Too much based on Freudian and Lacanian theories, which I have some serious doubts about, but especially the bits about gendered injuries and why women are always injured in their faces and men always injured in extremeties were interesting and informative.
Each chapter feeds into a wider narrative, neatly and effectively, whilst still retaining its focus. A great structure for an academic work that I will return to piecemeal. A classic for a reason, one of the first monographs to address the representation of masculinity on film. Whilst quite psychoanalytic in its readings, this does not dominate and the author is at pains to look at structural norms without universalising experiences of individuals.
This is a really interesting book about the taboos surrounding representations of the penis in Western culture. Although its primary focus is movies, it also looks at medical discourse and the music of Roy Orbison. When it was first published, this book was hugely influential in the field of masculinity studies and its relevance is still clear in this new revised version. A great read.