Fictional Masculinities

Abstract

Historical accounts of Western men discussed in the previous chapter find their counterpart in fictional narratives that represent, reinforce, and recirculate shifting models of Western masculinity. From the mid-nineteenth century powerful images of masculinity on the stage and in the printed word became increasingly important in shaping gender identification (Tosh 2005), and in the present day the media continues to be an important site for the representation, production, consumption, and mobilisation of masculinities (Edwards 2006: 139). In this chapter, I look at the ways in which popular fictional texts and tropes from the nineteenth century through to the present day illustrate key discourses of Western men and masculinity — at home and abroad — and inform contemporary understandings about the relationships between masculinity, sexuality and English language teaching.