Writing Men: Recognising the sociological value of counter-hegemonic masculinities in American fiction

Abstract

This article sets out to stimulate discussion on the sociological value of fiction in the wider study of men and masculinities in society. Identifying masculinity as a major theme of the American literary tradition, this article engages in a case study analysis of canonical writers of contemporary American fiction, namely Paul Auster, Don DeLillo, and Bret Easton Ellis. Engaging with Raewyn Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity to analyse critically the protagonists of these authors allows a range of issues to emerge - namely the impact of fatherhood, the influence of the male peer group, and the impact globalization of the performance of masculinity. Gendering our reading of fiction in this manner succeeds in illustrating that these authors are intent on not simply depicting masculinity as a social and historical construction but that they seek to challenge the established ideological image of hegemonic masculinity by writing counter-hegemonic narratives.