Ways of Being Male: Representing Masculinities in Children's Literature

by John Stephens (Editor)

Given the substantial impact of feminism on children's literature and culture during the last quarter century, it comes as no surprise that gender studies have focused predominantly on issues of female representation. The question of how the same patriarchal ideology structured representations of male bodies and behaviors was until very recently a marginal discussion. Now that masculinity has emerges as an overt theme in children's literature and film, critical consideration of the subject is timely, if not long overdue.



Ways of Being Male addresses this new concern in an unprecedented collection of essays examining how contemporary debates about masculinity are reflected in fiction and film for young adults. An outstanding team of scholars elucidates the ways in which different versions of male identity are constructed and presented to young audiences. The contributors, drawn from a variety of academic disciplines, employ international discourses in literary criticism, feminism, social sciences, film theory, psychoanalytic criticism, and queer theory in their wide-ranging exploration of male representation. With its illuminating array of perspectives, this pioneering survey brings a long neglected subject into sharp focus.

Genres: Books About Books, Literary Criticism

276 pages, Paperback

First published July 18, 2002

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

John Stephens is Professor in English at Macquarie University, Australia

Reviews

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read to assist with an analysis of gender representation in texts for young people. Very helpful.

[Sarah]

I won’t rate this book as I read for my dissertation and it is just too soon to say how useful it has been. All I can say is that it is a thought provoking read and a must for someone studying masculinities.