in »Aging Masculinities in Contemporary U.S. Fiction«
Masculinities American literature Age and aging Cultural representation Male sexualities
Stimmen zu »Aging Masculinities in Contemporary U.S. Fiction«
“Are older men interesting? This volume insists, and demonstrates, that they have been central figures for many intriguing writers of fiction (some Arab-, Jewish-, or Hindu–American), a list that includes Toni Morrison, Ernest Gaines, Edmund White, Stephen King. Do their diverse male characters run smack into self-pity and intersectional ageism? Do they overcome the damages inflicted young by racism, xenophobia, or the cults of youth and machismo? For readers, variety means imaginative possibilities.” (Margaret Morganroth Gullette, Women’s Studies Research Center, Brandeis University, USA)
“Revisiting contemporary US fiction by focusing on cultural representations of aging masculinities not only encourages a reassessment of such texts in terms of dominant cultural beliefs that challenges prevailing perspectives on gender and age, but more importantly offers insights into how the form influences our perceptions by either supporting orsubverting preconceived notions of masculinity. Literary representations of masculine embodiment show not only transgressions and expressions of power, but more significantly male vulnerabilities in different and unexpected contexts.” (Roberta Maierhofer, Center for Inter-American Studies, University of Graz, Austria)
“This book is a much-needed and impressive contribution to the fields of age studies and gender studies, both of which have overlooked the study of men and masculinity. Focusing on representations of aging and old men in U.S. fiction, contributors produce a rich array of images and interpretations that challenge the dominant masculinity script and redress the cultural invisibility of older men. This is an important book that scholars and students need to read.” (Thomas R. Cole, McGovern Chair in Medical Humanities and Director of the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics, University of Texas, USA)
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