 | Boys Don''t Cry?: Rethinking Narratives of Masculinity and Emotion in the U.S. Subjects: American literature -- History and criticism; Men in literature; Men -- United States -- Attitudes; Masculinity in literature; Emotions in literature; Narration (Rhetoric); Men -- Psychology; We take for granted the idea that white, middle-class, straight masculinity connotes total control of emotions, emotional inexpressivity, and emotional isolation. That men repress their feelings as they seek their fortunes in the competitive worlds of business and politics. This collection of essays by prominent literary and cultural critics rethinks such commonly held views by addressing the history and politics of emotion in prevailing narratives about masculinity. How did the story of the emotionally stifled U.S. male come into being? What are its political stakes? Will the "release" of straight, white, middle-class masculine emotion remake existing forms of power or reinforce them? This collection forcefully challenges our most entrenched ideas about male emotion. Milette Shamir is lecturer in American literature at Tel Aviv University. Jennifer Travis is assistant professor of English at St. John's University in New York. |
